'The Spitfire Grill,' A Musical, Takes The OLRC Stage

The Old Lyric Repertory Company, a program of Utah State University, presents the musical The Spitfire Grill as the third play of the season. The production opens June 28 at the Caine Lyric Theatre (28 W. Center Street, Logan) at 7:30 p.m. and is directed by Sheri Williams Pannell.

Tickets for the production are available at the theatre’s box office, 28 W. Center Street, Logan. Single admission, reserved tickets are $18 for adults, $14 matinee; $15 for seniors, $11 matinee; and $12 for students, $8 matinee.

 

Although based on a popular independent film, The Spitfire Grill has its own unique ending. The lyrics are by Fred Alley and the music by James Valcq. The book is a collaboration of effort from both Alley and Valcq.

 

The director said The Spitfire Grill is a story of a town that is stuck in the past and gets a second chance through the anticipation of a stranger, Percy, who comes to town looking for a fresh start. When she arrives to town, Percy begins working at the local grill. She teams up with a new friend to bring life back into the community while working on plan to sell the Spitfire grill.

 

“The Spitfire Grill is a bona fide musical with rich music and lyrics that are honest and descriptive,” said Pannell. “The melodies are singable and the harmonies are rich.”

 

As a composer, Valqc has a certain style or signature, Pannell said. The music is a mix of folk, bluegrass and gospel — very much a part of Valqc’s upbringing in the West.

 

 “Valqc and Alley have captured the music of the heartland,” said Pannell.

 

The Spitfire Grill is a timely play for the OLRC season because of the post-Vietnam War backdrop, said Pannell.

 

“The Vietnam War was a very unpopular war where soldiers came back disillusioned and lost,” she said. “Right now, we are in a very unpopular war, with soldiers who are experiencing the same sort of thing.”

 

 The Spitfire Grill teaches “the power of love and forgiveness to heal a community and the individuals of that community,” said Pannell. “It’s about the importance of facing truths and not living in fantasy.”

 

When the audience leaves the theater, Pannell said she hopes its members will be uplifted, affirming the power of forgiveness and unconditional love.

 

“I hope the audience will be encouraged to strengthen ties of love with ones whom they may have been estranged,” she said.

 

The Spitfire Grill will have evening performances June 28-30, July 13, 19, 25, 28 and Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. There will also be matinees June 30 and July 28, which begin at 2 p.m.

 

Utah State University makes the Caine Lyric Theatre available for rental at reasonable cost to Cache Valley community organizations thanks, in part, to support from the City of Logan.

 

The OLRC is partner with Cache Valley businesses, including Caffé Ibis, Le Nonne Italian Restaurant, Aggie Ice Cream, Utah Public Radio, Cache Radio Group, Thinker Creative and Cache Valley Center of the Arts.

 

For OLRC ticket information, contact Amber LaBau at (435) 752-1500. For general inquiries, contact Jeremy Gordon at (435) 797-1500 or go to www.usu.edu/lyric. The OLRC mailing address is 4035 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-4035, or call (435) 797-3046. The OLRC Box Office is located at the theatre at 28 W. Center Street, Logan.

 

The OLRC is supported by grants from Marie Eccles Cain Foundation, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Cache County Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment.

 

 

Writer: Jenifer Jones, Old Lyric Repertory Company, (435) 797-1500