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It’s no secret that one of the best theaters in Boston is in Concord—at The Umbrella. So, it was surprising to see the theater not quite half full during The Spitfire Grill’s preview weekend on Saturday night. That should change: this production is firing on all pistons, especially its lead character, Percy Talbott, played by Liza Giangrande. At the end of the show, she stamped her foot multiple times as if to say, “We nailed it tonight.” She even wiped away a tear as the lights came back up when the cast took their bows, bringing the entire audience immediately to their feet.
Based on the 1996 film of the same name (originally set in Maine and starring Ellen Burstyn, Will Patton, and Marcia Gay Harden), the 2001 Off-Broadway musical moved the action to the fictitious town of Gilead, Wisconsin and created a slightly different story arc. Billed as a musical about second chances and the transformative nature of friendship, it’s unlike so many shows of late, eschewing political statements and opting for an intimate story about a community. It’s a refreshing experience.
Percy Talbott has just been released from prison for a crime that is not revealed until close to the end of the show. Her parole office, Sheriff Joe Sutter, played by the sweetly handsome and talented Sean Donnelly, helps her get a job as a waitress at the Spitfire Grill owned by Hannah Ferguson (Kerry A. Dowling), a greasy spoon and the one and only meeting place for the town’s cast of characters. They include part-time real estate agent Caleb Thorpe (Anthony Pires, another standout) who’s been trying to sell the restaurant for ten years, his kindhearted wife Shelby (Shonna McEachern) who joins the restaurant staff after the owner breaks her leg, and the town gossip and postmaster Effy Krayneck (played with just the right amount of mischievousness by Catherine Lee Christie). There’s also “The Visitor,” but you’ll have to see the show to find out his role.
Hannah, the café’s owner, is tired and has wanted to sell the Spitfire Grill for ten years. Percy proposes a way for Hannah to get rid of the café, while simultaneously making some money: have people buy raffle tickets for $100 each, plus write an essay about why they might want to own it.
Hannah receives thousands of letters and checks, some of which are set to music and sung by the cast. The truth about the main characters’ pasts are also revealed, leading to the story’s emotional climax.
Director Ilyse Robbins is meticulous, producing some of the most outstanding individual and group performances I’ve seen on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, especially Percy Talbott’s (Giangrande). She lights up every scene she’s in; you just can’t take your eyes and ears off her. She is especially impressive during “Out of the Frying Pan” when she not only sings, but also follows a recipe that involves juggling multiple pans, eggs, and cooking utensils. Even though it was only the second night of previews, the cast seemed as though they’d been working together for a lot longer. Robbins clearly had a strong hand in making it so.
Kudos to lighting designer Karen Perlow for using lighting to create the illusion of prison bars and for her perpetually full but fuzzy moon. Scenic designer Janie E. Howland’s set skillfully evokes a small-town café, filling the stage widthwise with partial walls, but no door, and yet everyone enters and exits the café at the same place, perhaps symbolic of the café’s door always being open to everyone.
The denouement passes quickly, resolving some of the show’s key story lines, but leaving room for us to wonder about what happens next.The Spitfire Grill runs through May 18 at The Umbrella’s Main Stage Theate 144, located at 40 Stow Street in Concord. Tickets $44-$48; $20 for students. Available at https://secure.theumbrellaarts.org/overview/90385.
