London's Union Theatre Premieres THE SPITFIRE GRILL Tonight

The Spitfire Grill, a musical based on the 1986 film of the same name that was seen Off-Broadway in a production by Playwrights' Horizons at the Duke Theatre on 42nd Street in 2001, is receiving its U.K. premiere at London's Union Theatre. It began performances yesterday prior to an official opening tonight, July 24, for a run through August 15.

Alastair Knights directs a cast that includes Belinda Wollaston, Hilary Harwood, Natalie Law, Katie Brennan, Hans Rye, Chris Kiely and Andrew Borthwick. The musical director is Simon Holt, and the choreographer is Lee Crowley.

The musical, which has music by James Valcq and lyrics by Fred Alley and a book by both of them, based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff, follows the story of recently paroled convict Percy Talbott, who is looking for somewhere to start over, and rural Gilead, WI, seems just the place. She takes a job at the Spitfire Grill, a crumbling diner where the townsfolk congregate and gossip, run by a feisty widow named Hannah. Hannah has been trying to sell the diner to escape from the painful memories it holds, but the property has been on the market for a decade with no takers.

Soon, Percy hatches a plan to hold a raffle for ownership of the Spitfire Grill-for one hundred dollars and an essay about why they might want the Grill, anyone can enter the contest. As the seasons change and rumors about her past build, the contest entries begin to roll in, and Percy starts to realize that she's not the only person in Gilead with a history.

The musical was the recipient of the 2001 Richard Rogers Production Award, presented by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Book tickets now at: www.uniontheatre.biz.