{"id":37573,"date":"2018-04-03T10:59:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-03T14:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=37573"},"modified":"2018-04-23T14:32:43","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T18:32:43","slug":"emus-spring-musical-the-spitfire-grill-tells-the-story-of-second-chances-in-a-midwest-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/emus-spring-musical-the-spitfire-grill-tells-the-story-of-second-chances-in-a-midwest-town\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU’s spring musical, ‘The Spitfire Grill,\u2019 tells the story of second chances in a Midwest town"},"content":{"rendered":"

Its wide acclaim \u2013 The New York Times <\/em>called it \u201csoul-satisfying\u201d and \u201cfreeing\u201d \u2013 isn\u2019t the only reason The Spitfire Grill<\/em> musical is Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s spring theater production: It also \u201cfits the ethos of EMU,\u201d said music professor James Richardson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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From left: Actors Lucas Wenger, Yoel Bobadilla, Elizabeth Martin and Emma Roth in a scene from “The Spitfire Grill.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The university\u2019s theater department will perform the musical in April under the direction of professor Justin Poole<\/a> and the music direction of Richardson. Performance dates are April 13-14, and April 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. and April 15 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available from the EMU Box Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the play, based on the Lee David Zlotoff film, lyrics and book by Fred Alley, and music and book by James Valq, a parolee named Percy relocates to a small Wisconsin town, where she works at Hannah\u2019s Spitfire Grill. Hannah wants to sell the eatery, but with no buyers in sight, she and others decide to give it away in an essay contest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a story of \u201credemption, second chances, hope and coming to terms with the reality of a new community,\u201d said Poole \u2013 and, Richardson adds, seeking forgiveness not only from others but also from oneself.<\/p>\n

Poole and Richardson collaborated on EMU\u2019s 2014 production of <\/a>Into the Woods<\/em><\/a>. But while that performance was fantastical and \u201csprawling,\u201d the single-set Spitfire<\/em> feels more \u201cgritty,\u201d said Richardson \u2013 even as the small diner \u201crepresents the entire cosmos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each character in the seven-person cast has \u201cunique quirks\u201d that make them feel \u201creal,\u201d said Poole. \u201cThey\u2019re nuanced and they\u2019re quirky and they\u2019re \u2013 well, they\u2019re just fun characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lucas Wenger (left) and Sterling Webster rehearse a scene of “The Spitfire Grill.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Live musicians will accompany the actors with piano, violin, guitar, cello and accordion, said Richardson. The music, Poole said, is \u201cdown-home, classic American folk, sometimes with a Southern twang kind of vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cast members range from seniors \u2013 Emma Roth and Clara Bush were lead players in EMU\u2019s fall production of Macbeth<\/em><\/a> and, along with Spitfire<\/em>\u2019s Robert Weaver, acted in The 39 Steps<\/em><\/a> earlier this year \u2013 to newer arrivals to EMU theater.<\/p>\n

Shelby, an \u201cincredibly shy woman in her 30s,\u201d will be played by sophomore Anna Ressler, a psychology major from Apple Creek, Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery character is dynamic,\u201d Ressler said. \u201cOne of my favorite parts about my role is the way Shelby changes as a result of her interactions with Percy and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas Wenger, an undeclared first-year student from Harrisonburg, plays Caleb Thorpe, a man in his early 40s who had been a foreman but is now unemployed. \u201cHis old job is now obsolete, and he struggles to let go of the authority he once had and change with the times,\u201d Wenger said.<\/p>\n

But while he is \u201cstuck in the past\u201d and \u201ccould very easily fit into the stereotype of stern, patriarchal husband,\u201d Thorpe is also \u201cmultidimensional\u201d and \u201chas moments of caring and trying to fix his mistakes.\u201d Making the subtle moments that reveal Caleb\u2019s humanity \u201cstand out and characterize him just as much as his sternness\u201d is a challenge, Wenger said.<\/p>\n

Cast:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n