First of all, I wanted to share a link to a review written by a wonderful blogger/theatre fan, Hope Baugh on her blog, Indy Theatre Habit. Hope actually succeeded in putting her finger on many of the reasons that have kept us coming back to this show for 20 years. Thanks for saying it so well, Hope!
I also want to take a moment to salute our "unsung hero," and that's our propsmistress, stage manager and surrogate mom, Janet Sutton. She's kept us organized, on-time and looking good with all the right (and funniest) props for 20 years, and we'd be nothing without her. Janet - I know I'm speaking for the whole group when I remind you how much we love and appreciate you and everything you've done for us.
Finally, I struggled with how to sum up what 20 wonderful, fun-filled, wacky years of Pump Boys & Dinettes has meant to me, then I realized that I'm just not as gifted with words as my wonderful, real-life hubby and soul-mate Michael J. Lasley. See, Michael wasn't with us at the beginning. But during our second incarnation in 1991, he hopped onboard (when he was just my boyfriend) when we desperately needed someone who could run our sound and make us sound good. And he's now made us sound amazing for 18 years. Over the years, he's also become our set designer, and finally our fill-in director. And as Producing Director at Indianapolis Civic Theatre, he's largely responsible for our triumphant and delightful farewell run.
So with that said, I'll let the wonderful Director's notes Michael wrote for our program wrap up our 20 years.
Love y'all,
Rhetta
"It would have been impossible, or at least improbable, to predict in the spring of 1989 that twenty years later we would find ourselves producing the tenth incarnation of Pump Boys and Dinettes. More unimaginable still would be the odd collection of venues, the staying power of the cast and the passion our audiences have had for this show spanning two decades.
"I speak with many voices in these notes as we approach our final performances of this show that has become a life-long friend. As presenter, Indianapolis Civic Theatre can be the proud parent of this little band who has cared for and nurtured this child since 1989. The cast has made it its own. That this group of performers has carried on all these years speaks volumes of the original experience, and the Theatre is only too pleased to welcome the cast home after their long journey.
"I speak for those who did not make the entire journey with us. Some have been with the production only once, others a few times. There were other opportunities and choices to be made. I am confident in the knowledge that each of them left their mark on what you will see here tonight, in particular our original Music Director, the late Denny Yount. I have often heard the cast say how his instructions still linger in their minds. His perfectionism still remains in our finest musical moments.
"I speak for Bill Hall, Director Emeritus, and you only need to know a little about this cast to understand the long-suffering nature of his assignment. He was the guardian of the show and the ultimate advocate for you, the audience. His insistence that we keep the inside jokes to ourselves has saved you, our audience, from some truly unpleasant and irritating moments on more than one occasion. His attention to the smallest detail, from staging to set decoration, has made even the most modest production a complete experience. His passing is an event from which we will never wholly recover but we believe he is with us tonight.
"For those of us who remain to play for you this evening we have marked the last 20 years of our lives with this little jewel – Pump Boys and Dinettes. I hope we have given to you as much joy as we have taken over the years, though I don’t know if that’s really possible – we’ve had a really good time!
"Friendship, family, good times and bad – our lives are up on that stage – yours too, if you look close enough.
"We have chosen to get off Highway 57 here, at this exit. But the highway goes on and on and on… "
- Michael J. Lasley
