THE SPITFIRE GRILL by Carol Kaufman Segal

            

There was a film in 1996 entitled The Spitfire Grill written by Lee David Zlotoff.  The film was adapted into a musical by James Valcq and Fred Allen, who also wrote the music and lyrics, which appeared off Broadway in 2001.  This very unusual musical is being presented at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, under the direction of Dimitri Toscas.           

            

The play takes place in Gilead, Wisconsin, a peaceful town where there is only one place to dine out.  That place is The Sptifire Grill and it is owned by Hannah (Sarah Saviano), a cantankerous widow.  This is the town where Percy (Rachel Sarah Mount), a recent parolee, feels she can begin her life anew, and The Spitfire Grill is where she finds a job that offers her a new chance.

           

Percy tries her best at her new job but things don’t go too great because of Hanna’s temperament.  Fortunately,  she gets along fine with the other kitchen worker, Shelby (Ashley Argota).  Percy figures out that Hanna’s attitude could be the result of the fact that business at The Spitfire Grill has fallen badly. She has put the eatery up for sale with no offers coming.  Percy, wanting to help, gets an idea that she suggests to Hanna whereby she would promote a contest to raffle the business off.  One would enter the contest by writing an essay about why they would want to own the restaurant and send it along with an entrance fee of $100.  Whoever writes the best essay wins!     

           

Hannah takes to the idea, and, unexpectantly, she is inundated with entries from everywhere.  The essays and the money begin rolling in beyond what anyone could have imagined. Hannah suddenly becomes a changed woman.  All the while, as things begin looking up, she, Percy and Shelby build a new friendship.   Alas, Hannah has second thoughts about giving up The Spitfire Grill.  Gilead, Wisconsin isn’t such a bad place to live afterall.       

            

You might wonder where the music comes into this play.  Well there are other characters in Gilead who hang around The Spitfire Grill, and their accompaniment on different instruments adds the music to the plot throughout.  They include Sheriff Joe (Erich Schroeder, guitar/mandolin), Caleb (Joey Ruggiero, guitar/mandolin), Postmistress Effy (Linda Kerns (accordion/melodica), and Vistor (Nicu Brouillette, violin).  Sarah Saviano adds clarinet and flute while Rachel Sarah Mount and Ashley Argota provide the beautiful vocals.

            

The Spitfire Grill plays Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, at 8 PM, Sundays at 3 PM, Wednesday, July 17 at 8 PM, and Saturday, July 27, at 2 PM, through August 11, at the Garry Marshall Theatre, 4252 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank.  For tickets and information call (818) 955-8101, or go online at www.garrymarshalltheatre.org.