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The Spitfire Grill
The Walpole Footlighters open their 84th season with "The
Spitfire Grill", a musical with music and book by James Valcq,
lyrics and book by Fred Alley and is based on the recent film by
Lee David Zlotoff. The show takes place in rural Wisconsin in
the town of Gilead and tells the story in musical format of a
feisty parolee, Percy Talbott who follows a dream, based on a
page from an old travel book. It promises autumn colors in the
Copper Creek. She arrives in town and Sheriff Joe Sutter brings
her through the streets to a ramshackle diner called The
Spitfire Grill run by a crusty old widow, Hannah Ferguson who
has a bad hip and a sharp tongue. Joe persuades Hannah to give
her work as a waitress. Percy sets to work in a swirl of small
town suspicions led by Effy, the postmistress who's also the
village busybody. Hannah trips on the stairs and breaks her leg
and she asks Percy to run it for her. Hannah does so against the
wishes of her overly protective nephew, Caleb. Percy is joined
at the Spitfire by Caleb's wife Shelby an excellent cook. Hannah
asks Percy to leave a loaf of bread outside near a stump a the
back of the Grill. It is picked up by a stranger who has a
secret past in Gilead. The Grill is for sale because Hannah
wishes to escape painful memories of the past, so Percy suggests
Hannah raffle it off for a hundred dollars per entry and an
essay about why they want the Grill. Soon the mail is arriving
by the bagfuls and things are definitely cooking at the Spitfire
Grill. Directed excellently by Mario Salinas and musically
directed brilliantly by Shawn Bulduc, the awesome cast have some
of the best voices around and their harmonic sound is fabulous.
"The Spitfire Grill" is one of the most
poignant musicals with its warm charming score and storyline
about redemption. The new girl in town brings redemption to the
other characters by her longing for a place like Gilead that is
removed from the hustle and bustle of the outside world and its
corruption. The melodies of the songs are infectious and soar in
their delivery with heart tugging lyrics. It is totally charming
from start to finish and the cast is lead by Shawna O'Brien, an
award winning EMACT actress. Her voice is phenomenal as she
sings "A Ring Around the Moon" when she arrives in Gilead, "Out
of the Frying Pan" when she admits she can't cook and "Shine"
when she discovers who the visitor really is. Kelly Cavanaugh, a
petite brunette with a gorgeous soprano voice, sings many
touching ballads including "When Hope Goes" about when her
childhood hero, Eli who was Hannah's son went off to the Vietnam
War and became MIA and the town changed forever and "Wild Bird"
where she consoles Percy about her sad and tragic past. Pretty
redhead Marianne Phinney wears a gray wig as Hannah in this
show. ( She took over the role two and a half weeks ago. ) She
sings "Forgotten Lullaby" when a sad essay stirs up Hannah's old
wounds and "Way Back Home" when Hannah wants the stranger to
come and meet her at the dinner.
Marianne also leads the company in two happy numbers, the first is "Shoot the Moon" where multitudes of essays and money show up and the second is "Come Alive Again" when she and the girls drink some applejack and realize that a magical shift not only takes place in the grill but throughout all of Gilead.
David DaCosta plays Joe who eventually falls
in love with Percy. A topnotch actor, David shows off his
wonderful voice in "This Wide Woods" where he tells about his
dissatisfaction with how the trees were all cut down destroying
life in Gilead and how he longs to leave town and in "Forest for
the Trees" where he decides to stay in town and build a house
for Percy and himself. PK Egersheim plays Caleb the hotheaded
husband of Shelby who is always bossing her around. He also does
a great job in his role and shows off his voice in "Digging
Stone" without a job since the quarry closed Caleb turns against
a world where it is no longer enough to be a working man. Elaine
Sheffield-Bono plays Effy, the comic relief in the show and she
has many funny one liners and makes them all count. She shows
off her soprano voice in many numbers including the trio called
"Ice and Snow" and the group numbers including "Something's
Cooking at the Spitfire Grill". Rounding out the cast is Peter
Bradley as the Visitor who gives the role heart and soul in his
sympathetic portrayal. So for a fantastic musical treat, be sure
to catch "The Spitfire Grill". Tell them Tony sent you.
THE SPITFIRE GRILL ( 19 October to 4 November, 2007) The Walpole Footlighters, 5 Scout Road, East Walpole, MA 1 (508) 668-8446 or www.footlighters.com
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