The Reviews Are In: "Debbie" Is A Hoot!

After all the frustrations with learning dance moves and wearing questionable costumes, the show opened last night and we all rocked! We had a great audience, many who had purchased the Fantasy Kits and were definitely participating in the show.

In this morning's Winston-Salem Journal:

Theatre Alliance has set itself apart. It has become the area leader in presenting shows with adult themes, be they serious or fun.

The latest example in the fun category comes courtesy of Susan Schwartz's Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, which opened last night in Dunn Auditorium at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art.

The presentation, which originated at the 2001 New York Fringe Festival, is based on one of the most popular pornography films of all time. But pornography is only suggested in the Winston-Salem production, directed by Jamie Lawson.

What really dominates is the kind of utter silliness that's so bad you can't help laughing out loud at it, like, all night long.

The plot, predictably, is thin, since it follows the storyline of the 1978 film. It revolves around Debbie Benton (Heather Hamby), a high-school cheerleader, trying to finance the bus fare to Dallas, where she hopes to attain cheerleading heaven as a Texas Cowgirl.

Benton has just a couple of weeks to come up with the money. Minimum-wage work won't cut it - either for her or for her cheerleading girlfriends, who want to help her out. The only thing that comes in the form of favors is offered through a company called Teen Services.

We're treated to several singing and dancing young adults playing horny high-school football players and cheerleaders and to several dirty-minded men more than willing to take advantage of young girls.

The humor is bawdy. The singing and dancing benefits from energy, but lyrics and dialogue are sometimes obscured by amplified music. Girly mannerisms and expressions are played up relentlessly.

In effect, Debbie Does Dallas has become a sequel to The Rocky Horror Show, which Theatre Alliance presented several months ago.

For just a few dollars - all of which will be donated to area charities - you can buy a
Debbie Does Dallas fantasy kit, which is a lunch bag of such goodies as a glow stick, pompoms and fake money. Instructions on how to use the ingredients (and when to scream and grunt) are stapled to the bag. The kits were a hit, making a fun show even more fun.

• Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical will run through Aug. 27 in Dunn Auditorium in the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. Shows are at 8 tonight and next Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. Admission is $16, $14 for seniors and students. Reservations are suggested. No one under 18 will be admitted. Call 768-5655.