THEATER REVIEW : DOWN-HOME MUSIC, FUN RINGS THE BELL AT GLOBE

From their hoots ‘n’ hollers to their standing ovation, the opening night crowd at the Old Globe Theatre gave a real down-home welcome to the rockabilly revue, “Pump Boys and Dinettes.”

Brought to life here with an extra-shiny gas station and roadside diner set designed by Fred M. Duer, this musical amusement conceived by John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann celebrates the small pleasures in life.

Down on Highway 57, somewhere between Frog Level and Smyrna, S.C., live four good ole “pump boys” who never let the work at L.M. and Jim’s gas station get in the way of their pluckin’ and croonin’ and swivel-hipped rockin’ out.

And right next door are those delightful eyefuls of musical inspiration, Rhetta and Prudie Cupp, sister owners of the Double Cupp Diner where they always “treat you nice” with the real meaningful stuff of life: fresh pies and succotash.

The gas station theme was first hit upon by Wann and Hardwick to ease the monotony of a Manhattan club singing date. Soon enough. they were joined by Morgan (Wann’s wife) and Monk as the original heart-of-America waitresses (the “dinettes”).

Their witty survey of country-rock-gospel-and-blues sensibilities and sentimentalities caught on. By the time they got to Broadway in 1981, with La Jolla Playhouse director Des McAnuff among the producers, “Pump Boys” possessed enough dazzle to attract a Tony nomination for best musical.

Directed for the Old Globe by Matt Casella, this nostalgic ode to small town life is barely theater at all. But it is fun, ringing bells of longing for the simple times. By the time it’s halfway through, who cares what this musical mixture is called?

Tucked into stage right are an old couch resting on discarded tires, a table supported by a stack of old oil cans, a hanging price list with old fashioned prices for work the boys just hate to take seriously, and a piano.

And an accordion. A banjo. A string bass. A violin. Plenty of microphones.

The piano is bald, bespectacled L.M.’s (Mark Bringelson) nesting place for most of the evening, with Jim (Mark Rust) at the mike out front with his acoustic electric guitar, Eddie (Stephen Rust) on bass and bright-red sneakered Jackson (Joe Kane) playing backup guitar.

There’s not much talking here, just enough to introduce the next song. The story of life on Highway 57 is told musically--and most of that is a stylistic borrowing from everywhere. Half the fun is trying to guess whose sound influenced each number. Elvis? Jerry Lee? Dolly or Tammy? Aretha or Patti? Willie, Waylon or Hank?

Down the center of the stage, off into the scrim that shelters a couple of cars to give the right atmosphere, runs Highway 57--the famed freeway that separates the boys from the sparkling green and red decor of the Cupp sisters’ diner.

Of course, this imaginary distance doesn’t stop the girls, Deborah Van Valkenburgh as Prudie and Linda Hart as Rhetta, from beating on counter tops and cash boxes with their drumsticks, pulling out a tambourine and opening their lovely mouths with country-pure harmonies when the occasion demands--which is always.

The two have their own stories to tell, as in the beautiful, moving ballad called “Sister,” or with the hard-edged wail Hart pulls out for “Be Good or Be Gone.”

The boys cover the territory with everything from a mild, Elvis-like “Mona” (by Joe Kane, who holds back a little too much), to the a capella gospel parody, “Fisherman’s Prayer.”

These young performers are all good at what they do, but Hart’s sincerity and comic gutsiness as Rhetta and Bringelson’s poker-faced portrayal of the bald sex-symbol, L.M., draw the most attention.

Mark Rust, doubling as music director, has the mellow voice and middle America looks to give Jim credibility, but a smooth ballad like his “Mawmaw” is hard put to compete with Bringelson’s hilarious ‘50s takeoff, “Farmer Tan,” or his countrified lament in “T.N.D.P.W.A.M.” (which translates: “The night Dolly Parton was almost mine.”)

Costumer Virginia Gadzala echoed the comfort and liveliness of Duer’s green-and-red theme with tight red waitress uniforms for the girls and the boys’ subdued, gas station chic. Her failure came with L.M.’s spangly “steppin’ out”jacket, which looked like it had just been pasted up back stage.

Lighting designer John B. Forbes has kept the club feel with house lights frequently up, occasionally echoing a song’s mood on stage with a fiery glow or a dreamy blue haze. There’s no reason “Pump Boys and Dinettes” won’t be a hit here like it has been everywhere else. Who can say no to a good time?

“PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES” By John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel, Jim Wann. Directed by Matt Casella. Musical director is Mark Rust. Scenic designer is Fred M. Duer. Costume designer is Virginia Gadzala. Lighting designed by John B. Forbes. Sound consultants are Corey L. Fayman, Tony Tait. Stage Manager Maria Carrera. With Joe Kane, Mark Bringelson, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Linda Hart, Stephen Rust, Mark Rust. Through May 4 at the Old Globe Theatre, Simon Edison Centre for the Performing Arts, Balboa Park, San Diego. (619) 239-2255.