Percy Talbot has just been released from a five year prison sentence for manslaughter. She is trying to find a place for a fresh start, and based on a page from an old travel book, travels to the small town of Gilead, Wisconsin. The local sheriff, Joe Sutter, who is also Percy’s parole officer, finds her a job at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill – the only eatery in this struggling town. The Spitfire Grill is for sale. But with no interested buyers, Hannah decides to raffle it off. Entry fees are one hundred dollars and the best essay on why you want the grill wins. Soon, mail is arriving by the wheelbarrow full and things are definitely getting hot at the Spitfire Grill. This musical triumph is an inspiring celebration of fresh starts and the power of what one person can do.
"The Spitfire Grill" opens Friday, September 8th and runs Thursday to Sunday through September 24th. All evening shows begin at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm.
“Heather Buck is the third character; she’s timid throughout, but expands in that narrow dramatic category to show real depth and nuance. Can a whisper carry to the back of the house? Is there a way to sing a Broadway show tune in a bashful way? Buck does it, and to great emotional effect.”
“The standout performance was delivered by Heather Buck who, through both superlative character and vocal work, lets us see in her Shelby the very real possibility that unless things change in her life, she may end up in the place from which Percy arrived – and she knows it.”
“Heather Buck, (Shelby), delivers a gentleness and vulnerability in her beautiful upper range soprano voice.”