Musical Version of Spitfire Grill
By Doris Whalen
Special to the Hendersonville Times-News

Having very recently viewed the movie, The Spitfire Grill, I wondered how this
moody, outdoor-oriented story could be translated into a stage musical.  I
experienced it Friday night at Brevard Little Theatre.  From the moment the
audience enters the darkened, small space, we are surrounded by the murals
depicting woods and winter scenes around a very rustic, small-town café.

As the play opens, the spotlight focuses on the heroine of the play, Percy
(dynamically sung by LaineLewis) who belts out her story in her first moving
song, A Ring Around the Moon. She is leaving the jail where she has been
incarcerated for the last five years. She has decided to move to a town called
Gilead in Wisconsin because of its natural beauty and colorful trees which she
discovered pictured in a magazine.

As she gets off the bus, she is met by Sheriff Joe Sutter (Mark Thompson) who
escorts her to the SpitfireGrill where he tells her she might find work. The elderly
owner, Hannah Ferguson (Kathleen Healy-Schmieder) has been running this
café alone for years and immediately though grudgingly takes her on.

As the "regulars" come in for their morning coffee and breakfast, we are
introduced to the other characters in this closed town: Caleb Thorpe, Hannah's
nephew (played by Art Williams) and his brow-beaten sweet wife, Shelby
(delightfully played by Terry Owen Upton), and the nosy postal clerk aptly named
Effy Krayneck (well-played by Carol Hamann). Of course, all the patrons are
very curious about this new waitress and sing a good ensemble piece,
Something's Cooking at the Spitfire Grill, in which they all give their ideas of
where this intruder into their town has come from. Later, as they all order "their
usual," we find out that this young girl has no experience at all in cooking as she
explains in her funny song, Out of the Frying Pan.

When Hannah falls and breaks her hip, doubling the pressure on Percy, Shelby,
the experienced housewife, comes to her rescue in the kitchen. As Shelby sings
the haunting song, When Hope Goes, we learn the history of Hannah and the Grill
and the loss and sadness which have emotionally crippled Hannah as well as
Shelby's own husband, Caleb. It seems that Hannah has been trying to sell the grill
for 10 years with no luck. So, Percy and Shelby in their new-found friendship and
closeness come up with a plan to hold a nationwide raffle based on an essay
contest with a $100 entrance fee. As they write the ad for the paper, they sing
together one of the best numbers in the show, The Colors of Paradise, in which
they describe the town of Gilead in glowing colors.

As time goes by, Percy is accepted in the town. Hannah entrusts more and more to
her troubled assistant, including leaving the mysterious bread near the woodpile
every night. Joe, the sheriff, predictably, falls in love with Percy. The raffle
becomes an unexpected and overwhelming success. This leads to a surprising
outcome and resolution with the advent of the surprise visitor (Howard McQuaid).

The accompaniment for all these songs is very capably done by J.R. Rhodes who
is also the musical director, but the show suffers from a lack of memorable songs
and of too many songs. It is difficult music to sing in that, Sondheim-style, the
songs are written to tell the story and often lack a melodic element. Because the
accompaniment does not supply the melody, the actors have difficulty, with a
couple of exceptions, in holding the pitch. They do, however, do their best to
bring meaning and emotion to their
songs.

The production crew, especially the set designer, Deb Erbach, and set
construction crew led by Oscar Reiner deserve special praise for their creative
and interesting set. Also, special mention should be made of the set painters. The
lighting and sound by Steve Hartington and Betsy Lemon are also to be
commended.

The costumes were on the whole appropriate except for Percy's incongruous jeans
and tank tops and Hannah's manicured nails.

Ably directed and produced by Gene and Lyn O'Hare respectively, this was a
very challenging effort for Brevard Little Theatre in their last play at the Barn
Theatre.

Brevard Little Theatre will present The Spitfire Grill at 8 p.m. Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sunday through Sept. 11 at the Barn Theater on the
campus of Brevard College in downtown Brevard. Tickets are $15 for adults and
$7 for under 18 and are available at the door. All seats are reserved. Call
884-2587 or 884-7003 for reservations.