Find your way back home.
Meet Percy, a feisty parolee, who follows her dreams to a small town in rural Wisconsin, where she finds work at the Spitfire Grill and carves out a place in the struggling community. As the story unfolds, we are shown how small-town warmth can heal the broken souls within it.
Written by Fred Alley and James Valcq of American Folklore Theatre, the precursor to Door County’s own Northern Sky Theater, The Spitfire Grill is a celebration of fresh starts and reminds us of the power of what one person can do. Experience this unique Wisconsin gem with its infectious melodies in the intimate space of the Overture Center’s Playhouse. Directed by Jen Plants with Music Direction by Thomas Kasdorf.
Michael Bruno previews The Spitfire Grill as part of Bruno's Best for WISC-TV Channel 3
Bruno's Best: The Spitfire grill
There’s a delicate balance in getting the audience to accept the bizarre fact of people breaking into song, and my favorite example of one that succeeds was Four Seasons Theatre’s THE SPITFIRE GRILL. It’s a simple story about acceptance and redemption set in a small-town in Wisconsin. I loved the folk-based score (accordion!), and the singing was tremendous.
Read "Finding hope and solace through art" by Catherine Capellaro, Isthmus Arts Editor
While it isn’t exactly a holiday show, this production of Spitfire Grill makes a nice family outing during this season of thankfulness and joy. Running through Dec. 10 in the Playhouse at Overture, it’s a lovely reminder that hope is all around us and second chances are worth taking.
Read the full review by Gwendolyn Rice, Isthmus.
As Percy in THE SPITFIRE GRILL, the latest musical from Four Seasons Theatre, Eva Nimmer commands the stage with a clear, bright voice. ...Like THE SPITFIRE GRILL itself, Nimmer’s Wisconsin roots run deep. She grew up in Plymouth the third of five children, with parents she describes as “very practical people” who “worked really, really hard to provide all five of us with the best childhood they could by cutting coupons, hauling us to museums, and letting us run wild in the woods.”
Read the full article by Gayle Worland, Wisconsin State Journal.
Eva Nimmer knows she’s part of something pretty special. The 20-something actor spent the last four summers since graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s theater program as a member of Door County’s Northern Sky Theater, performing the Midwestern-centric musical works of playwright Fred Alley and composer James Valcq in a gorgeous natural setting. Now she gets to bring that Door County magic to Madison.
Read the full article by Aaron Conklin, Madison Magazine.
Like Four Seasons Theatre, The Spitfire Grill is a Wisconsin story. Winner of The Richard Rodgers Award, it was written by Milwaukee’s James Valcq and American Folklore Theatre Co-founder Fred Alley and is being performed, designed, and produced for Four Seasons Theatre by Wisconsin artists.
Cast List:
The Production Team includes Director Jen Plants, Music Director Thomas Kasdorf, Stage Manager Aileen Wall, Lighting Designer John Frautschy, Sound Designer Brian Anderson, Scenic Designer Corey Helser, and Costume Designers Susan Gustaf and Laurie Everitt.
Joining them are ASM Sarah Luedtke, Master Electrician Becca Broberg, and Backstage Arts Interns Lukas Daniels (sound), Martha Anderson (ASM), and Alice Combs (lighting). Orchestra members include Sarah Marty (accordion), Beth Morgan (cello), Kay Black and Amber Dolphin (violin), and Chris Powers (guitar, mandolin).
This production was generously supported by a grant from the Great Performance Fund for Theater, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation. In addition, Four Seasons Theatre thanks Distillery Design, First United Methodist Church and Ross Cowing, Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, Park Printing Solutions, and the staff of the Overture Center.
