"The Spitfire Grill" Captivates and Uplifts

Messiah's Department of Theatre recently wrapped up its Spring 2009 main-stage production, "The Spitfire Grill." The musical is based on the 1996 film with the same title. The Internet Movie Database (www.IMDB.com) describes the movie's tag line as, "To a town with no future, comes a girl with a past." The film was originally adapted to the stage in 2001. The plot takes place in Gilead, a rural, one-horse, economically depressed Wisconsin town. Percy Talbott, the 16-year-old main character played by sophomore Kimberly Lambertson, hardly wants to refer to this town as home. Her parole officer, Joe Sutter (played by senior Rob Holland) gets her a job at the only restaurant and probably the only place for work in Gilead, the Spitfire Grill. It is owned by Hanna Ferguson (played by sophomore Gabriella Saramago), and she and the others in town are suspicious of Percy's past. What follows is a story of redemption and forgiveness, not just for Percy, but for the rest of the town as well.

No matter what your background or preference to geographical locations, you'll find it hard not to fall in love with this ol' greasy grill. The characters, although complex, were captivating. Despite its small membership of seven, the cast was able to keep the show interesting and fast-paced. Each individual's great singing voice would be enough to sell out Miller Auditorium alone, but it was even better to hear all of them sing together. Percy (Lambertson) sings a couple of country-style numbers where her southern accent comes out full throttle. However, even though she was basically singing country music, the last thing I wanted to do was walk out.

"The Spitfire Grill" was a one-unit set, but the stage design and blocking techniques utilized different areas of the stage so that a static image could not be found. Characters appeared from behind scrims and came out from the darkness into the playing space in a very aesthetically pleasing way. The Department of Theatre recently received new movable lighting fixtures that hang just over the house. This is the first time electronic moving lights have been used in a production at Messiah, and they looked wonderful.

Although the cast portrays a jaded town, it was amazing to see its energy back-stage before and after the show. The actors obviously know how to both work hard and play hard. Director Ed Cohn teaches several theater classes at Messiah and has his share of fun on and off the stage. During one of the first meetings for this show, he shared a power-point presentation that revealed Oompa Loompas as an essential focal point for the show's visual concept. This has served as an ongoing joke between members of the cast and crew throughout the production.

The cast's talent, voices, and blatant love for what they were doing filled the stage as they performed. It's quite obvious that this show has brought students together - including actors, backstage crew, and the production team - for something bigger than themselves. It's a shame if you happened to miss this show.

(Random Fact: the Spitfire Grill is also a restaurant in Santa Monica Airport.)