Pump Boys and Dinettes

[DAME]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 7:24pm

Has anyone else seen this delightful little musical from the 80's? i think it is time for a revival.

[wendy72]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 7:29pm

I saw it--Debra Monk was in it--and they served moon pies at intermission.

I remember a few of the songs, such as "Farmer Tan" and "The Night Dolly Parton was Almost Mine." Where was it performed in the 80's?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 7:29pm

I saw it at a local professional theatre with my Grandma a while back. I remember enjoying it. Fun little show.

Updated On: 5/28/05 at 07:29 PM

[Jon]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 7:34pm

It's done constantly by regional and community theatres throughout the USA. Debra Monk, one of the authors and original stars, probably makes more money off royalties than she does from acting!

I remember in the mid 80's there was a TV special based on it, with the original cast. They used some of the material from the stage show, added some country stanbdards, and had a "guest Star". Country singer Tanya Tucker stopped in to fill her gas tank, get a snack, and do a song with the Pump Boys.

It was obviously the pilot for a weekly musical variety show - sort of a hipper version of "Hee-Haw". Every week a different star could drop by the diner.

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 7:36pm

Mr. Roxy and I were just talking about this show in another thread. "Farmer Tan" had me in hysterics the first time I heard it!

The CD is still available through Sony/BMG if you look hard enough for it.

Updated On: 5/28/05 at 07:36 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 8:53pm

Wendy;
I saw it on broadway. The theater is now a club.

[Riff]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 9:08pm

it was the latin quarter for a short while. hasnt been a night club in many years. its the medieval hotel

[harris007]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 10:27pm

Yes this is a wonderful show, alot fun for audence and cast alike

[Debbie Does Broadway]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 4:30am

I truly adore tis musical!!! I found the cd in a bin at my library, took it om, listened to it an almost died laughing!!! Suc a ilarious sow, my sister's fav. is I NEED A VACATION, but im torn between FARMER TAN and THE MENU SONG. Oh Debra Monk, how I love thee.....

Deb

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:28am

It's interesting -- the album has a few different recordings of Sisters, Night Dolly Parton Was Mine, Be Good Or Be Gone and maybe one other. For the CD, they released those songs which were recorded in Nashville with studio musicians. They have a completely different sound, which is GREAT! It has the original cast singing, but the studio musicians playing.

I played LM in a production in the 80's and it is the MOST FUN show to perform in. The audiences always eat it up. I wish they would have released the "Greatest Hits" on the CD, which is played as an encore after Closing Time. I agree, this show should be revived. I think it would do quite well.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:36am

I think it would go very well with Broadway's tourist/family trade. But I think it should play a smaller, off-Broadway house.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:42am

It played in Chicago for years in the late 80's or early 90's. I saw it four times and loved it every time.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 9:45am

I believe Lynne Wintersteller and Emily Skinner were in a production of this show a couple of years ago. I just can't remember which regional theatre it was out, but I'm thinking it was in North Carolina.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 10:00am

"I believe Lynne Wintersteller and Emily Skinner were in a production of this show a couple of years ago. I just can't remember which regional theatre it was out, but I'm thinking it was in North Carolina."
That is perfect casting!

Love for Debra Monk here as well, but remember Cass Morgan...whatta voice! Hope she gets back to NYC soon...has she done anything since Floyd Collins?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 10:06am

Delightful show when staged properly. Abysmal when staged as actors + band. I saw a dynamite community theatre production of the show in 1992. I would love to see this show in Chicago. Taking it Slow, Menu Song and No Holds Barred are my favorite numbers from the show.

[otis33]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 1:02pm

It's enjoying a very successful run in San Diego at the moment.

[Up In Lost]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 1:06pm

There is this theater in FLorida (I live in Florida for the winters) and itis going ot be there this winter, and we're polanning on seeing it. I heard a song from it the other day, and it sounded fun.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 2:07pm

When we did the production, they did the set like a huge juke box. The songs were listed far stage left and stage right and would light up when the number was being performed. We even had an adlib start to the show (which I think might be in the script), but the thing that started the "production" was we dropped a huge quarter into a slot on the edge of the stage.

It's one show that I would perform again at the drop of a hat. It's really FUN, FUN theatre.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 3:47pm

What a great show! I had so much fun watching it and I couldn't sit still from rockin' to the music. Still like a theme park show but at least it was a very, very fun and enjoyable one.

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 3:59pm

I saw a production (BAD) in NC that had a 60-year-old man playing Eddie, the bass player. I couldn't BELIEVE that they had a toilet on stage for his "chair." Couldn't have been a worse choice. Also, I prefer it when LM plays a piano and NOT an electric keyboard. Their LM played an electric keyboard and it just lost so much of the authentic feel. Also, LM didn't dance in Drinking Shoes, so I felt it took away from the fun of his character. Still, bad production and all, it was still enjoyable. It's fun music.

[yipper]

Posted: 8/25/05 at 4:33pm

I never saw the show, but I did spend an afternoon with Debra Monk years ago. She told this crazy story about a production of Pump Boys and Dinettes she did in a space that was attached to a shopping mall parking lot.

It seems the backstage of the the theatre shared a door with the shopping mall's parking structure. During a matinee, a man lost in the garage unknowingly found himself backstage. He then saw the dinette counter and sat down and ordered a cup of coffee...this mind you is during the performance! He never turned around to see that there were hundreds of people watching him. Debra poured a cup of prop coffee. He drank it, left a couple bucks on the table and headed back to the garage. The audience wasn't the wiser and the cast fell apart backstage with laughter. Gotta love LIVE theatre!

Updated On: 8/25/05 at 04:33 PM

[yipper]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:23am

Did Debra Monk have anything to do with the writing of the show?
Just curious.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:32am

I believe so.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:35am

Here is a little history on this delightful little show.
pump

[DAME]

Posted: 8/26/05 at 12:48am

The memories a little googling provides.
original cast pic