‘Spitfire Grill’ At St Margaret’s

WATERBURY — The Highlander Theater Company, made up of students at St Margaret’s-McTernan Day School, will perform the recent and rarely seen musical The Spitfire Grill on April 29-30 and May 1. This upbeat, rustic and charming story features likeable characters that learn to embrace life through long term and temporary upheavals.

Based on the Sundance Audience Award winning film of the same title, The Spitfire Grill tells the familiar tale of someone wanting to start life over again, and subsequently, this outsider changes not only her life but all she touches. The sincere style in which the story is told makes the work valuable and entertaining.

Led by the show’s musical director, Michael Ferrari, songs range from country and folk to ballads and comic romps. The numbers follow the show’s main character, Percy Talbot, as she is released from prison on a manslaughter charge. She arrives in the town of Gilead, where with the help of her parole officer she begins to work for the grill’s owner, Hannah.

When Hannah injures her leg, it is up to Percy and Hannah’s niece Shelby to keep the grill open. With the protest of Shelby’s husband and the gossip-mongering postmistress, the two women have quite a challenge before them. As each character’s obstacles mount, a visitor from the town’s past arrives, changing the opinions of all.

While Hannah has unsuccessfully been trying to sell the grill for many years, Percy dreams up a solution that leads to an essay contest and raffle to give away the grill. This plan brings the townspeople of Gilead together in a way they have never been, understanding the town’s possibility through the eyes of strangers.

This affectionate and hopeful musical touches upon themes and characterizations not often seen in modern drama. The production features a cast of 24 and can be seen at the Fulkerson Arts Center at St Margaret’s-McTernan School, 565 Chase Parkway, at 7 pm on Thursday, April 29, and Saturday, May 1, and 8 pm on Friday, April 30.

Tickets are $13 and may be reserved by calling the box office at 203-236-9545, or may be purchased at the door.