Miners Alley serves up good old-fashioned comfort theatre

Pump Boys and Dinettes is a rowdy, actor-powered musical in Golden.

Order up! Miners Alley Performing Arts Center in Golden is serving up hot, fresh and delicious comfort theatre with its current production of Pump Boys and Dinettes. 

Originally developed by Jim Wann and Mark Hardwick as a two-man country-western lounge act at the Cattleman Restaurant in New York City, Pump Boys and Dinettes eventually expanded into a full ensemble piece before landing Off-Broadway in 1981 and transferring to Broadway the following year for 573 performances. More than four decades later, the show remains a regional theatre staple because it understands exactly what it is: a folksy celebration of working-class Southern life told through comic storytelling and toe-tapping country tunes.

Under the assured direction of Abby Apple Boes, Miners Alley’s production goes down easy like a fresh cup of coffee or a whiskey after a long shift. It is not trying to excavate the hidden darkness of rural America or probe deeply into its characters’ inner lives. Instead, it offers 90 minutes of songs, sketches and easygoing camaraderie about the folks who work along Highway 57. Luckily, this team knows exactly how to sell that kind of material.

Susannah McLeod and Julia Tobey in Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

Highway 57 comes alive

The show unfolds in and around a gas station and diner sitting side-by-side along Highway 57. Scenic designer Tina Anderson makes terrific use of Miners Alley’s thrust configuration. On one side sits the Pump Boys’ garage, decked out with oil company logos, a map of America and a public telephone. Across from it is the Double Cupp Diner, complete with stools, pie displays and swinging kitchen doors. Between them is a slightly elevated checkered performance platform outfitted with microphones and instruments, where the cast gathers for many of the musical numbers.

Samantha Piel’s set dressing fills the stage with small details that reward close attention, while Crystal McKenzie’s costumes ground the production in a believable blue-collar aesthetic. The Pump Boys are outfitted in identical work shirts with stitched name patches, and the Dinettes sport vibrant red waitress uniforms that pop.

Miners Alley’s production of Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

What really sells the production, however, is the fact that everything is performer-powered. There is no hidden orchestra or backing track lurking offstage. Throughout the evening, the actors play their own guitars, piano, accordion, and percussion instruments (including cowbell, drumset, pots, pans and spoons). Watching the ensemble build the show’s soundscape in real time gives the production an infectious sense of energy.

That energy carries through nearly every number, whether it is the ode to farmer’s tans, the delightfully ridiculous “The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine,” or the tap-heavy “Drinkin’ Shoes” finale to Act One. The show understands that silliness is part of the appeal, and Miners Alley wisely leans into it.

Cast feels right at home

As Jim, Mark Collins functions as the show’s de facto narrator, frequently addressing the audience directly and guiding viewers through the evening’s loosely connected vignettes. Collins brings an easygoing warmth to the role that makes him instantly likable. Every now and then, however, his Southern vocal affect muddies the diction, particularly during songs performed over instrumental underscoring.

Collins shares an ongoing flirtation with Julia Tobey’s Rhetta, a waitress and single mother who alternates between affection and frustration toward him after he stood her up for a fishing trip. While the script clearly wants this relationship to provide an emotional throughline, the romantic tension never fully lands. Tobey convincingly plays Rhetta’s fiery irritation, but the chemistry between the two performers never entirely clicks.

Mark Collins and Julia Tobey in Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

Still, Tobey emerges as one of the production’s strongest assets. She has a powerhouse voice and a magnetic stage presence that makes her impossible to ignore whenever she steps forward for a solo. “Be Good or Be Gone” becomes a showcase for both her vocals and comedic timing, while her performance in “Sisters” alongside Susannah McLeod as Prudie highlights the charming, affectionate dynamic between the diner waitresses.

Tobey also absolutely commits to the production’s most ridiculous comic turn when she appears in full Dolly Parton drag during “The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine.” The fake Dolly boobs, exaggerated swagger and complete fearlessness make the number one of the evening’s biggest crowd pleasers.

Aaron Szindler and Julia Tobey in Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

McLeod gives Prudie an appealing sincerity and sweetness that nicely balances her sister Rhetta’s more impulsive personality. Her performance in “The Best Man” is incredibly sweet and sincere, and her contributions to the ensemble numbers help to anchor the show musically.

Among the Pump Boys, Damon Guerrasio stands out as Jackson, the resident ladies’ man. Guerrasio wisely avoids pushing the character too hard, instead leaning into a relaxed working-man charisma that plays beautifully in the intimate venue. His “Farmer Tan” sequence generates some of the night’s biggest laughs, and he excels at the crowd interactions.

Julia Tobey, Damon Guerrasio and Susannah McLeod as Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

Aaron Szindler’s Eddie is quieter and more stoic than the others, but that restraint works well within the ensemble dynamic. As L.M., music director Neal Dunfee largely lets his musicianship speak for itself. Though silent throughout the production except for when singing with the boys, Dunfee’s piano and accordion work become an essential part of the show’s backbone.

There are some technical issues along the way. The sound mixing occasionally allows the instruments to overpower the vocals, making some lyrics difficult to catch despite the relatively intimate playing space. The imbalance is most noticeable during Collins’ musical storytelling sections.

Still, those glitches prove relatively minor in the grand scheme of the evening. Vance McKenzie’s lighting design consistently elevates the production through smart use of practical bulbs, neon signage and dynamic color shifts that help transition the show between raucous comedy and quieter moments of intimacy.

The Pump Boys in Miners Alley’s production of Pump Boys and Dinettes. | Photo: Sarah Roshan

Pump Boys and Dinettes succeeds because it never overcomplicates itself. If you are exhausted by the endless churn of bad news, Miners Alley offers a chance to sit back, grab a drink and spend time with a group of performers who genuinely seem delighted to be making music together.

As the characters remind us during the show, “work won’t kill us, but worry will.” And for one easygoing evening, that mindset proves surprisingly restorative.