If memory serves, the only other time Pump Boys and Dinettes was performed in the River Region was an Alabama Shakespeare Festival production a few decades ago; having ended its three-weekend run at the Wetumpka Depot last Saturday, it played to a sometimes raucously over-enthusiastic audience.
Set at a rural North Carolina Highway 57 "roadstop" gas station [the Pump Boys] and its next door neighbor Double-Cupp Diner [the Dinettes], the multitalented guys and gals showcase a host of toe-tapping high-octane songs through a slim plot that does little other than delineate character and relationships while stringing the songs together.
Never mind -- the whole point is to entertain, and director Kristy Meanor's ensemble cast come through in spades. Kaylee Baker, Mike Higgins, Sarah Kay, William Moncrief, Matthew Mitchell, Lloyd Strickland, and David Whitfield accompany themselves on a variety of musical instruments, and dance to Daniel Grant Harms's clever choreography for a rousing 90-minutes.
Whether they're singing country-rock or pop songs about fishing, working for tips, childhood nostalgia, female independence, or sibling relationships, the charisma they establish with one another and with the audience is never questioned. They're a likable group whose good-nature interacts with audiences.
There's a lot of talent on the Depot stage that brings Pump Boys and Dinettes back to vibrant life at a time when we need to enjoy one another's company, even for just a short time.
