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06/15/2007
Boys, girls, music and fun'Pump Boys and Dinettes' set to open June 28
From left to right, Brady Concoran on guitar, Kurt Jankowski on drums and Michael Racine on guitar practice during a rehearsal for the upcoming production "Pump Boys and Dinettes." The show debuts June 28 at Milliken Auditorium and runs for four weeks. TRAVERSE CITY — When Jeff Cobb steps onto the Milliken Auditorium stage for the June 28 opening of Miracle Productions' "Pump Boys and Dinettes,” he'll have to deal with a little more than stage fright. There will be the matter of two coy girls. "We're supposed to be flirtatious,” said Ashley Larimer, a senior at Albion College who plays one of the two diner operators known as the Dinettes. Cobb will make his acting debut starring as L.M., one of the gas station attendants known as "pump boys.” He has spent the past two summers with Miracle Productions as the musical director and keyboardist in the pit. But in the first of the company's two musicals this year, producer and director Pat Gallagher will call for him — and the rest of the band — to be on stage. "I'm so excited,” said Claire Gibbons, a junior at Michigan State University who plays the other Dinette. "He's always been behind the piano. I can't wait to see him start singing and start working with him. He's going to be doing some tap dancing, and I think it'll be fantastic.” The musical is set in South Carolina and details the everyday life of the Pump Boys, who run a gas station, and two Dinettes, who run the diner across Highway 57. Gallagher has seen "Pump Boys and Dinettes” performed five times professionally, and said she walked away smiling each time. She chose the production hoping patrons will leave with a similar feeling. "It's summertime,” said Gallagher, who also directs both Traverse City West and Central high school musicals. "It's supposed to be happy and full of joy.” "Pump Boys and Dinettes” offers a light, family-friendly portrayal of the simple life, and the musical score covers the gamut, Cobb said. Songs span country music, heavy blues, Jimmy Buffett rock and ballads, creating more of an ensemble than traditional Broadway shows, Cobb added. Part of the appeal for Cobb and Gallagher is the chance to work with college-age students they directed in high school and seeing them continue performing. Cobb was choral music director at Traverse City Central High School for nine years before leaving a year ago to focus on creating and performing his own music, working from home. He has been composing for film and TV, also selling his work via the Internet. Meanwhile, he's director of music at Traverse City's Central United Methodist Church and director of the All State Choir at Interlochen Arts Camp. Making up the rest of the cast are Brady Corcoran, a senior at Michigan State University; Mike Racine, recently graduated from Brown University; Jeff Caviston, who attends Northwestern Michigan College; and Kurt Jankowski, a 2007 graduate of Traverse City West High School. Corcoran and Racine play guitar, with Jankowski on drums and Caviston manning the bass while Cobb is on piano and — something new — tackles the accordion. Erin Peck handles choreography. While the cast is excited to see what Cobb can do on stage, it's the accordion that has Larimer the most enthused. "I've talked to a lot of people about it,” she said. "It should be a lot of fun, but I'm more interested in seeing him learn how to play the accordion.” The composer and father of two has taken the variety of new elements thrown at him in stride, but the toughest adjustment could be the Dinettes on the prowl. "That's something we're going to have to act through,” Cobb said with a laugh. "Ashley's dad is a good friend and colleague of mine, and Pat's done a good job of toning down the naughtiness and keeping everything in good fun and good taste.” The show will run June 28-30 and July 5-7, 12-14 and 18-20 with performances starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, with premium seating $25 and students $15. Senior citizens also receive a discount. To order, call the Milliken Auditorium box office at 995-1553. More information on the show is at www.miracleproductionstc.com.
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