'THE SPITFIRE GRILL' Musical's main character brings out good in all

Good music will help to make this play an audience-pleaser.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SALEM -- A heartwarming and heartbreaking story will soon be told onstage at Salem Community Theater.
"The Spitfire Grill" is a musical that opened off-Broadway in September 2001 -- a period when many people needed a warm-fuzzy. Reviews at the time indicated that the play filled that need. Based on the 1996 movie written and directed by Lee David Zlotoff, the music and book were later written by James Valcq, and the lyrics (and book) by Fred Alley.
It is the tale of Percy Talbot, an ex-inmate who has just been released from prison and relocates to Gilead, Wis. (in the movie, it is Maine).
"She sees an autumn picture of the town in a travel brochure, and thinks it is beautiful, but when she gets there, it is winter, and she feels like she is in prison again," said Paige Kasten of Canfield, who plays Percy.
"She had been raped by her stepfather and gotten pregnant, but when he beat her, she lost the baby," said Craig Snay of Columbiana, who directs the play. "She was in prison for five years for killing him. The story is about all the people she meets in Gilead. She comes to town to heal but ends up healing everyone else, too."
The sheriff sets her up with a job and place to stay at The Spitfire Grill, a restaurant owned by Hannah, where she quickly becomes close friends with Shelby, the wife of Hannah's nephew, Caleb. Shelby works at the restaurant, and Caleb, who used to be the foreman at a local quarry, now runs a real estate office. But in this ghost town, no one comes to buy real estate.
Through Percy's eyes
"All the people in the town have some secret they've hidden for years, something they regret," said Snay. "But they all begin to see the town through Percy's eyes, and realize they are good, and in return, the town helps Percy to see good in herself. The play is about the inner changes that happen, and how they all come together as a group."
Ed Phillips of Boardman is music director. "Each time I listen to this music, I fall more in love with it," he said. "It is folk-style, like Appalachian, or Celtic. One song, 'Out of the Frying Pan,' is bluegrass. There are some beautiful ballads, and the words are beautiful, too. The emotions run the gamut from comedy to sobs."
Phillips will be playing keyboard and also creating the guitar and accordion parts on the keyboard. The other instruments are violin and cello, but there is no percussion.
Snay agrees that the music is really good. "I don't normally do musicals or dark dramas, and usually direct comedies, but this year I chose this one instead. It is challenging, and everyone will get something out of it."
Kasten offers more insight into her character: "Percy has been through a lot and is down on herself," she said. "She is one of the darkest characters I've ever played. She has spirit, but can't express it. She feels guilty and doesn't feel she deserves happiness but yet brings happiness to others. There is a beautiful song that Shelby and Percy sing, 'The Colors of Paradise,' which is about the town, and the goodness that is there. It is also the moment that the audience can feel the bonding, the unfolding of the friendship between the two."