The Spitfire Grill
by Lee David Zlotoff, Fred Alley, James Valcq

Name: The Spitfire Grill
Brand: Lee David Zlotoff
SKU: 9780573629303
Rating: 4.12 (104 reviews)

Off-Broadway

The Spitfire Grill Book Cover — The Spitfire Grill Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American

Synopsis

It all starts with the release of fidgety, suspicious Percy Talbott from state prison after serving a five-year sentence.

We don't know why, only that she's released and on her way to Gilead and its "colors of paradise."

But when she arrives it is February and bitter cold, and the only one around to meet her is restless Sheriff Joe Turner, who takes her to the Spitfire Grill to help the aging Hannah Ferguson run the diner.

All is gray, dismal and listless around them, and the characters are in the "winter of their lives" emotionally and spiritually.

Themes Musicals

Press Reviews

"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

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
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.	—	—	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.	—	30s	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).	—	40s	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).	—	20s	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.	female	50s	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 Midwestern” speech, without “countrified” intonations.	male	40s	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 Midwestern” speech, without “countrified” intonations.
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.	female	20s	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.