Arthur D. Hlavaty

C’mon, what’s more appropriate for a church-based theatre company than a show about a raffle, right? Perhaps next they should mount the musical “Bingo – A Winning Musical”.

OK, I’ll be serious. As I’ve written before, this seems to be the year for seeing musicals that I’ve only heard, but never seen. A few years ago, a Foothill Performing Arts Center in San Fernando — the same one that mounted the rare musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona that I love) tried to entice me to attend their production of The Spitfire Grill. For reasons I can’t remember now, I was unable to attend that production. But I remembered the show, and recently obtained the cast album. It had interesting music, and didn’t come off as your typical song-and-dance production.

Prompting the purchase of the album was the fact that a small company to which we had subscribed pre-pandemic included The Spitfire Grill in their 2024-2025 season. I wasn’t interested in the other shows, but made a note to explore Spitfire when it came around, and this company (Actors Co-Op) tends to do an excellent job with both plays and musicals (we really liked their last musical, The Human Comedy).

So, musical I had heard but never seen met a favorite company doing that musical. You know what that means: I purchased a ticket, and you get a writeup.

The Spitfire Grill is a popular small-theatre musical to license, as it has a cast of six and doesn’t require a lot of settings that require flyspace or theatrical magic. It is based on a 1996 film of the same name, and depicts the journey of a young woman just released from prison, who decides to start her life anew in a rural town in Wisconsin. As she starts her new life, the sparks a reawakening on the town, which has been down on its luck.

This woman, Percy Talbott, is finagled a job and lodging at the only diner in the small town of Gilead WI, The Spitfire Grill, by the town sheriff, Joe Sutter. The town is suspicious of her, and the town gossip and mail-mistress, Effy Krayneck, is spreading rumors. Percy has a prickly relationship with the Grill’s owner, Hannah Ferguson. After Hannah hurts her leg, Percy (who has no cooking experience) takes over the grill, assisted by the wife (Shelby Thorpe) of Hannah’s uncle and the town real estate agent, Caleb Thorpe. In the process of learning to run the grill, Percy learns that Hannah has a son that went to war and ended up MIA, and that Caleb has been trying to sell the grill for 10 years. Percy and Shelby become close, and the grill runs better after Shelby takes over the cooking (teaching Percy along the way). They come up with the idea to raffle off the grill for $100 an application, together with an “essay” of why people want the grill. As the first act ends, the letters start pouring in. Act II continues the story of the raffle, and how Percy and Shelby reenergize the town. There are some predictable results, if you know musical theatre, along with some twists that I wasn’t expecting.

The story itself fits in well with the mission of this company, as it focuses on redemption (in many ways). One of the problems I’ve had with Actors Co-Op (and it is really more my problem than theirs) is that they are a Christological theatre company. Their mission, as noted in every program, is to be “an outreach of Christ’s hope”. As a Jewish audience member, this can sometimes make their performance a bit too close to the preachiness line; that’s one reason I had no interest in their play Lewis and Tolkein earlier this season. This also makes me borderline on subscribing, as I don’t always get the breadth of shows I’d like. They haven’t quite gone back to the season subscription model yet post-COVID. If they do the membership model instead, I might be interested^*. One thing that is always guaranteed with Actors Co-Op, however, is that you will have an excellent performance. In all our years of attending their shows, I don’t think there has been a single clunker.
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^* For those unclear on the difference: A subscription model guarantees you a seat to each show (sometimes they pick, sometimes you); a membership model is a donation that then guarantees a significant discount to shows.

This show was no exception. The talents and skill of the cast, combined with the story, drew you into the drama. The songs less so: the toe-tapping ones are few and far between, and it is unclear how well the songs propel the plot forward. They seem to be more emotional punctuation. I did tend to like “Out of the Frying Pan” and “Shine”. There were some outstanding performances of note. Caitlin Gallogly shone as Shelby Thorpe, with a remarkably clear and beautiful voice. She also excelled at the comedy aspects of the role, and had a likeable personality that was broadcast to the back of the theatre. Also strong was guest artist Hannah Howzdy as Percy Talbott. She captured the personality of Percy well, in terms of both the hesitancy and the strength. Lastly of note was Co-Op regular Lori Berg as Hannah Furguson, who captured the early bitter and lonely old woman well, as well as the rejuvenated Hannah in the second act.

The scenery was simple, but well done: two rocking chairs on the side, and a center turntable for both the opening scene and the diner (luckily it didn’t turn too much, as it was manually done and sliding, not rolling). Projections were well used to establish the seasons.

The Spitfire Grill continues at Actors Co-Op until June 8, 2025. It is nice heartwarming musical, not your typical song-and-dance piece, and well worth seeing. Tickets are available through the Actors Co-Op Site.

Credits

The Spitfire Grill. Music and book by James Valcg. Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley. Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff. Directed by Bonnie Hellman.

Cast (^æ indicates Actors Equity): Hannah Howzdy Percy Talbott; Gavin Michael Harris Sheriff Joe Sutter; Lori Berg Hannah Ferguson; Spencer Rowe^æ Caleb Thorpe; Treva Tegtmeier^æ Effy Krayneck; Caitlin Gallogly^æ Shelby Thorpe; Ben Kientz The Visitor / Eli.

Music Department: Stephen Van Dorn Musical Director. The orchestra is not credited in the program, but I know they were live because I heard them tuning.

Production and Creatives: Kimi Walker Producer; Nikki Alday Stage Manager; Rachel Kupfer-Weinstein Property Designer; Marc Antonio Pritchett Sound Designer; A. Jeffrey Schoenberg Costume Designer; Nick Foran Lighting Designer; Nick Santiago Projection Designer; Tim Farmer Scenic Designer; Judi Lewin Wig & Makeup Designer; Jennie White Asst. Stage Manager; Nora Feldman Press Representative; Spencer Rowe Marketing Show Manager.

Support Your Local Theatres

One last note: Under the 47 administration, arts are in peril. We’re seeing cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. Many theatres are seeing NEA grants pulled, putting at risk productions already budgeted and started, and also putting at risk future seasons and potentially the existence of companies. Pleading emails have gone out to supporters, for without government support is it up to us, the audience, to support the theatres. And before you say government shouldn’t be involved, remember that Queen Elizabeth was a patron of William Shakespeare, and enabled his art to be produced. The Theatre Communications Group had a nice article on this titled “Unkindest Cuts: How Theatres Are Managing the Loss of NEA Funds“, in which they note:

But the arts are a public good. They inform conversations, they teach empathy, they both tell us where we are in the world and yet somehow cause us to step away from where we are and travel somewhere else in our minds. They also contribute economically to their communities.

An easy thing you can do to show you care about the arts is contact your congressional representative, your senator, and the president. Complain to them about the terminations and about Trump’s plan to eliminate the NEA entirely. If you are pressed for time, click here for a form letter that will go to your representatives urging them to support NEA and NEH funding for next year. You can even add in a line about the grant cancellations.

You can also donate to the companies or programs in this story by clicking on the theatre names. Donate to other organizations you are attached to. Thankfully, some communities have been responding in exactly this way to the immediate cries of theatre companies.

[…]

Clearly, the fundraising needs of the American theatre go beyond just making up for the NEA grants terminated. We’re not going to save the world by making up for one $10,000 grant, but that will help.

If you can’t donate yourself, encourage others to do so. Post about a theatre company on social media. Encourage businesses to back theatre. Local businesses have recently been turning away from the arts, but if they know how important the arts are to their community, they might change course. It’s good business. I plan to go to Columbus in the fall, and I’m totally going to see if The Kitchen has a public event during that time.

There is talk about changing the funding and production infrastructure, sure, and those talks should continue, but right now we can raise money to assist struggling companies. There is, of course, the concern that raising money privately proves that the NEA isn’t necessary. But that fear can’t be as great as the need to help these companies.

[…]

Every little thing is a step in the right direction. Some terminated Institute for Museum and Library Services were already reinstated. That is because of some type of pressure.

Theatre will always happen, with or without federal money. But we’ve already seen tremendous downsizing in recent years, as a substantial number of theatres have shuttered since the pandemic. In just the last week, two theatres in major cities have announced “do or die” campaigns, and everywhere companies are doing fewer shows—and that hurts the creative landscape. Each blow stings. Just because one show or program can continue without a specific NEA grant doesn’t mean that funding isn’t necessary. We all need to work together to make sure theatre remains plentiful and accessible. Funding is needed.

Consider this message my part. Donate to your local theatres. Buy tickets. Attend shows. Spread the word about the fact you attend live theatre on all of your social media. Demonstrate that attending live performance is not a Democratic or a Republican thing. It is something that we as human beings need to nourish our souls, and that theatre artists must be free to express themselves, even if it puts itching powders in the clothing of the leadership. Theatre has long served as a commentary on society, whether it be Showboat in the 1920s, South Pacific in the 1960s, Chicago in the 1970s, Hairspray in the 2000s, or Hamilton in the 2010s.  Mr. President, theatre is much more than Cats.

Administrivia

I am not a professional critic. I’m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does a highway site and a podcast about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at: Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre; Broadway in Hollywood/Pantages Theatre; Pasadena Playhouse; The Soraya, and 5-Star Theatricals. We’re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at — it hasn’t been the same since Rep East died (it’s now The Main, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn’t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren’t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups; here’s my current approach.

Upcoming ♦ Theatre / ♣ Music / ◊ Other Live Performance – Next 90ish Days (⊕ indicates ticketing is pending).

• May:  ♦ A Dolls House, Part 2 at Pasadena Playhouse.
• June: ♦ Parade at CTG/Ahmanson; and possibly some Hollywood Fringe Festival shows.
• July: ♦ Hamlet at CTG/Taper; ♦ A Beautiful Noise at BIH/Pantages; ♦ Puppet Up at CTG/Kirk Douglas; ♦ Frozen at 5-Star Theatricals
• August: ♦ Some Like It Hot at BIH/Pantages; ♦ & Juliet at CTG/Ahmanson

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along the Road as Raffles and Redemption | "The Spitfire Grill" @ Actor's Co-Op by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link to the left. You can sign in with your LJ, DW, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. Note: Subsequent changes made to the post on the blog are not propagated by the SNAP Crossposter; please visit the original post to see the latest version. P.S.: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.