The Spitfire Grill

A CONCORD THEATRICALS TITLE

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Cast Size

4f, 3m
Duration

More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Target Audience

Adult

Accolades

Nominee! 2013 Jeff Awards, Best Production of a Musical

Details

Summary

Newly revised in 2023! A feisty parolee follows her dreams, based on a page from an old travel book, to a small town in Wisconsin and finds a place for herself working at Hannah's Spitfire Grill. The Grill is for sale, but there are no takers for the only eatery in the depressed town, so newcomer Percy convinces Hannah to raffle it off. Entry fees are one hundred dollars and the best essay on why you want the Grill wins. Soon, mail arrives by the wheelbarrow and things really start cookin' at the Spitfire Grill.

History

The Spitfire Grill premiered off-Broadway at the Duke Theatre on 42nd Street on September 7, 2001. Presented by Playwrights Horizons and directed by David Saint, the production featured Phyllis Somerville, Garrett Long, Liz Callaway and Steven Pasquale.

Keywords

Performing Groups

PERCY TALBOTT – early 20s. Pretty, if a bit rough-edged, her face declares the strength of her youth and a sadness beyond her years. Her accent has a southern Appalachian cadence. Strong folk/country belt to 'D', some head voice required.
HANNAH FERGUSON – about 70. A tough-skinned and flinty old bird with a short, no-nonsense manner bordering on the bitter. Mezzo/alto chest range.
SHELBY THORPE – mid-30s. A plain, soft-faced creature with a shy, almost ethereal manner. Shimmering folk soprano with strong high belt to 'D'.
CALEB THORPE – early 40s. Out-of-work foreman of the stone quarry. Frustrated working man clinging to the past. Solid folk/rock voice with an edge (Top 'G').
SHERIFF JOE SUTTER – mid-late 20s. A young small-town policeman with an appealing intensity and a restless nature. Strong folk tenor to a 'G' (touches an 'A').
EFFY KRAYNECK – 50s. Postmistress and busybody, a woman with narrow eyes and a sour tongue. Solid singer in mezzo/alto chest range. Carries close harmony.
THE VISITOR – mid-40s. A mysterious figure who never speaks. An actor with powerful eyes and a very strong sense of his body.

Note: All characters (besides Percy) speak in "standard Mid-Western" speech, without "countrified" intonations.

All characters (besides Percy) speak in 'standard Mid-Western' speech, without 'countrified' intonations.

Time Period Contemporary
Setting Rural Wisconsin. February.
Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Soul-satisfying... The musical is freeing. It is penetrated by honesty and it glows.” – The New York Times

“A soul-satisfying... work of theatrical resourcefulness. A compelling story that flows with grace and carries the rush of anticipation. The story moves, the characters have many dimensions and their transformations are plausible and moving. The musical is freeing. It is penetrated by honesty and it glows.” – The New York Times

“Soulful... The amiable country-flavored tunes and lyrics are rendered with the kind of conviction and expertise that make them transcendent. What in normal times would be a joy is, in these troubled ones, sheer nourishment.” – New York Magazine

“Soaring melodies!... Well before the show reaches its conclusion, many... city slickers in the audience may be ready to enter Percy's raffle.” – The Wall Street Journal

“An abundance of warmth, spirit and goodwill!... Some of the most engaging and instantly infectious melodies I've heard in an original musical in some time.” – USA Today

Music

Song Samples

A Ring Around the Moon

Something's Cooking

Out of the Frying Pan

When Hope Goes

Ice and Snow

The Colors of Paradise

Digging Stone

This Wide Woods

Shoot the Moon

Come Alive Again

Wild Bird

Shine

Way Back Home

Finale

Act I

“A Ring Around the Moon” – Percy
“Something’s Cooking at the Spitfire Grill” – Company
“Out of the Frying Pan” – Percy
“When Hope Goes” – Shelby
“Ice and Snow” – Caleb, Joe and Effy
“The Colors of Paradise” – Percy and Shelby
“Digging Stone” – Caleb
“This Wide Woods” – Joe and Percy
“Forgotten Lullaby” – Hannah
“Shoot the Moon” – Hannah and Company

Act II

“Come Alive Again” – Hannah and Company
“Forest For the Trees” – Joe
“Wild Bird” – Shelby
“Shine” – Percy
“Way Back Home” – Hannah
“Finale” – Company

Musical Style Folk
Vocal DemandsModerate
Orchestra Size Small/Combo
Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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7 Vocal Book
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1 Accordion
1 Guitar/Mandolin
1 Violin
1 Cello

7 Vocal Book
1 Keyboard-Conductor (rehearsal & performance)

Scripts

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Authors

James Valcq

James Valcq is the composer of the off-Broadway musical The Spitfire Grill (Playwrights Horizons, 2001) which has been produced over 700 times across the United States, in Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as a highly lauded London premiere in 2015. Also off-Broadway, Valc ...

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Lee David Zlotoff

Lee David Zlotoff is a producer, director and screenwriter best known as the creator of the TV series MacGyver, which ran on ABC between 1985 and 1992 and was sold throughout the world. He then produced the television series The Man from Snowy River, loosely based on the Banj ...

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Fred Alley

Fred Alley (1962–2001) was an American musical theatre lyricist and librettist who died unexpectedly just as his work gained national recognition. His collaboration on the musical The Spitfire Grill with composer James Valcq won the American Academy of Arts and Letters' prest ...

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The Spitfire Grill