The Spitfire Grill at Ocala Civic Theatre

Order up! The musical THE SPITFIRE GRILL is live on stage February 8-25 at Ocala Civic Theatre.

Just out of jail, young Percy Talbott (Adrienne Hebert) is looking for a new beginning in the little town of Gilead, Wisconsin – a place she chose from a picture of autumn in a travel book. She’s hoping to find the colors of paradise, but instead she finds a frozen ghost town of ice and snow.

Sheriff Joe Sutter (Janik Buranosky) gets her a job as a waitress at the local diner, The Spitfire Grill – much to the displeasure of Hannah Ferguson (Martie McLean), the tough old bird who owns it. Percy just might have jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Before long, the rough-edged new girl is the talk of the town, and the diner is buzzing with gossip. The postmistress, sour-tongued busybody Effy Krayneck (Amanda Harding), has plenty of speculation to dish out about Percy. Hannah’s nephew, Caleb Thorpe (Daniel Roscoe), the frustrated out-of-work foreman of the local stone quarry, is suspicious of the newcomer. His wife, sweet Shelby Thorpe (Kelsey Plante) has a kinder heart, but she’s too shy to welcome the stranger at first.

However, Percy isn’t the only mysterious figure in Gilead. Soon she discovers a silent visitor (Cristian Alejandro Cardoso) lingering in the woods behind the diner. She also cooks up a new idea that would change everything for everyone in town. As the truth about all these intertwined lives comes to light, it’s hard to say if trouble is brewing or if redemption is simmering on the back burner.

Based on the 1996 film of the same name, this lovely and haunting musical shines with a folk-flavored score of songs. Starring Allison Elliott, Ellen Burstyn, and Marcia Gay Harden, the movie won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. This 2001 off-Broadway stage adaptation is as luminous as the ring around the moon, a winter’s tale with a warm and generous heart – and a fresh start on the side.