The Spitfire Grill at the St. Croix Festival Theatre Makes for a Perfect Day Trip Out of the Cities

*Portions of this review (plot Synopsis) are adapted from a previous review

You may be saying to yourselves St. Croix Festival Theatre, isn’t that across the state line into Wisconsin? Well yes it is, and yes that is a little outside of The Stages of MN’s jurisdiction. But, while my review may not hold up in court, it is enough to hopefully interest some of my readers to take a delightful little day trip to this newly renovated theater and enjoy their wonderful production of The Spitfire Grill. The St. Croix Festival Theatre production is being staged in the newly renovated Historic Auditorium and aside from being a fan of the show, checking out the space was a reason to make the journey. My wife and I made a bit of a day out of the excursion, enjoying a scenic drive up and a little light shopping after the show in the surrounding shops. We capped our day off with a step back in time at the enchanting Dalles House Supper Club. I mention this as I know many will need more motivation to make a 40 to 60 minute trip to see a theatrical production. All in all this was a wonderful day excursion the highlight of course being The Spitfire Grill production.

*The Spitfire Grill is based on the 1996 film of the same title and tells the story of Percy Talbott, a young woman just released from prison who looks for a fresh start in a dying small town named Gilead. Percy’s bus is met by the local Sheriff Joe Sutter who will serve as her parole officer. Sheriff Sutter takes her to the Spitfire Grill a rundown old Diner and convinces the owner Hannah Ferguson to take Percy on as a waitress and give her a room. At breakfast on her first morning, the town begins to wonder about Percy led by the town gossip and Postmistress Effy Krayneck. We also meet Hannah’s nephew Caleb and his wife Shelby, Caleb has been trying to sell the Spitfire Grill for the last 10 years. Just when Percy is questioning her decision to live in Gilead, Hannah falls and breaks her leg. Percy is enlisted to run the Spitfire with help from Shelby. Running the diner together Percy and Shelby bond and hatch an idea to raffle off the Spitfire Grill. Hannah gradually warms to the idea and they post the contest in newspapers. To enter, contestants need to send $100 and an essay on why they want the diner. The musical isn’t really about the contest and the diner, it’s about making connections and laying down roots. It’s about the concept of second chances and the re-emergence of hope.

I wasn’t sure what to expect so far out from the cities, production and performance wise. I was very pleasantly surprised on both counts. The set by David Markson was right in line with say a Yellow Tree or Theatre in the Round production. While the stage is on the smaller side Markson does a nice job by creating levels that help distinguish various rooms within the Spitfire Grill. The customer seating area and kitchen both having entrances that allow for a natural and logical flow for the characters movements within scenes. A particularly nice touch is the tree stump out back of the Grill. Director Mark Rosenwinkel and Music Director Karl Wicklund both master the task of making something special out of this small and intimate show. Wicklund has only three musicians, but it’s honestly all this simple but beautiful score needs. The cast is solid with the actors playing the three women who run the Spitfire, Beth Siegling (Percy), Elizabeth Streiff (Hannah), and Lindsey Fry (Shelby) giving exceptional performances. Streiff especially really captured the tone and felt very authentic as Hannah.

The Spitfire Grill a show I only first discovered this spring is a very uplifting, inspirational, and emotionally satisfying musical. The Spitfire Grill runs through September 1st at the newly renovated The Historic Auditorium of St. Croix Falls. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.festivaltheatre.org/main-stage-series.html

Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/

I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.