Cast of 'Pumpgirl' Filling the Tank at MTC

The Manhattan Theatre Club production of Abbie Spallen's Pumpgirl, now playing at MTC at New York City Center – Stage II (131 West 55th Street), will open Tuesday, December 4.  Directed by Carolyn Cantor.

"The play unfolds with the story of a homely, tomboyish pump girl (Hannah Cabell) at a rundown gas station. When a local racetrack star (Paul Sparks) becomes the focus of her obsession, the affair threatens more than the feelings of his disenchanted wife (Geraldine Hughes). The play is in the best tradition of richly detailed and unforgettable Irish storytelling," explain press notes.

BroadwayWorld's News Desk Editor, Eugene Lovendusky, held a round-table with the charming and talented cast of this intelligent play to discuss some of the story's deeper meanings and share in the design of performing an eloquently written three-person monologue play with the sensibility of a dialogue piece...

Eugene Lovendusky: The single thing I enjoyed most about Pumpgirl was the writing. It is so full of pictures… watching your performances was like reading a book I couldn't put down. Tell me about Abbie Spallen's script and what intrigued you the first time you read it.

Hannah Cabell: I think I had a similar reaction – it sort of reads like a book, too! It's just one monologue after another, and you get the impression of these stories weave together. It was exciting for me. You can hear the voice even when you're looking at it on the page. She wrote it in such a quintessentially Irish way – and that specific tiny region.  You can really get a sense of the world just from reading it.

Geraldine Hughes: I have such an American sensibility now, I actually pictured in my mind, the many sort of drives cross-county and passing through those lonely Petrol stations and those lonely tumbleweeds. It's interesting because it's written very specifically.  I'd like to also mention, I feel like I am extremely grateful to be telling this story with these two people. I think it's difficult and it's a tough thing to do this show. It takes a certain sensibility and character as actor to tell this story, and make it work and have people listen.

Paul Sparks: I heard about this show a few years ago, when this was done at Edinburgh. To me, it really was about the writing. I couldn't get over how compelling it was. Initially you think a monologue-play will be hard, but you get involved. The monologues start to infiltrate each other as the play goes on. You feel like we're having scenes with each other. I've done a one-man show and said I'd never do it again. The loneliness is monumental. I was reticent to do this initially, but I kept remembering that I loved hearing it when I first saw it. What's been so great about working with these two is, you'd be surprised how we each inform what the other one is doing.  It's not like competing monologues. It's not. It's really about three people telling the same story and each monologue informs.  That's a tribute to Abbie – having a real skill about putting things together.

Eugene: I walked away from this show believing I had seen scenes and that you had done dialogue with each other. Tell me what the rehearsal process was like: Was it one-on-one with the director or did you finally come to a room together?

Paul: We tried it one-on-one at first.

Geraldine: But we missed each other too much. You literally have to be with the other people.

Hannah: It was almost like you couldn't really work. Once we got into the room with each other, we made leaps and bounds compared to what we had done with the director one-on-one.

Geraldine: Because I think an awful lot of it is about listening and also developing and investigating a way of listening as well.  How did we feel about what was just said? Did we hear it or did we not hear it? All of that is so delicious.

Paul: We tried it for about four or five days where we worked on our own and then we came together and sort of "showed each other" what we were doing. But after that, no more – we were always together.  There would be moments when we'd get taken away – I'm sure if Carolyn felt poorly about what I was doing and didn't want to embarrass me [laughs] she'd pull me aside.

Hannah: The blocking may seem minimal from the outside, but I feel the blocking really informs what is going on internally when we weren't speaking.  Just sensing these guys moving at all is tremendous to me and my character and what is going on in our world and their world.

Eugene: You were speaking about the sensibility of an "Irish play." I kept having to myself this was a different culture, different land. Are these characters victims of circumstance?

Hannah: The first thing that pops into my head is something that Abbie said about my character. Some things my character, Sandra, says are quite poetic if you stop to think about them; how observant and detailed they are. Abbie said: "If this woman were in any other situation, with access to education or a support network, then maybe she would be a professor or an artist."  For so many people in this world, their lives turn out to be the result of so many circumstantial factors.

Geraldine: There's something very specific culturally about the humor. There's a kind of making light of things that is very Northern Irish.  And there's also a great Irish sensibility about when things get bad, get rough, get tough.  At the same time, I don't regard it as an Irish play. It's a very worldly play and a slice of life that can happen in many places.

Paul: There is a sort of thought-process of these people that I think is a bit different than where we're from. It's about trying to land in this particular place. It's interesting that these people don't talk about "getting out" or "I could have been something."  This play's not about that. It's about dealing with the circumstances. There's more resigned resignation to the way things are… especially for Hammy.

Hannah: There's an almost cavalier way of referring to troubles – just because that's a way to get through and survive. That's made a huge impact of the people in our play.

Eugene: About your character… I'm going to ask some very closed-minded questions here, just to get a rise out of you… Do you feel Sandra is inviting herself to be emotionally taken-advantage? Does she have a kind of acceptance for the way things sexually between her and Hammy?

Hannah: No… Oh she loves Hammy!

Geraldine: [laughs] I love this! We never do this… talk about how we feel.

Paul: I've never heard this stuff.

Hannah: I love Hammy and it's not in my mind that it should feel good. I think it's tender in just the fact that we are together. And he is talking to me. The sex is just part of that. Even if it's not enjoyable; it's still not self-effacing and self-negating.

Eugene: Paul, do you think that Hammy is smart?

Paul: Not really. Hammy's big problem is that inside, he's very insecure. He's reactionary. He has arrested development and sort of stuck at being fourteen. Obviously, he's a good driver. But he's lazy. He can get women to sleep with him. These are all things that in that culture – I suspect – put you above the other guys described as hideous looking.  Plus, he's with Sinead who is smart and who lords it over him!

Geraldine: You're implying that Sinead and Hammy actually have conversations! [laughs]

Eugene: Why did you ever marry Hammy and did you ever really want him back?

Geraldine: I think that in the beginning, it was great. I imagine that he was a very sort of exciting somewhat attractive fella for her. Basically what happens, you go out with a fella after a certain amount of time and he goes and buys an engagement ring and that's what happens. You don't really think about it too much, and suddenly a child is on the way and that's your life! She really accepts that this is her life.  I think every day she would like him back… there has to be a certain amount of hope or there has to have been something great for her that she stays.  In this day in age, she could certainly pack her bags and leave. But she has a hope. Unfortunately…

Eugene: Enough with this depressing stuff! Hannah, you look adorable with short hair.  This is the first time you've had to significantly alter your appearance for a show… was it scary?

Hannah: No it wasn't that scary actually. They told me when I got the part, and what I'd figured from reading the script and how many times it refers to "man or woman."  Plus, she works at a Petrol station and she's very tom-boyish.

Geraldine: She's gorgeous no matter what way her hair is… it's really disgusting!

Eugene: Walk me through it… it's pronounced "kee-ar."  How was the dialect coaching for this show?

Geraldine: They did it very easily… Like water off a duck's arse for them!

Paul: I'd never done Irish.

Hannah: I've done a lot of Southern; Deborah Hecht, our voice coach, kind of had to beat that out of me.  The Southern has a lot of crisper sounds.

Paul: But we listen to Geraldine and Abbie.  For the most part, it was getting in the ballpark and then let's sound as much alike as we can, so we sound like we come from the same place.  There's "aroond" and "keear."

Geraldine: I think that's a great sound in the play that puts us in the same world, no matter what. There's that noise, very specific noise.

Paul: It is different. People here may be more used to Dublin.  People get used to it after the first few monologues.

Geraldine: People get a kick out of finding a new way to say a word.

Eugene: You open Tuesday, December 4.  What do you hope MTC audiences will take away from Pumpgirl?

Paul: This show encourages you to participate. If you get on-board and if you listen, it is such a beautiful story about three people.

Geraldine: As an audience, you are definitely the fourth-character. We require a lot of the audience to not be afraid of what's going on. We appreciate laughs at the worst of times. Be willing. We want them to feel comfortable enough because we do look at them and talk to them.  So far, they've been fantastic.

Hannah: These are stories of people who often don't get their stories told. I hope people will come and listen because these voices are seldom written for and about. Be there with us.

Eugene: Thank you so much and break a leg with your run! Stay warm and congratulations!

Abbie Spallen's Pumpgirl opens Tuesday December 4 at MTC at New York City Center – Stage II (131 West 55th Street);  Carolyn Cantor directs.

Tickets ($50) can be purchased by calling CityTix at (212) 581-1212. Group and student rates are available. For group ticket information, call (212) 399-3000 x 4132. Student tickets are $25 and will be on sale for all performances based on availability on the day of the performance, up to one hour before show time. For information on how to subscribe please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.

Performance Schedule: November 8 – December 9 Tuesday – Sunday at 7:30pm, Saturday & Sunday at 2:30pm. After December 10: Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2:30pm.

Photos by Joan Marcus (top to bottom): Geraldine Hughes, Hannah Cabell & Paul Sparks; Hannah Cabell; Geraldine Hughes; Paul Sparks