Capsule Reviews

Pump Boys and Dinettes Check your cynicism at the door, settle in at one of the comfy tables and order a cold drink to enjoy this musical that’s as light as a butter-flake biscuit. The waitressing Cupp sisters (Jenny Thurman, Arianna Movassagh) and their friends (Willy Welch, Gary Floyd, John Venable, Jon Kruse, Hayden Oliver) at the next-door gas station off Highway 57 don’t get many customers. So they spend a couple of hours singing about such things as fishing, driving a Winnebago to Florida, hustling for tips and what makes grandmas so great. As corny as a hush puppy and as sweet as a tub of nanner puddin’, this show offers feel-good wholesomeness and a couple of toe-tapping tunes. The cast is terrific, particularly the big-belting Thurman and newcomer Gary Floyd, who, like Gomer Pyle, looks goofy as all get-out until he surprises the audience with a polished, impressive singing voice. Through June 6 at Contemporary Theatre of Dallas, 5601 Sears St. 214-828-0094. Reviewed May 20.

Stones in His Pockets Like Greater Tuna with an Irish brogue, this little play by Belfast playwright Marie Jones uses two actors (James Crawford, Michael Turner) to play 15 characters, including women, children, Americans, Brits and the denizens of a tiny Irish village. A big-budget movie shoots on location in County Kerry, and the locals get cast as extras. When tragedy interrupts the filming, conflicts arise between the Hollywood types and the country folk. Crawford and Turner are adept at quick changes of accents and mannerisms, making it easy to follow their sudden shifts of character. The play goes soggy toward the end, but the good performances (including their two-man “Riverdance”) make up for it. Continues through June 5 at Theatre Three, 2800 Routh St. in the Quadrangle. 214-871-3300. Reviewed May 13.