Small-town hopes put into song in 'Spitfire'

Percy Talbott arrives at the Spitfire Grill in the depressed hamlet of Gilead, Wis., with a small suitcase in hand, a prison term just behind her and a mile-wide chip on her shoulder.

It's easy to forecast that by the end of the musical "The Spitfire Grill," Percy will be a happier, less defensive person. As will several other folks whose lives touch Percy's — including Hannah, the crotchety owner of the Spitfire Grill, who reluctantly hires Percy as a waitress.

Yet despite its eventually upbeat message, "The Spitfire Grill" works hard to keep cornmeal mushiness at bay. And much of the time this modestly scaled show succeeds in that aim — thanks to the believably flawed yet likable characters and a winning musical score.

"The Spitfire Grill" is receiving its Seattle debut at Taproot Theatre, a company with plenty of practice mounting musicals of this size and flavor. What Taproot and director Scott Nolte don't have here is a cast and pit band uniformly able to give the expressive songs of composer James Valcq and the lyricist Fred Alley (the two also co-wrote the show's book) their full due.

That gap is unfortunate, but it doesn't wipe out "Spitfire's" intrinsic charms.

The story (a more focused, less melodramatic version of Lee David Zlotoff's 1996 film of the same title) pulls you into the quest of young Percy (Francile Albright) to escape a troubled past and start a new life in a bucolic small town. (Think a grittier "Chocolat," with hash browns instead of truffles.)

While elderly Hannah (Pam Nolte) isn't warm and fuzzy at the start, she later softens up and comes to depend on Percy. And browbeaten housewife Shelby (Carin Towne) is so inspired by Percy's pluck, she shows some, too.

Eventually the three women get involved in a scheme to raffle off the grill, which brings downtrodden Gilead some national publicity and a sense of hope.

In the film, a lot of suspicious locals tormented poor Percy. Here she provokes the animosity of just two: Gilead postmistress-busybody Effy (amusing Sabrina Prielaida) and Hannah's resentful nephew Caleb (Aaron Jacobs). Meanwhile, the town sheriff Joe (Jonathan Martin) is ambivalent but curious about her.

It turns out everyone has their own problems and hopes, often voiced stirringly in music, to sort through. The score is chock-full of numbers that are melodically and theatrically sophisticated, yet steeped in the harmonies and folksy vernacular of the American heartland. Among them: several lovely odes to the healing power of landscape, "The Colors of Paradise," "The Wide Woods" and Percy's exultant breakout anthem, "Shine," Albright's best solo work.

Other bright spots include the silvery-voiced Towne's renditions of "Wild Bird" and "When Hope Goes," and Jacobs' robust "Forest for the Trees." There are also intricately interwoven, at times warmly humorous ensemble numbers, notably "Something's Cooking" and "Shoot the Moon."

Towne and Jacobs are easily the most vibrant singers on the stage. Others are less impressive in that area but engaging actors, though the miscast Martin isn't a persuasive Joe.

Versatile musician-conductor Edd Key leads the backstage instrumental combo, which needs to solve some pesky pitch problems in the string section.

Despite the flaws here, "The Spitfire Grill" is gracefully staged by Nolte and gets you rooting for the people it cares about.

And by the way: You may recall the flap over the film the show is based on, due to its financial backing by a Catholic organization. Rest assured that, while the musical is consciously life-affirming, the overt religious messages begin and end with the comforting notion of balm in Gilead.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com