The investigative theater troupe The Civilians explore Los Angeles’ adult film industry in their new musical

In their previous shows the acclaimed experimental theater troupe The Civilians has tackled such topics as climate change, the 1871 Paris Commune and urban redevelopment. So it’s hardly surprising that they’ve decided to address a literally sexier subject with their newest production Pretty Filthy, about the adult entertainment industry. Featuring songs with such titles as “Squirting 101” and “Waiting for Wood,” this breezily entertaining musical is, for obvious reasons, likely to become this innovative company’s most popular offering yet. As is their usual custom, the piece was created via extensive research conducted by the troupe’s members, who journeyed to the San Fernando Valley, that world capital of porn, to interview adult film stars, agents, directors and cameramen and to spend time on film sets. Judging by what we see onstage, the process must have been a blast. Book writer Bess Wohl uses the story of a single performer as a connective tissue for the vignette-style piece featuring songs composed by Michael Friedman (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Fortress of Solitude). The main character is Becky (Alyse Alan Louis), a fresh-faced young woman desperate to break free from her small town existence where, as she sings in the musical number “What If I Like It,” “You only get $7.20 an hour/Working the weekend shift at Hardees.” Journeying to California, she quickly finds an agent and is transformed into “Taylor St. Ives.” (One of the show’s interesting tidbits of information is that it costs five dollars to register a porn name).