CIVIC ARTS PLAZA PRODUCTION CALLS FOR VERSATILE CAST.Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer ``If you can sing, dance, play an instrument and chew chew Chewing tobacco. See Smokeless tobacco. gum at the same time, then this is the show for you,'' said musician and actor Steven Boe, just before he auditioned Sunday for the Cabrillo Music Theater's production of ``Pump Boys and Dinettes Pump Boys and Dinettes is a musical written by a performance group of the same name. The performance group, "Pump Boys and Dinettes" consists of John Foley, Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John Schimmel and Jim Wann. .'' The country-rock revue revue, a stage presentation that originated in the early 19th cent. as a light, satirical commentary on current events. It was rapidly developed, particularly in England and the United States, into an amorphous musical entertainment, retaining a small amount of will open at the Civic Arts Plaza in April. Boe was one of 64 hopefuls who tried out for the revue's six lead roles Saturday and Sunday. Each performer also must sing, dance and play an instrument. Boe, a Van Nuys native, was trying out for the role of Jim, a gas-pumping, guitar-playing, toe-tapping tenor with an eye for the waitress at the diner diner, restaurant resembling the railroad dining car that is its source. In the mid-19th cent., the first dining cars that appeared on trains were nothing more than an empty car with a fastened-down table. George M. next door. The musical revue chronicles the loves and losses of country folk working at a diner-gas station in Smyrna, Ga. The Cabrillo Music Theater's reputation for well-mounted productions and the opportunity to perform at the Civic Arts Plaza encourage talented performers to come out for auditions, said Valerie Baltzel, a volunteer who is helping produce the show. ``It's the opportunity to perform in a 320-seat theater and work with well-known directors, like Lewis Wilkenfeld who's directing `Oklahoma,' '' Baltzel said. Four hundred performers turned out to audition audition /au·di·tion/ (aw-dish´un) hearing. chromatic audition color hearing. au·di·tion n. The sense, ability, or power of hearing. for the 40 roles in that musical. For his audition, Boe sang ``Highway 47,'' one of the songs from the revue. ``I did the show last summer just for fun, so I'm familiar with the songs,'' he said. ``I'm an actor and a musician, so it's an opportunity for me to meld the two.'' The show's musical director, Sean Paxton, said that despite proximity to the Hollywood talent pool, finding performers who could sing, dance and act made casting a challenge. ``We've seen people who are accomplished musicians, and we've seen accomplished actors,'' he said. ``But whether you're in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , L.A. or Pocatello (Idaho) - it's hard to find one person who can do it all.'' But they were impressed with Boe. ``We're definitely going to call you back,'' said director Steven Roger, after listening to Boe sing a soulful soul·ful adj. Full of or expressing deep feeling; profoundly emotional. soul  ful·ly adv. country ballad. ``But now I want you to sing it again with a little more chest in it.'' Getting the mostly volunteer cast to work as a team with only three weeks of intensive rehearsal re·hears·al n. The process of repeating information, such as a name or a list of words, in order to remember it. re·hearse v. will also be a challenge, Paxton said. ``But it'll be worth it for the performers,'' he said. ``It's a unique showcase that's extremely popular with audiences. And for some performers, there's nothing like it - the opportunity to have that direct feedback from the audience.'' ``Pump Boys and Dinettes'' will open at the Civic Arts Plaza on April 18. For more information, call (805) 497-8616. |
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