Feminine wiles

Seeing a play at Piper’s Opera House requires a certain leap of faith. To one side of the front doors gapes a half-finished area under construction. Several dark flights of creaky stairs lead up to the stage. It’s easy to feel Nevada’s history all around, though. Glass cases display antique photographs, and letters and playbills line the walls; brightly colored paint adorns the carved detail on the partially restored ceiling panels. It’s only fitting that a musical about the ills of prostitution would be presented in a historic opera house that blends elegance and deterioration, and that musical is Cathouse Afternoon.

It’s the summer of 1879. A group of indignant matrons known as the Guardians of Decency, led by the respectably dowdy Widow Edna, is trying to stamp out prostitution in Virginia City, namely, Esmeralda’s Parlor House. Judge Knott proposes to the widow, intending to use her fortune to finance his campaign to become governor, but she insists that closing down the brothel be part of his platform. Reluctantly, the judge agrees, although he’s one of Esmeralda’s regular customers. But, when a fire breaks out late at night in the town’s church, finding the culprit becomes the top priority. Everyone’s pointing fingers, and the Guardians of Decency hope to pin the crime on the prostitutes as an excuse to run them out of town. Will the local sheriff find the guilty party in time? Can the high-spirited, pistol-wielding Esmeralda save her business and her ragtag bunch of girls? Or will Virginia City finally become a “decent” town?

The musical score is written by Will Rose, who accompanies the singers throughout the show, along with his band. Although the songs are frequently energetic and catchy, the spoken dialogue between songs is disjointed and often difficult to hear from a few rows back (an effect of the building’s acoustics). Fortunately, the simple plot is easy to follow even if you don’t catch all the words.

This show features several talented performers. Sheree Rose, as Esmeralda, is engaging and enthusiastic, and her songs are a pleasure to hear. Likewise, Francine Borlee, as prostitute Mary Belle, projects larger-than-life energy during her singing parts. Ed Murkovich, playing Judge Knott, hams it up with lecherous winks and eyebrow-wiggling, conspiratorial asides.

Unfortunately, not all the characters are as likable. Mr. Lee, the bespectacled Chinese opium peddler, is little more than an offensive stereotype as he bows and scrapes across the stage, speaking the few lines of his insultingly clichéd role in pidgin English.

The no-frills set is brightened by the actors’ colorful, historical costumes. Bustiers, petticoats and sausage curls give a feel of authenticity and tawdry glamour. Before the show and at intermission, the actors wander through the house, chatting with audience members and flaunting their finery. Audience members are encouraged to dress in costume as well.

Although the play is billed as involving “audience participation,” have no fear—no one was dragged onstage during the show. However, every audience member participates in a different way: the $20 ticket price benefits the continuing restoration of Piper’s Opera House, as do sales of the CD soundtrack and seat cushion rentals (highly recommended). If you’re looking for an evening of entertainment that includes a karma-building charitable gesture, you might just want to spend a night at Cathouse Afternoon.