I went into Pump Boys and Dinettes not liking country music; I left feeling just the same. But that’s not to say that the singing and acting quintet of back country waitresses and service attendants of Highway 57 didn’t work hard to change my mind.
The Music and Theatre Department’s spring musical review, Pump Boys and Dinettes, showcases the powerhouse pipes of juniors Allyson Smith, Courtney Lynn Rhorer, and Rod Davidson III, sophomore Christopher Covill, and freshman Christopher Lukos in a country-pop musical production celebrating friendship and life’s simple pleasures.
Smith delivered another classic performance of style and sheer talent with phenomenal singing and acting strength as Rhetta Cupp, just one of the Cupp sisters who own the infamous diner on Highway 57. She owned the stage with performances like “Be Good or Be Gone,” especially when sharing a fiery chemistry with Christopher Lukos.
Lukos is a rarity of up and coming musical talent, especially in a college setting. With smooth and enthralling low-end vocals and an endearing presence on stage, he easily led the cast from song to song. Lukos was, by far, the best star-casting choice in the role of Jim for Pump Boys, and dominated every song with his unbelievable bass tone.
Christopher Covill and Rod Davidson III flanked Lukos as the pretty boys Jackson and L.M., respectively. Covill definitely came off as the sweet and impressionable Jackson while Davidson III carried off L.M.’s I’m-my-own-man-(but-I-love-the-ladies) persona with precision. Their softer vocal talents were often dominated by Lukos and Smith and although their appearances could capture any ’50’s lovers’ heart, on songs like Davidson’s “Serve Yourself” and Covill’s “Mona,” the two simply didn’t bring out those rough, sexy vocals to go along with their characters.
Courtney Lynn Rhorer was an integral part of song harmonies as Prudie Cupp, but even she paled in comparison to Smith and Lukos. However, she featured a strength in vocal range and tone, nearly matching Smith’s, in the sisters’ duet “Tips.” And although the ballad “Sisters” could have been a saving grace, the slow melodic progression dragged both sirens down, whereas the more upbeat tunes of the review allowed them more vocal freedom.
Scenic Designer Meagan Becker’s choice of teal and chrome created a stand-out diner reminiscent of every stereotypical ’50’s hangout with an adjacent dark gray concrete gas station. Although real enough, the bare, high and curved walls brought attention away from the trinkets and pictures that decorated the lower part of the diner’s setting while the gas station seemed a bit to cluttered, even though the band was within the confines of the concrete box.
The Mylar curtain that flew in during “Tips” gave the musical review a fantasy feel, a nice relief from the back and forth sing-song atmosphere of the show. Only slightly cheesier were the car front cut-outs with flashing headlights that flew in atop the garage during “Drinking Shoes.” Of course, one could overlook that by focusing on the incredibly choreographed tap sequence and amazing harmonies of the entire quintet.
The feel good, back-country-pop-rock musical review wavered between exceptional numbers that really brought out mind-blowing harmonies that bordered on angelic to lackluster numbers that didn’t bring out any of the ensembles better sides. However, each singer gave a charismatic performance and overcame the stipulations of singing in a dialect and singing country songs.