STAGE

Some straight-laced residents in Victoria, British Columbia, are mightily miffed by the local opera group’s decision to stage “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” But it’s not the show that offends; it’s the 30-foot banner stretched across the city’s main street with the musical’s title on it. When the banner went up Monday, the Victoria Operatic Society and City Hall got a few telephone calls, one from a bus driver who said the banner upset his passengers. One business dropped its theater program ad because of the word whorehouse, and a radio station blipped the offending word from its ad spots, an opera society spokeswoman said. City Manager Jim Bramley said he doubts the banner will be removed--especially since advance ticket sales have broken all local records.