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Porn satire ‘Debbie Does Dallas’ revived at Theatre Three by actors from 2005 production

Lily Gast, center, leads the cast of Theatre Three's revival of "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical," a satire of the 1978 porn flick.
Jeffrey Schmidt
Lily Gast, center, leads the cast of Theatre Three's revival of "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical," a satire of the 1978 porn flick.

Twenty years ago, Jeffrey Schmidt and Cara Statham Serber were part of the cast of Kitchen Dog Theater’s production of Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical, based on the infamous 1978 adult film. Serber played the innocent title character, a small-town gal who wins a spot on the Dallas Cowgirls, a thinly veiled reference to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who sued the maker of the porn flick back in the day.

The satire follows Debbie Benton as she tries to raise money for the trip to Big D, compromising her values along the way. It’s a sendup of American culture’s uneasy relationship with sexuality.

Lily Gast plays the title character, a small town gal raising funds for a move to Big D, in Theatre Three's production of "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical."
Jeffrey Schmidt
Lily Gast plays the title character, a small town gal raising funds for a move to Big D, in Theatre Three's production of "Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical."

Now Schmidt is reviving the show at Theatre Three, where he is artistic director. Serber, who recently appeared in the troupe’s Carrie: The Musical and Next to Normal, is the production’s assistant director.

“KDT has its cheesecake and spoofs it too,” I wrote in a review of the Kitchen Dog show in 2005, calling the musical both “riotously funny” and “a cautionary tale about ambition.”

Lily Gast portrays Debbie at Theatre Three. “In the world we find ourselves in right now,” says director James Chandler, “I think everyone deserves a chance to let their hair down, turn their brains off, have fun and escape for a little while into the silly world of Debbie.”

Details

Jan. 23-Feb. 23 at 2688 Laclede St. $37-$40. theatre3dallas.com.

Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.

This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.

Manuel Mendoza is a freelance writer and a former staff critic at The Dallas Morning News.