Vintage Theatre Productions to Present THE SPITFIRE GRILL, 6/26-8/16

Vintage Theatre Productions presents "The Spitfire Grill" June 26 through August 16 at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday July 2 and August 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 15 at 2:30 p.m. No performances July 3 & 4. Tickets are $32 ($28 advance). Call 303-856-7830 or purchase online at www.vintagetheatre.org.

A feisty parolee follows her dreams, based on a page from an old travel book, to a small town in Wisconsin and finds a place for herself working at Hannah's Spitfire Grill. It is for sale but there are no takers for the only eatery in the depressed town, so newcomer Percy suggests to Hannah that she raffle it off. Soon, mail is arriving by the wheelbarrow full and things are definitely cookin' at the Spitfire Grill.

Bev Newcomb-Madden returns to direct an outstanding cast that includes Megan Van De Hey (Percy Talbott), Anne Oberbroeckling (Hannah Ferguson), Kelly Watt (Shelby Thorpe), Tom Auclair (Caleb Thorpe), Mark Lively (Sheriff Joe Sutter), Nancy Van Fleet (Effy Krayneck) and Clint Heyn (The Visitor).

James Valcq is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, & librettist, as well as an actor and arts administrator. Valcq is among the "new guard" of theatre composers championed by Playwrights Horizons and Ira Weitzman, who co-produced the 2001 Off-Broadway production of "The Spitfire Grill" for which Valcq composed the score and collaborated on the book with lyricist Fred Alley. The musical won the Richard Rodgers Production Award presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Stephen Sondheim chairs the committee that chose "The Spitfire Grill" as the winner. "The Spitfire Grill" also received Best Musical nominations from the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League, as well as two Drama Desk nominations.