STORY: Dallas finds a strong attraction to 'Porn'

The Dallas Morning News - July 31, 2004

By Tom Sime

'Porn' play a hit: It's dating, not dirty pictures

A play about porn is an unlikely hit in Dallas. But this is Porn for Puritans.

The comedy-music revue, created by Leigh Tomlinson and Tim Wardell, isn't really about dirty pictures. It's about dating: The title summarizes both genders' mixed feelings about sex.

The show is a sensation. Sellouts at the 110-seat McKinney Avenue Contemporary have pushed the original two-weekend run to six weeks, through Aug. 14. There's talk of moving to a larger venue or touring – a strategy that that worked for a pair of local hits about the gulf between men and women.

In 1991, Rob Becker's Defending the Caveman took off in a Dallas nightclub, moved to Broadway for two-plus years and still tours.

A decade later came I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! Some of the fans who made the Theater Three show the longest-running in Dallas – three years – have found Porn. They rave and return with friends. Or bring their teenagers, to prepare them for dating. Or buy a block of tickets for their church.

Like the earlier hits, Porn succeeds by tapping into the scary realm of finding a mate and making that struggle funny.

Zelda Mash of Dallas saw the show and will return with a group of 20. Lynn Hankins of Plano calls it "hilarious and, at times, frightfully realistic, if you've spent any length of time living the singles life."