Valcq & Alley Shine Bright, Musical Light on Small Town USA

by Mary Lou Herlihy

Hope is the thing with feathers. —Emily Dickinson

“The Spitfire Grill,” set in the fictional town of Gilead, Wisconsin, IS small town America. Children are lost to foreign wars, jobs have gone offshore, and small businesses struggle. Whole communities are devastated and forsaken.

But the musical offers hope and redemption in the Rust Belt. Music Director Nick Brown creates a seamless world of sound, with gifted musicians Evan Ceremony and Nina Han playing live onstage. The music isn’t “catchy” in a traditional way and some solos sputter under the demands of complicated scores. But duets and trios delight, and the ensemble singing soars with energy. In “Shoot the Moon” and “Come Alive Again,” the cast fills the stage with hopeful exuberance.

Delightful sets proclaim: “Spitfire Grill, Small Town USA.” The Grill’s owner Hannah Ferguson (Kelly Ground) plays a believable, cranky, and beloved neighbor, who provides comfort food and tough love.

Director Jay Manley highlights the quiet moments. A shadowy character called “The Visitor” (Bradley Markwick) comes out at night to receive Hannah’s offerings. He commands our attention without speaking. He hides in the beautifully designed forest, a lost soul lurking.

Townsfolk come and go, sit-com style. Effy (Jane Harrington) is funny and annoying. The affable Sheriff Joe Sutter (Kyle Stoner) dreams of leaving Gilead. A young married couple, Shelby (Julianne Bretan) and Caleb (Brad Parks), struggle after Caleb loses his job at the quarry. Caleb is angry that Shelby finds work at the Grill. As he sings “Digging Stone,” Caleb’s sledgehammer crushes imaginary rocks. He’s a powder keg ready to explode.

When timid Shelby sings the heartbreaking “When Hope Goes,” we come to understand the community’s disintegration. Shelby sings about Hannah’s only son who went M.I.A. in Vietnam. Hannah responds, pouring out her heart in “Never Heal” about a family in ruins.

But hope arrives in the form of weary ex-con Percy [Perchance] Talbott (Kyra Lynn Kozlenko), a slight woman with a stoic presence. Sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather left Percy hardened and alone.

As she unfolds a worn and treasured image of magnificent fall foliage, Percy imagines a new life in a sleepy little town. She makes the trip to Gilead, and comes up with a brilliant idea. Her idea brings floods of letters from people across the country and sets the stage for Gilead’s redemption.

Joyful moments spring from the unexpected letters—filling Gilead with pride and purpose. Percy and Shelby sing “The Colors of Paradise,” displaying a remarkable transformation. The characters gain trust in each other and confidence in themselves.

After Percy bares her brutal past, Shelby sings the haunting and beautiful “Wild Bird.” We can feel the weight of Percy’s terrible burden lift, and anything seems possible.

“The Spitfire Grill” takes us on a musical journey that leads to hope and redemption for the whole American family.

 

“The Spitfire Grill” by James Valcq & Fred Alley, directed by Jay Manley, musical director Nick Brown, set design by Ron Krempetz, lighting by Michele Samuels, costumes by Valera Coble, at Ross Valley Players, Ross, California. Info: rossvalleyplayers.com – to February 23, 2025.

Cast: Julianne Bretan, Kelly Ground, Jane Harrington, Kyra Lynn Kozlenko, Bradley Markwick, Brad Parks, and Kyle Stoner.

Banner photo: Kyra Lynn Kozlenko (Percy) & Julianne Bretan (Shelby). Photos: Robin Jackson