MOVE OVER, THELMA AND LOUISE! When Lana Mae Hopkins, owner and proprietress of the Wishy Washy Washateria, hires Katie Lane Murphy to help out in the Laundromat, they soon find themselves up to their elbows in soap, suds, and cheatin’ hearts. Watch these two country angels join forces to turn their good ol’ Laundromat into a boot-scootin’ honky-tonk, exacting a touch of revenge against those that done ‘em wrong, and all while guaranteeing each and every customer a good, clean time! Take a ride to Nashville heaven in this new musical from Roger Bean (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Life Could Be A Dream, The Andrews Brothers). HONKY TONK LAUNDRY features music made famous by country stars Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, The Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton, Terri Clark, Chely Wright, Martina McBride, Pam Tillis, Jessica Andrews, Trisha Yearwood, Gretchen Wilson, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn. Watch out, now, ‘cuz we might do some yodelin’ too. Words ‘n Other Stuff by Roger Bean Dancin’ & Flat Footin’ by James Vásquez Singin’ & Actin’ by Bets Malone & Misty Cotton
Honky Tonk Laundry
Reviews
As you sit in the audience enjoying this show what you will experience most is a steady flow of hilarity, some darn good western music and without giving away a spoiler a strong message of overcoming obstacles and disappointments with positive determination and a strong will. So it is funny, witty and filled with inspiration.
"Honkey Tonk Laundry" is a wonderful new musical written and directed by Roger Bean ("The Marvelous Wonderettes", "Life Could Be A Dream", "The Andrew Brothers") with choreography by James Vasquez. There are many reasons why you should see this musical, two of them being the ultra talented Bets Malone and Misty Cotton. Not only do these two women sing beautifully, but they have killer comic chops and they can dance.
To be charitable, the L.A. premiere of Honky Tonk seems to be presented at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre with an eye on grander venues, where the taped music could actually be performed by a live band and the miked-up singing won't be too loud for an intimate showcase. At best this wannabe musical is rated “M.E.” – for “mildly entertaining” – while the best thing this two-hander has going for it are the winning performances by Malone and Cotton. These would-be Dixie chicks make do with the material they are given, which they surmount with their Opry-esque talents and charming presences as heartbroken, jilted belles determined to ring their bells.
If you're okay with a jukebox full of country western music then Honky Tonk Laundry is the show for you, and if not, then Bets Malone and Misty Cotton might just change your mind because they're superb.
At the end of "Honky Tonk Laundry," the new jukebox musical from writer-director Roger Bean (of "The Marvelous Wonderettes" fame), you'll leave the theatre feelin' happy, energized and loved. The only problem is you have to sit through a numbing first act to get to the fabulous second.
Nevertheless, who doesn't like to listen to two gals with southern accents dishing the dirt and gossiping about everyone in town? Lana Mae has a tongue that will not quit; she's a real spitfire. And of course, this rubs off on Katie to excess. If you're looking for great singing, and lots of full-out laughter, go to Honky Tonk Laundry. What's low on plot is certainly high on entertainment. Malone and Cotton are two of the best musical performers anywhere, anytime.
Bean's direction is brisk and efficient, and Robert Marra's choreography captures the honky- tonk spirit. Tom Buderwitz's set, with its rows of washers and dryers, is so richly detailed you can almost smell the laundry detergent. And Renatta Lloyd's costumes are both colorful and apt for the characters. - RECOMMENDED
As you might expect, writer and director Roger Bean knows just where he's going – and he makes the trip lots of fun for all of us. But this piece is really a showcase for the ample talents of these two songbirds, each with a voice to send chills up and down your spine and plant a permanent smile on your face. They know just what country/western music is all about – and, by the final curtain, so do you.
One thing is clear: If Bets Malone and Misty Cotton ever choose to sell themselves as an actual country music recording duo, they will be a smash. The intensity and quality of the singing is wonderful. Their blend is perfect, haunting and smooth, most notably on “Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love,” and “Long Time Gone.” Even when one goes the teensiest bit flat, the other balances it out by going the teensiest bit sharp, creating a sound that to my ears could take Nashville by storm.
Still, the dynamic duo of Malone and Cotton manage to haul this show into the ranks of Bean crowd-pleasers. “Laundry” may be a wash sometimes, but its two talents nail down their laughs, hit their high notes and yank a few tears along the way.
With its dynamic-duo stars, some of the liveliest country music you'll hear this side of Nashville, and a female-empowering message snuck in for good measure, Honky Tonk Laundry adds up to yet another crowd-pleasing (and I'm guessing long-running) Roger Bean hit.
No doubt more than happy to sport the title “King of the Jukebox Musicals,” playwright-creator-director Roger Bean can add another gem to his jewel-laden crown with the Los Angeles premiere of this hootenanny homage to the Country Western genre.
Even though they're “cuter than two insects goin' ta' the June Bug Ball in July”—yes, you heard me right—even the infectious talents and incredibly powerful voices of Bets Malone and Misty Cotton can't save this Laundry from puttin' out the CLOSED sign. As wonderful as it always is to hear both of them sing, having only their two voices to listen to, hugely and inexplicably over-amplified overpowering the tiny Hudson's sound system, eventually makes the evening a two-Ibuprofen event. So if you're able to sit through the CMT Awards on TV or Miranda Lambert in concert, by all means head to the Hudson and stomp those feet of yours until they hurt. You probably haven't had so much fun since the pigs et yer little sister.
[Roger] Bean's book is appropriately hokey, with predictable outcomes that leave the audience on a rousing high but there are times the show needs to shake its cliché-ridden writing or risk feeling dated. Both the full-blown stage show in the second act and its earlier first act set-up share a likable goofiness and folksy charm. Comic bits with audience participation work well in the Hudson's intimate theater configuration as does James Vásquez's classic country and western choreography. Bean's staging is active and well-calibrated for both the space and the needs of the characters.
Bets Malone and Misty Cotton are two of the Southland's best known and most talented musical theatre performers... If you visit the Honky Tonk Laundry, you are sure to have a shit kickin' good ole time. Shucks, the opening night audience sure did.
As you sit in the audience enjoying this show what you will experience most is a steady flow of hilarity, some darn good western music and without giving away a spoiler a strong message of overcoming obstacles and disappointments with positive determination and a strong will. So it is funny, witty and filled with inspiration.
"Honkey Tonk Laundry" is a wonderful new musical written and directed by Roger Bean ("The Marvelous Wonderettes", "Life Could Be A Dream", "The Andrew Brothers") with choreography by James Vasquez. There are many reasons why you should see this musical, two of them being the ultra talented Bets Malone and Misty Cotton. Not only do these two women sing beautifully, but they have killer comic chops and they can dance.
To be charitable, the L.A. premiere of Honky Tonk seems to be presented at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre with an eye on grander venues, where the taped music could actually be performed by a live band and the miked-up singing won't be too loud for an intimate showcase. At best this wannabe musical is rated “M.E.” – for “mildly entertaining” – while the best thing this two-hander has going for it are the winning performances by Malone and Cotton. These would-be Dixie chicks make do with the material they are given, which they surmount with their Opry-esque talents and charming presences as heartbroken, jilted belles determined to ring their bells.
If you're okay with a jukebox full of country western music then Honky Tonk Laundry is the show for you, and if not, then Bets Malone and Misty Cotton might just change your mind because they're superb.
At the end of "Honky Tonk Laundry," the new jukebox musical from writer-director Roger Bean (of "The Marvelous Wonderettes" fame), you'll leave the theatre feelin' happy, energized and loved. The only problem is you have to sit through a numbing first act to get to the fabulous second.
Nevertheless, who doesn't like to listen to two gals with southern accents dishing the dirt and gossiping about everyone in town? Lana Mae has a tongue that will not quit; she's a real spitfire. And of course, this rubs off on Katie to excess. If you're looking for great singing, and lots of full-out laughter, go to Honky Tonk Laundry. What's low on plot is certainly high on entertainment. Malone and Cotton are two of the best musical performers anywhere, anytime.
Bean's direction is brisk and efficient, and Robert Marra's choreography captures the honky- tonk spirit. Tom Buderwitz's set, with its rows of washers and dryers, is so richly detailed you can almost smell the laundry detergent. And Renatta Lloyd's costumes are both colorful and apt for the characters. - RECOMMENDED
As you might expect, writer and director Roger Bean knows just where he's going – and he makes the trip lots of fun for all of us. But this piece is really a showcase for the ample talents of these two songbirds, each with a voice to send chills up and down your spine and plant a permanent smile on your face. They know just what country/western music is all about – and, by the final curtain, so do you.
One thing is clear: If Bets Malone and Misty Cotton ever choose to sell themselves as an actual country music recording duo, they will be a smash. The intensity and quality of the singing is wonderful. Their blend is perfect, haunting and smooth, most notably on “Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love,” and “Long Time Gone.” Even when one goes the teensiest bit flat, the other balances it out by going the teensiest bit sharp, creating a sound that to my ears could take Nashville by storm.
Still, the dynamic duo of Malone and Cotton manage to haul this show into the ranks of Bean crowd-pleasers. “Laundry” may be a wash sometimes, but its two talents nail down their laughs, hit their high notes and yank a few tears along the way.
With its dynamic-duo stars, some of the liveliest country music you'll hear this side of Nashville, and a female-empowering message snuck in for good measure, Honky Tonk Laundry adds up to yet another crowd-pleasing (and I'm guessing long-running) Roger Bean hit.
No doubt more than happy to sport the title “King of the Jukebox Musicals,” playwright-creator-director Roger Bean can add another gem to his jewel-laden crown with the Los Angeles premiere of this hootenanny homage to the Country Western genre.
Even though they're “cuter than two insects goin' ta' the June Bug Ball in July”—yes, you heard me right—even the infectious talents and incredibly powerful voices of Bets Malone and Misty Cotton can't save this Laundry from puttin' out the CLOSED sign. As wonderful as it always is to hear both of them sing, having only their two voices to listen to, hugely and inexplicably over-amplified overpowering the tiny Hudson's sound system, eventually makes the evening a two-Ibuprofen event. So if you're able to sit through the CMT Awards on TV or Miranda Lambert in concert, by all means head to the Hudson and stomp those feet of yours until they hurt. You probably haven't had so much fun since the pigs et yer little sister.
[Roger] Bean's book is appropriately hokey, with predictable outcomes that leave the audience on a rousing high but there are times the show needs to shake its cliché-ridden writing or risk feeling dated. Both the full-blown stage show in the second act and its earlier first act set-up share a likable goofiness and folksy charm. Comic bits with audience participation work well in the Hudson's intimate theater configuration as does James Vásquez's classic country and western choreography. Bean's staging is active and well-calibrated for both the space and the needs of the characters.
Bets Malone and Misty Cotton are two of the Southland's best known and most talented musical theatre performers... If you visit the Honky Tonk Laundry, you are sure to have a shit kickin' good ole time. Shucks, the opening night audience sure did.