Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Pump Boys and Dinettes - fun for the whole family - by, Kristina Zimmerman

The Sierra Repertory Theater's performance of the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes, playing through July 27, 2014,  is fun for the whole family.

The audience shared nothing but laughs and smiles as the goofy cast members acted and sang. Each character was son completely different yet was able to be perfectly in sync with one another, whether it was hitting the perfect notes, or acting off of each other.  

With a ‘50s themed stage, catchy songs, dancing, the story of a typical day at the diner and auto shop was nothing but fun and entertaining. 


                The musical opened up with a bang, with a catchy tune and plenty of dancing, a great way to open the show. The lighting was able to set the mood perfectly; dimming the lights and adding colors when needed to fit the song and theme.  The stage was divided into two parts; on the left were the stage for the Dinettes, a color, small diner with a few audience members on the seats. The members were treated like “human props,” as the Dinettes would take their order and serve them real food! On the right was the home for the Pump Boys, an auto shop, which is set to be right next door to the diner. The Dinettes and Pump Boys were able to act off of one another, and two members, Jim and Rhetta Cupp, were an obvious love interest that you could not help but to root for. Ben Williams, the actor who played Jim, was an amazing musician, had funny faces, crazy dance moves, and was able to keep the audience interested. Karen Volpe, an actress who played Rhetta Cupp, was practically made for this role. She played the role of an open minded waitress perfectly, with her sassy interaction with Jim and the audience; she couldn’t help but to be noticed.
                Overall, the show was a lot better than I expected. I had fun the whole time, and was impressed with how the cast was able to constantly sing and dance without skipping a beat. The whole audience laughed and had fun, and there was not a disappointed face to be found. I highly recommend that one should see this play, it is not disappointing. Pump Boys and Dinettes was a fun flashback to the ‘50s, and was fun for the whole entire family.

For information on tickets and showtimes visit http://www.sierrarep.org/

by,
Kristina Zimmerman