Business is Booming at the Spitfire Grill
Written by Miguel Gamalinda
ALAMEDA, CA – When the house lights go down and the stage lights go up, audiences are immediately transported from West Coast island of Alameda to a deserted town in the Midwest in the Altarena Playhouse's most recent production of The Spitfire Grill.
The setting is a small town known as Gilead, a deserted town located in Wisconsin. The time is approximately twenty years after the end of the Vietnam War. Since then, the town has been slowly dying, eventually leaving literally one business left in town: A small diner known as The Spitfire Grill.
Meanwhile, a young woman by the name of Perchance Talbott, better known as Percy, has just been released from prison and settles in Gilead after seeing an advertisement for the town in a magazine depicting the town with the words, “Autumn colors along Copper Creek near Gilead, Wisconsin.” She soon realizes, however, that between the time that ad was published (About twenty years) and the time she arrives, that Gilead had taken a turn for the worse.
Arriving at Gilead, Percy immediately reports to her Parole Officer, Sheriff Joe Sutter, who then leads her to The Spitfire Grill, telling her that it would be the only place in town that she could hold a steady job. Joe convinces the elderly owner of the Grill, Hannah Ferguson, to take Percy in. Percy immediately starts work the next day, serving the few customers who eat the Spitfire: Sheriff Joe; Hannah's nephew Caleb; and Effy Krayneck, the local postmistress and busybody.
However, things take yet another turn for the worse when Hannah trips on the stairs and breaks her leg, rendering her unable to serve at the Spitfire. Hannah then has Percy take over the Spitfire along with Caleb's wife, Shelby. It is there where they find out that the Spitfire has been unsuccessfully on the market for the past ten years. They then devise a plan to get rid of the Spitfire by having people send in $100 and an essay about what they would do with the Spitfire.
The Spitfire Grill is based off of the 1997 film of the same name, and opened Off-Broadway on September 7, 2001. The show was only performed three times before the tragedy of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks ended up virtually grinding New York City to a standstill. Unable to make profits after the slowdown of tourism in New York, the show closed after a month.
This show is directed by local theater legend and Alameda High School Drama instructor Fred Chacon, who says, “If, as Shakespeare tells us, the purpose of theatre is “to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature” then perchance we might find the inspiration—indeed balm—in the mirror of Gilead and The Spitfire Grill. That is my hope tonight, and the hope of this talented cast and crew.”
Indeed, the seven-member cast is a very talented cast who, from the very first lyrics of the opening song (A Ring Around the Moon) have audiences on the edge of their seats and watching and listening intently. The emotions of the characters are well expressed in the songs, lines, and faces of the characters, and their heaviness is given off to the audience in the best fashion that is possible.
The music for The Spitfire Grill was written by James Valcq, while the lyrics were written by Fred Alley. Both Valcq and Alley co-wrote the book. The show is directed by Fred Chacon, with musical direction by Rona Siddiqui. Cast members are Sarah Kathleen Farrell as Percy, Kristine Anne Lowry as Hannah, Donna Jeanne Turner as Shelby, Paul Plain as Caleb (Who also played Dr. Parker in the Altarena's recent production of Bat Boy), Jonathan Reisfeld as Sherrif Joe, Ella Wolfe as Effy, and Leland Traiman as The Visitor. The show opened on July 10 and runs through August 16, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. It is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Miguel Gamalinda is a musical theater actor currently playing Danny in Stage Door Conservatory's production of “Grease,” and is a Senior at Island High School.
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