Theater review: The Spitfire Grill

by Mandy Rausch of John Garcia's The Column

The collective performances, despite some isolated lovely moments, are not quite enough to bring the show above average.

Redemption is defined as the act or state of being redeemed; deliverance, rescue; atonement for guilt. It is also one of the central themes of Stage West's production of the folk musical The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley. Unfortunately, despite the cast's valiant efforts with a difficult score, there are few redeeming qualities about this production.

From the very first number in the show, I could tell that we were going to be in for a long night of struggle between actor and orchestra, and I was right. The music is folksy and charming (at times the style reminded me of tunes from Steven Schwartz's Godspell), and has the potential to be truly beautiful. However, with the exception of a couple of standout voices, the cast members do not possess the right types of voices for this type of music. It is very hard to mix the newer Broadway-belter sound with folksy, plaintive melodies. Some of the fault also lies within the score itself; there is too little distinction between the songs, which makes them all tend to blend together. None truly stand out as memorable, and it isn't likely that you will leave the theatre humming any of them. The orchestra of four (piano/keyboard, cello, guitar & mandolin, and violin) also struggles throughout, both with tempos and intonation, especially from the violinist, who was so off at times that I found myself completely taken out of the action onstage and looking around for the source of the offensive sound. They also seem to have a problem sitting still, and with the setup at Stage West, the orchestra members scooting around in their chairs is quite loud and distracting.

Shelbie Mac plays the role of the central character, Percy Talbott, a young girl recently released from prison and trying to start a new life in the town of Gilead, Wisconsin. This role is not an easy one. There seems to be a delicate balance between making Percy a hardened by-product of a rough life and making her the catalyst for positive change in a sleepy, snowy town, and Mac comes very close to achieving this. With the exception of a knockout performance of the song "Out of the Frying Pan," Mac struggles vocally with the role. She also seems to be the only actor wearing a mic (which fuzzed and gave feedback several times during the show – obviously not Mac's fault), yet she still fails to match the vocal levels of other cast members. While I can't be sure of Mac's age, her appearance and mannerisms are very young – almost distractingly so at times – and cause problems in believing the character. This is especially true in the relationship between Percy and the town sheriff, Joe Sutter, played by Christopher J. Deaton.

Deaton is by far the strongest singer in the entire cast. He has a beautiful voice that effortlessly handles the difficult music, and he is the only cast member to maintain his character while singing. Others tend to drop character completely during their songs, but Deaton is captivating and his character is actually enhanced during his songs. He also seems to bring the level of others' performances up to meet his in his scenes. Mac shines more brightly while singing "The Wide Woods" with Deaton. If there is one criticism I have of Deaton's performance, it is that I would prefer to see him play Sheriff Sutter with a bit more gruffness, but his choices are smart ones and his performance is consistent.

Both Pam Dougherty as Hannah, the owner of the Spitfire Grill and Melinda Wood Allen as town gossip columnist/postmistress Effy Krayneck deliver solid performances.

Dougherty finds a wonderful balance between grieving mother and work-hardened town matriarch, but her voice tends to get lost in her songs. Her voice does not carry very far past the orchestra, and it's a shame since she acts the songs well. Allen, as Effy, handles the music well, and succeeds in providing much-needed moments of comedy in her scenes.

I had problems with the performances of Paul T. Taylor and Mary Gilbreath Grim as Caleb and Shelby Thorpe. Taylor's voice is pleasant enough, but I didn't buy his portrayal of a domineering, chauvinistic husband at all. Grim does a fine enough job as Caleb's meek and reserved wife, but any groundwork she lays as the character disappeared when she sings. Grim's voice is fine until she decides to belt – which she does often in her songs. When she belts her voice becomes nasal and flat, and she completely loses any character in her facial expressions. She redeems herself slightly in her second act solo "Wild Bird," when she shows that she does in fact have a lovely voice; I would just encourage her to find a better belting mix, incorporating more of her quite beautiful head voice.

Linus Craig also manages to make quite an impression, even without one spoken line, as The Visitor.

The set design by Jason Domm is rustic, simple, and beautiful, and the lighting design by Michael O'Brien is absolutely gorgeous and extremely functional in showing the change in the seasons throughout the action of the show. As an admitted fan of the use of gobos, I especially loved the gobos of the tree branches and of a full moon in the second act. The costumes, by Jim Covault and Peggy Kruger O'Brien, were charming in their simplicity and out-datedness (remember turtleneck sweaters under overalls?), and really added to the feeling of a Wisconsin town far-removed from any major city.

Overall, the message of the show is a beautiful and charming one, and the music has potential to be quite good, but the collective performances, despite some isolated lovely moments, are not quite enough to bring the show above average.

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