REVIEW: THE SPITFIRE GRILL—American Coast Theater Company @ Lyceum Theatre
- TheShowReport
- 2 days ago
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Updated: 10 hours ago
COSTA MESA—JUNE 5TH-28TH
Picture rural Wisconsin. February. A pretty young woman who looks as though she's had some rough edges in her life named Percy Talbott (Sadie Black; “A Doll’s House”) gazes out the window of her prison cell from which she is about to be released. Her face declares the strength of her youth, yet there’s an inner sadness beyond her years.
In her pocket is a photograph clipped from a travel book with a caption that states “Autumn Colors along Copper Creek” pinpointing the tiny little Wisconsin town of Gilead ("A Ring Around the Moon"), so far north that the locals call other Americans “flatlanders.”
Authors James Valcq and Fred Alley, who have been friends since high-school music camp in 1980, had been collaborating in 1994 on “The Passage” for Alley's American Folklore Theatre in Wisconsin. A year later, New York-based Valcq was seeking a follow-up project for the pair after his “Zombies from the Beyond” had just closed off-Broadway. They wanted to create a piece of populist theatre with elements of myth and folktale. Upon seeing the 1996 film, “The Spitfire Grill,” with Oscar-winning actors Ellen Burstyn and Marcia Gay Harden, they knew they had found their vehicle, and commenced writing the score in October 1999.
The musical received its world premiere workshop production at the George Street Playhouse in the fall of 2000, then was presented off-Broadway on October 2, 2001, only three weeks after 9/11 had devastated the nation. At the time, critics lauded its message of renewal and rebirth; in the current environment, it feels equally necessary today.
And now, this spirited musical that blends poignance with secrets, hope, fear, laughter and song is presented on the Ed & Dixie Arnold Stage at Vanguard University’s Lyceum Theatre through June 28th—adorably artful and beguiling. Directed by Vanguard Alum Sasha Stewart Miller (“The Importance of Being Earnest: A Wilde New Musical”) and musically directed by David Diiorio, it’s a gorgeous story about healing the wounds of the past and finding your chosen family, with characters and music that absolutely shines in every way.
As the story unfolds, Percy, arriving in Gilead, lawfully reports to the local sheriff, Sheriff Joe (Luc Clopton; “Tick, Tick…Boom!”), who takes her directly to a dilapidated old diner called the Spitfire Grill, operated by a grumpy old widow, Hannah (Susan K. Berkompas; Artistic Director/Dept. Chair – Vanguard Theatre Arts), who has a bad hip and a short, no-nonsense manner. There’s an unseen side to her, however: she can also be very tender-hearted and fiercely loyal. After some convincing, Joe persuades Hannah to take Percy on board as a live-in waitress. She bunks in the upstairs hideaway room, which actually looks not much different than her former jail cell—but at least she can open the window.
Effy Krayneck (Dyan Hobday-Smith; “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Wilde New Musical”), the town postmistress and busybody, is immediately suspicious of Percy, as is Caleb (Chris Fine; Film: “Squeaky”—Amazon), Hannah’s nephew. They make it known that a jailbird isn’t welcome in their midst and circulate a swirl of rumors and accusations throughout the little community ("Something’s Cookin’ at the Spitfire Grill"). In the face of all the gossip and Hannah's constant haranguing, Percy begins to wonder whether she made a mistake in coming to Gilead after all.
It is the painfully shy and badgered Shelby (Rachel Williams; “A Christmas Story: The Musical”), Caleb’s wife, who is the only one willing to suspend judgment. As they become closer friends, Shelby tells Percy that Hannah had a long-lost son, Eli (here, simply called The Visitor, played by Ryan Miller; “Three Sisters”) and an idol to Caleb. Reported missing-in-action in Vietnam, he actually returned home a shell-shocked deserter. His desertion was a deep source of shame that killed his father. Though Hannah silently provides for his basic needs by leaving bread on a stump, she has kept his presence completely hidden from the town. As the visitor who never speaks, Mr. Miller’s Eli is mysterious, visibly weathered with a battered appearance, yet with strong eyes and a rooted sense of honor.
As time goes by and winter melts into spring, the three women discover a depth of relationship that none feel they deserve, while never admitting that vulnerability to each other. Second chances. Everybody deserves one.
But Gilead, as it turns out, is practically a ghost town, and the only restaurant around is dying along with it. Hannah has been trying unsuccessfully to unload the place for ten years. So, Percy comes up with a quick plan to “Shoot the Moon” and proves to be the healing “balm” in Gilead in the narrative’s theme of redemption. Even Joe, once so eager to leave, finally decides to stay.
Interestingly enough, the line between theatergoer and actor almost disappears as the audience is made to feel at home and a part of the story. The colors, lights and shadows are masterfully created by lighting designer Ken Lennon, conveying the earthiness of small-town country life. Concerted with Kaitlyn Campbell’s down to earth set, Lia Hansen’s realistic costumes, a country-style folk and bluegrass-inspired orchestration, and brilliant choreography by Hannah Simmons, Director Miller takes us on a marvelous journey.
Each and every song is brimming with tunefulness, hope, and soaring, John Denver-ish melodies that alternate between mournful, guitar-driven ballads and upbeat, fiddle-happy comic romps, feeling like an extra character in the story as they unfold on stage. The four-piece band plays with gentle vernacular charm, very much like a breath of fresh country air, and, in tandem, Mr. Alley’s lyrics have a matching ease and simplicity, with a ring of plain-spoken truth. Indeed, this is a show that succeeds by not trying: it simply is.
It’s a perfect marriage of material and cast. Each actor fully inhabits his character—their powerful voices full of pain, eventual healing and blissful happiness. Ms. Williams’ exquisite “When Hope Goes” explains to theatergoers how the town and its residents have changed over the years. In “Forgotten Lullaby,” Ms. Berkompas’ Hannah finds that deep-seated memories have stirred up buried feelings that begin haunting her.
Ms. Black’s Percy, whose sweet, piercing soprano has an arresting quality, performs some of its catchiest songs, two being “Out of the Frying Pan” and “Shine,”—both restrained, but simmering. Later, she and Ms. Williams bring that restraint to their scenes together, peeling back their characters’ fragile vulnerabilities. Their charming duet, “The Colors of Paradise,” lets them hide their friendship for each other behind admiration of nature.
Ms. Hobday-Smith’s Effy provides the comic relief in the show for the most part, but there are moments when even Effy is moved by what is going on. And Mr. Fine’s Caleb, the bitter, out-of-work foreman of a defunct stone quarry is not simply a villain as much as he is a frustrated mid-manager who has built his entire identity around hard, manual labor and his position of authority. With the quarry closed, he feels passed over, emasculated, and deeply neglected, singing about his lost life melancholy with warm, booming overtones and a brilliant, piercing edge in the bluesy and defiant, “Digging Stone.”
The local and quite lonely sheriff, however, has his eye set on Percy for matrimonial purposes. Mr. Clopton’s charming and convincing Joe is not only winning but enthralling, singing to her of his own wishes for the future in “This Wide Woods.” And sure enough, soon after the town’s tenuous reawakening, Percy’s protective walls begin to crumble, and deepest secrets are revealed.
THE AMERICAN COAST THEATER COMPANY & VANGUARD THEATRE DEPARTMENT AT VANGUARD UNIVERSITY PRESENTS THE SPITFIRE GRILL; Music & Book by JAMES VALCQ; Lyrics & Book by FRED ALLEY; Directed by SASHA STEWART MILLER (“Last Train to Nibroc;” Playwright: “The Cordray Christmas Variety Hour”); Music Director DAVID DIIORIO; Choreographer HANNAH SIMMONS; Artistic Producing Director SUSAN K. BERKOMPAS; Technical Director/Scenic Designer KAITLYN CAMPBELL; Associate Scenic Designer JIM HUFFMAN; Lighting Designer KEN LENNON; Sound Technician SHEKINAH GLORY RAINWATER; Costume/Makeup Designer LIA HANSEN; Company Stage Manager ANABELLE COLLINS.
CAST: CHRIS FINE as Caleb; DYAN HOBDAY-SMITH as Effy Krayneck; RYAN MILLER as The Visitor; SADIE BLACK as Percy; SUSAN K. BERKOMPAS as Hannah; RACHEL WILLIAMS as Shelby; LUC CLOPTON as Sheriff Joe.
BAND: DAVID DIIORIO (Band Leader/Pianist); DAVID LOPEZ (Guitarist); ERIC ROMERO (Violinist); BRIAN SHERICK (Drums).
THE SPITFIRE GRILL will perform at LYCEUM THEATER in Costa Mesa on the Ed & Dixie Arnold Stage June 5th – June 28th. Approximately two hours, including one 15-minute intermission. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Tickets available online at https://vanguardtickets.com.
CHRIS DANIELS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWER
THE SHOW REPORT
