Daring 'Debbie'
By KAREN SHADE, 8/17/2005
Jason Watts (left), Diane Gingrich, Megan Keough, Dale Sams and Annie Ellicott appear in a scene from Nightingale Theater's production of "Debbie Does Dallas." DAVID CRENSHAW / Tulsa World
Nightingale's take on infamous '70s movie provides lots of laughs, little raunch
Just thinking about the rehearsals for her upcoming show, George Romero can't keep a straight face.
The director of "Debbie Does Dallas," Nightingale Theater's latest show, which opens Thursday, often breaks into giggles like a teenager when she talks about the staging based on the adult film of the same name.
She's not immature; it's just unavoidable.
"The more serious they (the actors) take it, the more we have to stop ourselves from laughing at each other," she said.
The "Debbie Does Dallas" the audience will see on stage will not be the infamous X-rated movie from the '70s about a very motivated cheerleader.
Instead, what they will see is a spoof set to music that relies on suggestion rather than anything too explicit.
The show was first staged during the 2001 New York International Fringe Festival and is about a troop of cheerleaders who'll do almost anything to help one of their own, Debbie, make it to the big leagues as a Dallas Cowgirl cheerleader.
Romero wanted to present the show in Tulsa after she borrowed a soundtrack recording of the original cast from a friend. She said she immediately took to its "quirky and asinine and goofy" playfulness.
"I couldn't help but like it. I'm really drawn to those sort of things."
The last show Romero directed was the Theatre Club whimsy "The Underpants" in March. Most recently she appeared on stage in last month's "References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot" as a bothered kitty. Both were staged at the Nightingale.
"That's the place to see things that other people aren't willing to take a chance on usually. Well, Heller (Theatre) is an exception. Heller will take a chance on a lot of things."
Presenting a show based on porn was a risk even as an idea. But Nightingale has been selling "Debbie" as a show containing "nothing that will embarrass grandma . . . so long as grandma has an open mind."
When Romero goes out and gives people small handbills advertising the show, she gets a lot of questions. Actually, she mostly gets one.
" 'Is this going to be like the movie?' Yeah, except for instead of sex we'll have a musical number, which really makes everyone laugh because they're starting to think about a porno with no nudity and no sex," Romero said.
But they will have to be prepared for plenty of innuendo, mature language, bananas and that eloquent dialogue adult films are known for.
"It's the (same) script (from the movie), close to word-for-word," Romero said before breaking into laughter again. ". . . They have to keep a straight face while they're saying this. And they have to build these characters although they're running around saying, 'OK, bye!' like, all the time and just being complete idiots most of the time."
They are serious, however, about staging their show well. Romero had a short amount of time to rehearse the show, so she didn't have open auditions. Instead she asked people she thought would fit the parts to play them.
Annie Ellicott, best known as a jazz singer with regular Wednesday gigs at local clubs, plays Debbie.
"I like that she knows what she wants and is not afraid to do get it. She's got her eyes on her goal," Ellicott said. "She's just a cute cheerleader with her own code of morals." All-American good girl Debbie ultimately epitomizes the basis of this story Romero described as raucous, risque and bawdy.
"It's a morality tale. Unfortunately, nobody has any morals in it," Romero said.
The cast includes Ellicott, Diane Gingrich, Katie Feiock, Kaycee Johnson, Megan Keough, Dale Sams, David Dillinger Jefferis and Jason Watts.