Pump Boys and Dinettes
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Pump Boys and Dinettes is a musical written by a performance group also called Pump Boys and Dinettes, which consists of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann. The members directed and starred in the Broadway production.
History
The musical was created by two friends who worked at The Cattleman restaurant in New York City, dramatizing their experiences there.[1] It started as a two-man act and then expanded.[2] As Jim Wann, the show's principal author and composer recalled in 2010, Template:Quote
Productions
The musical premiered on Broadway on February 4, 1982, at the Princess Theatre and closed on June 18, 1983, after 573 performances. The cast featured Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Foley, Mark Hardwick, John Schimmel and Jim Wann. It had premiered at the Chelsea West Side Arts Theatre on July 10, 1981, moving to the Colonnades Theatre (Greenwich Village) in October 1981.[3] Replacements through the show included Loudon Wainwright III, who took over the role of "Jim" (originally played by Jim Wann).
The show played in London's West End at the Piccadilly Theatre from September 20, 1984, to June 8, 1985, and transferred to the Albery Theatre from June 11, 1985, to September 2, 1985.[4][5] The production starred, amongst others, Paul Jones, Clodagh Rodgers, Joe Brown, Brian Protheroe, Carlene Carter and Kiki Dee.
The show played for many years in Chicago at the Apollo Theater on Lincoln Avenue.
A 1983 touring version of the show featured former pop star Nicolette Larson. Larson's performance in the show was well-received, and it began a brief foray into country music for her.[6]
On July 16–19, 2014, the show was revived for five performances at New York City Center as part of the Encores! Off-Center program. The cast featured Hunter Foster, Mamie Parris, Randy Redd, Katie Thompson and Jordan Dean.[7]
On July 22, 2018, the original cast (save Mark Hardwick, who died in 1991) performed two full-score concert versions of the show at Feinstein's/54 Below in Manhattan.[8]
The musical tells the story of four men (L.M., Jackson, Jim and Eddie) who work at a gas station and two waitresses (sisters Prudie and Rhetta Cupp) at the Double Cupp Diner, located somewhere between Frog Level and Smyrna, North Carolina. The music is mostly from the country rock/pop music genres. They perform on guitars, piano, bass and kitchen utensils.[9]
The original cast album was released by CBS Records in the U.S. Its recording of "The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine" reached number 67 on the Hot Country Songs charts.[10]
In 2021, Porchlight Music Theatre premiered a new song written by Jim Wann for this Chicago production, "Surf Castin' Man." Porchlight's production was directed by Daryl Brooks, music directed by Robert Reddrick and choreographed by Rueben D. Echoles. "Surf Castin' Man" was performed by Frederick Harris with the cast that also included Rafe Bradford, Shantel Cribbs, Ian Paul Custer, Melanie Loren and Billy Rude.
Other media
Pump Boys and Dinettes on Television was a pilot episode for a series adaptation of the show featuring the Broadway cast and appearances by Ron Carey and Tanya Tucker. It aired on NBC on August 15, 1983, but a series was never ordered.[11]
Plot
Act One
The story takes place on an unspecified "Highway 57" on the outskirts of Frog Level, a rural community somewhere in the southeastern United States ("in Grand Ole Opry country" according to the official summary), at two adjacent locations: an unnamed gas station co-owned by Jim and L.M., and the Double Cupp, a diner operated by sisters Prudie and Rhetta Cupp ("Highway 57"). Jim's Uncle Bob calls the gas station to inquire about when his Winnebago will be fixed, and Jim stalls him by saying it takes time and extra care to do the job right ("Takin' It Slow"). Jim talks about the ladies that swing through the area, noting that his employee Jackson chases them, his other employee Eddie once lured a wealthy actress, but L.M., the station bookkeeper, draws the most attention, which L.M. doesn't even want ("Serve Yourself").
At the Double Cupp, Rhetta advertises the diner's menu ("Menu Song"). Prudie talks about how the male-to-female ratio in the area plays in her favor, and that although Eddie comes close to her ideal, his being from the nearby "inbred" town of Smyrna is a deal-breaker, and her real soulmate is in the audience ("Best Man"). Jim talks about how he forgot he had promised to take Rhetta to a minor league baseball game when he chose to go fishing instead ("Fisherman's Prayer"/"Catfish"). Jim recalls his late grandmother ("Mamaw"). Jim takes one of the catfish from his fishing trip to Rhetta to cook, but Rhetta is still jilted and tells him off ("Be Good or Be Gone"), to which Jim tries to make good by offering her a silk artificial rose and to clean up his truck if she accepts another date at a nearby bar ("Drinkin' Shoes").
Act Two
After intermission, the Pump Boys advertise their gas station's services and goods ("Pump Boys"). Jackson talks about what he does on the weekends, when he goes into town, where he has a crush on a cashier at Woolworth's ("Mona"). Jim and Jackson recall an exceptionally dry and troublesome summer the previous year, when anything that could go wrong did, which segues into a story about how L.M. met Dolly Parton backstage after a concert and had a brief fling before he cut off the affair due to extenuating circumstances ("The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine").
At the Double Cupp, Rhetta and Prudie sing about wanting tips from their customers ("Tips") before reflecting on their childhood under an absent single mother, lamenting the emotional distance between each other ("Sisters"), then decide to shut down the diner for a time and take a trip ("Vacation"). The pump boys and Cupp sisters all head on a road trip to Florida in Bob's Winnebago ("No Holds Barred"), where L.M. again draws the ladies ("Farmer Tan"). Bob calls the group, and Jim assures him that he will be returning soon ("Highway 57 (Reprise)"). L.M. and Prudie pair off, as do Rhetta and Jim, as they close the diner and gas station ("Closing Time").
Songs
Lyrics and music by Jim Wann (unless otherwise noted)
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Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Tony Award | Best Musical | Nominated | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Mark Hardwick | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Lyrics | John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Music | Nominated | |||
Notes
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External links
- Template:First word Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)Template:EditAtWikidata
- Template:First word Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the Internet Broadway DatabaseTemplate:EditAtWikidata
- History and background
- Synopsis at Guide to Musical Theatre
- Pump Boys and Dinettes revived in New York in 2011 by Numero Uno Productions