PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES is Now Playing at The Phoenix Theatre Company

Whether it's a stop to fill 'er up or get a slice of homemade pie, audiences will delight in the next show to grace the stage at The Phoenix Theatre Company. Valley audiences will enjoy the rock-a-billy fun of Pump Boys and Dinettes, which runs July 21 through Aug. 22.

Pump Boys and Dinettes weaves together stories of four guys who work at a gas station on Highway 57 in North Carolina, and two waitresses, sisters Rhetta and Prudie Cupp, who run the Double Cupp Diner next door. These six friends treat audiences to a Grand Ole Opry-style evening of country western songs about heartbreak and merriment. Additionally, each cast member plays their own instruments including guitars, piano, bass and even kitchen utensils, pots and pans.

"This show feels like stepping back into your comfy theatre shoes, which is so needed after the year we've all had," said director D. Scott Withers. "Pump Boys and Dinettes is charming, sentimental, warm and fun. The music is toe-tapping and the characters are relatable and full of life."

With book, lyrics and music by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann, Pump Boys and Dinettes premiered Off-Broadway at the Chelsea West Side Arts Theatre in July 1981, then opened on Broadway on Feb. 4, 1982, where it played for 573 performances and was nominated for both a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for Best Musical.

With songs like "Farmer Tan" and "The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine!", the music in Pump Boys and Dinettes provides a colorful snapshot of the characters' lives, revealing what's really important, including friendships, fishing, dating, grandma's cooking and drinking.

The cast for Pump Boys and Dinettes at The Phoenix Theatre Company includes Nick Moulton as Jackson, Cassie Chilton as Rhetta Cupp, Emily Mulligan-Ferry as Prudie Cupp, Cody Craven as Jim, Alex Crossland as Eddie and Alan Plado as L.M.

"In the end, this show celebrates the value of friendship and life's simple pleasures," added Withers. "The performers are immensely talented and I have no doubt audiences will leave the theatre in awe."

This is the third show produced indoors at The Phoenix Theatre Company since the start of the global pandemic. The Theatre no longer requires vaccinated audience members to wear a mask and audience members are once again welcome to bring drinks from the ArtBar into the theatre. Masks are encouraged for those who are not vaccinated, and those who feel more comfortable masked. Seating is not socially distanced. Safety protocols will continue to be updated to ensure patron and staff comfort and wellbeing.

Tickets for Pump Boys and Dinettes are on sale now. To purchase call (602) 254-2151 or visit www.phoenixtheatre.com.

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