Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical

What do you get when you take a porn classic, take out the nudity, and add music? Good campy fun.

Debbie is a cheerleader who has been hired as a Dallas Cowgirl, but to make the trip, she'll have to work. But that's so hard! So she, with her cheerleader pals, will have to augment their incomes with a little spankin', shakin' it, and other sexual favors for cash. Amazing to say, but the story pulls this show through, with a light-as-air plot that actually has a beginning, middle and end. Sad to say, the serviceable songs are something of a drag on the action, because none of them are anywhere near as funny as the dialogue (only about 30 percent of which comes from the film).

Kristen Husby does fine as Debbie, the airheaded girl with ambition, but her quite decent voice is pushed nearly to the limit by her five songs. Joanna Jahn, as "the bad one," has the best song of the show, "God Must Love a Fool," and a star-quality voice that made it the evening's showstopper. Stephanie Cordell, as "the smart one," was effectively over-the-top as the stereotype closet lesbo. Of the men, Brian Kelly had some star power, looking a little like Penn Jillette, but picking favorites is a little unfair, as this is truly an ensemble piece and the cast played as a well-oiled unit.

Zach Curtis's direction kept things moving at a rapid, happy clip, with just enough real sexual energy to earn the performers' glints in the eyes, even if the sex scenes, all clothed but for some bare male glutes, are played equally for laughs.