Review: THE SPITFIRE GRILL Examines What It Takes to Find Your Own Colors of Paradise

Each of us has our own vision of what paradise looks like. It could be a city of skyscrapers or a tropical island, or perhaps a lovely wooded area as it changes colors with the seasons. Our search may take us to the far reaches of the globe, or perhaps to the small town where we were raised that now seems to be the perfect place for us to settle down and make a great life. Of course, there is no guarantee the place you select will contain all the colors of paradise you imagine, given how tough it is for small towns everywhere to survive when people move on after local businesses start shutting down.

Such is the case in Gilead, Wisconsin, the small town where parolee Percy Talbot (Alyssa Rupert, so incredibly perfect for the lead role in every way) goes after deciding it must be the ideal place where she can get away from her past and create a new life for herself. Looking for a fresh start, she arrives and is met by Sherriff Joe Sutter (Ross Chitwood), her assigned parole officer who knows he must find work for her.

He introduces her to Hannah Ferguson (Joanna Churgin), owner of the town's only café, The Spitfire Grill, where a few local residents gather each day for a cup of coffee or to hear a bit of town gossip shared by the town's nosey Post Mistress, Effy Krayneck (Susan Stangl). Stangl is perfectly cast as the loveable town yenta who knows it's wrong to read everyone's mail but prides herself on knowing just how to steam open and read everything so she can share the news with everyone else in town. And Churgin, as always, expresses every emotion from heartbreak to joy with every ounce of her being, making Hannah the type of woman you seem to know in your own life no matter where you live.

It does not take Percy too long to create quite a sensation in town when she and fellow co-worker Shelby Thorpe (Darcy Silveira) come up with the idea to raffle off the struggling eatery that has been for sale with no takers for years. Each person wanting to win the raffle must submit $100 and a short note stating why they want to own the café and move to Gilead in the hope of creating a new life for themselves and their families.

Soon mail is arriving by the wheelbarrowful and everyone in town offers to read each one to decide who should win the raffle. The notes are heartfelt as read aloud, and each person is more than deserving of a new chance at life. And certainly Hannah needs the money and a chance to take it easy, but how will she decide who wins?

In the process of deciding, Sherriff Joe falls in love with Percy and asks her to marry him and settle down on the 10 acres he owns in the nearby woods where she can find all the colors of paradise she craves. But a deep secret from her past keeps Percy from accepting his proposal, even though she is encouraged by Shelby and Hannah to say "yes." Will Percy ever be able to accept his marriage offer after the hard life she has led?

And as it turns out, as Percy learns to accept her past and move on, her friend Shelby learns she must do the same with her own husband Caleb (Terry Delegeane) who insists his wife stop working once the new owners take over the café so she can stay home and "be a full-time wife."

Frustrated with his life changes like so many other men in small towns today, Caleb was laid off from his supervisor's job at a closed down local factory. Failing in his ability to sell real estate, he hangs out in the café looking for sympathy and Hannah's kind ear when he needs to be around someone who cares for him. When Caleb has finally had enough and the tension between he and his wife pushes him to the breaking point, Delegeane's slow build to the burning point feels authentic and totally understandable.

And speaking of secrets, Hannah refuses to admit to Percy why she leaves out of a loaf of bread each day for a mysterious stranger who stops by and often chops and stacks wood for her. When Percy sees the non-speaking stranger, she can't help herself from seeing a fellow lost soul who just needs a friend. As it turns out, both Percy and the Stranger (Phil Apoian) are each suffering from past life situations and both somehow manage to assist each other in being able to move on with Apoian communicating it all via non-verbal means. His performance will tear at your heartstrings.

Billed as a musical, THE SPITFIRE GRILL is more of a play with songs ranging from country, bluegrass and pop. Musical Director Brian Murphy and two string musicians provide live accompaniment, making a real difference in the emotional content each actor presents, especially when expressed in perfect harmonies. Director Lewis Hauser does a fine job in getting his actors to shine in their roles, but often has them just standing center stage as if singing in a concert rather than sharing a character in a play. And with no choreography to enhance the delivery of the numbers, the play often feels held back from being as great as it could have been.

Sherman Wayne and William Pritcher's set design allows for multi-level scenes from the outdoor patio through the café and up to the bedrooms. Scenic Artist Joanne Reich enhances the woodsy location with a painted scrim partially hiding the band from view with the proper lighting designed by Sherman Wayne. Costumes designed by June Lissandrello reflect the down home feel of small Midwestern town life in Gilead.

Things are definitely cookin' at the Spitfire Grill, so drop on by, sit a spell, and take in all the local colors of paradise.

THE SPITFIRE GRILL with music and book by James Valcq, lyric and book by Fred Alley, (based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff), directed by Lewis Hauser, Musical Director Brian Murphy, and producers Shirley Churgin and Sylvia Grieb, continues through July 10, 2016 on Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m. and Sundays 2 p.m. at Theatre Palisades Pierson Playhouse, located at 941 Temescal Canyon (just south of Sunset Blvd.) in Pacific Palisades 90272. Free onsite and street parking. Tickets are Adults: $25. Students & Seniors: $23, available by calling the box office at (310) 454-1970 on online at www.theatrepalisades.org

Photos by Joy Daunis

The cast (from left):Susan Stangl, Phil Apoian, Joanna Churgin, Alyssa Rupert, Darcy Silveira, Terry Delegeane, Ross Chitwood

Joe introduces Hannah to Percy, his new parolee.

Joe and Percy share their dreams of paradise

Shelby and Percy work together at the Spitfire Grill

Everyone in town has an interest in the raffle responses to win the Spitfire Grill.

Soon the girls recieve more mail than they ever expected.

A frustrated Caleb (Terry Delegeane) confronts his wife (Darcy Silveira)

The Stranger offers a homemade gift to Percy

Everything is looking up for the women working at the Spitfire Grill

The Stranger finds his little bit of paradise at the Spitfire Grill