The roadside joint’s a jumpin’ just a whoop-and-a-holler east of Pasadena as the Sierra Madre Playhouse treats audiences to the infectiously entertaining Pump Boys And Dinettes.

 Though officially a 1982 Best Musical Tony nominee, Pump Boys And Dinettes is more country music concert/revue than anything else, but what a country music concert/revue it is, peopled with just the kind of folks you might have met at a North Carolina service station/diner somewhere between Frog Level and Smyrna had you stopped by in the early ‘70s for a tank of gas, a slice of Prudie and Rhetta Cupp’s mouth-watering fresh-baked pie, and plenty of Southern hospitality at the Double Cupp Diner (double entendre entirely intentional I’m sure).

The brain child of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann, who not only wrote the show’s “book,” music, and lyrics but starred in its original Broadway incarnation, Pump Boys And Dinettes is an eighty-minute (plus intermission) series of anecdotal introductions to twenty original country-western ditties certain to get you clapping and humming along.

 Curvy blonde sisters Rhetta (Cori Cable Kidder) and Prudie (Emily Kay Townsend) each get a solo. Rhetta informs the “mean mistreater” who’s been making her life miserable to “Be Good Or Be Gone” while Prudie recalls “The Best Man” she never had, and together they duet the “Menu Song” (cheese grits and barbecue are two of its most popular items), collect “Tips” from an audience prepped with prop dollars, and celebrate sisterhood in the appropriately titled “Sister.”

Not to be outdone, the gas station attendants’ band get their own individual moments to shine as well.

 Jim (Michael Butler Murray) pays loving tribute to the grandmother he called “Mamaw” and L.M. (Sean Paxton) orders an ex to “Serve Yourself” (“better than you served me”), then recalls “The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine.”

 And then there’s Jackson (Jimmy Villaflor), the station’s flirtatious, cute-as-a-button heartthrob who serenades his favorite local cashier (a “gum-poppin’, be-bobbin’, heart-stoppin’ dime store dream”) in “Mona,” then strips down to his lemon-yellow tank top to show off the “Farmer Tan” that drives the gals wild. (“Two-toned biceps, ivory chest, further below the best you get,” he proclaims.)

Joined by Jim Miller’s Bobby and Kevin Tiernan’s Eddie, the Pump Boys harmonize in “Taking It Slow,” “Fisherman’s Prayer,” “Catfish,” “Pump Boys,” and the entire cast blends voices in “Highway 57,” “Drinkin’ Shoes,” “Vacation,” “No Holds Barred,” and “Closing Time.”

In other words, if country music is your thing, you couldn’t ask for more than Pump Boys And Dinettes, effervescently directed and exuberantly choreographed by Allison Bibicoff.

 Ovation-nominated Always…Patsy Cline star Kidder once again proves herself second-to-none in authentic country appeal and big-voiced vocals to match the best Nashville has to offer (along with her original “Drinkin’ Shoes” tap choreography), and newcomer Townsend’s Prudie is both entirely believable as Kidder’s sis and an absolute charmer in her own right.

As for the boys, Miller (drums), Murray (guitar, Dobro), musical director Paxton (piano, accordion), Tiernan (bass), and Villaflor (guitar) are not only the best singing-strumming band in town, they play their colorful roles with abundant gusto, with special snaps to aspiring singer-songwriter Villaflor, acing his musical theater debut with irresistible charm.

 Scenic designer Jeff G. Rack merits major snaps for his imaginatively conceived and executed pump-and-diner set decorated to down-home perfection by properties designer McKenzie Eckels, and Angela Nicholas deserves her own whoops for ‘70s-hued costumes and some iridescent “drinkin’ shoes,” all of the above vibrantly lit by Derek Jones, as sound designers Matthew Shane and Todd McCraw ensure an expert vocal-instrumental mix.

Additional snaps go to Diane Siegel for her lobby design, Amanda Walter for her hair design, and Orlando de la Paz for his scenic painting. Pump Boys And Dinettes is produced by Christian Lebano and Estelle Campbell, Chloe Madriaga is stage manager. Shane is engineer and McCraw is technical director.

Just what the doctor ordered for the summertime blues, Pump Boys And Dinettes is guaranteed to put a mile-wide smile on your face and a heaping helping of songs in your heart.

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre.
www.sierramadreplayhouse.org

–Steven Stanley
June 23, 2018
Photos: Gina Long

Tags: Los Angeles Theater Review, Sierra Madre Playhouse