“That was amazing.” That singular thought resonated from the first hushed note to the final, soaring harmony. From the evocative set to the powerhouse vocals, 2nd Star Productions’ musical The Spitfire Grill is a sequence of luminous moments that capture the heart. The first act draws the audience in with the fragile hope of new beginnings, while the second delivers a poignant heartbreak, only to mend it with a dose of grace. Director Karen Fleming captures the production’s essence perfectly in her program note: “I’ve come to believe that one of the best ways to deal with trauma is through community. Finding the people who understand and support you.” It is a sentiment this cast delivers with profound sincerity and grit.
The show opens without fanfare, trading a traditional overture for a single, stark spotlight on Percy Talbott, played with raw intensity by Marcy Ledvinka. Fresh from a five-year prison sentence, Percy arrives in the small town of Gilead, Wisconsin — a place she has only ever seen through the glossy pages of a travel magazine read behind bars. Her arrival is met by Sheriff Joe Sutton, played by Dillon McCarrick, whose grounded cynicism provides a sharp, necessary contrast to Percy’s desperate optimism. Though she arrives too late to see the autumn colors she dreamed of, she knows that the leaves will change again, signaling a cycle of rebirth that permeates the entire production. This hope is beautifully articulated in “This Wide Woods,” a duet between Percy and Joe that serves as a turning point. McCarrick’s Joe sheds his cynical shell in this moment, his voice blending with Ledvinka’s to create a sense of shared longing that anchors their relationship.
Percy finds work at the titular Spitfire Grill, an establishment run by the sharp-tongued and weary widow Hannah Ferguson, portrayed by Lori Skalitzky. Percy’s surliness and Hannah’s gruffness create a sharp friction that is echoed by everyone else in town. One of the most delightful sequences of the first act is “Into the Frying Pan,” a song that highlights Percy’s hilarious, panicked attempts to navigate a kitchen despite having never done more than warm up a TV dinner. It is a high-energy number that balances the show’s weightier themes with genuine charm.
The humor grows naturally from the town’s quirks and prejudices, but the stakes rise when Hannah suffers an injury. Percy finds an unlikely ally in Shelby, a shy housewife living under the thumb of her overbearing husband, Caleb, played by James Claxton IV. While Caleb is a secondary character, he is given a moment of chilling resonance in “Digging Stone.” This evocative piece showcases the frustration and hardened soul of a man who feels forgotten by the world, and Claxton delivers it with a spirit that makes the character’s internal struggle palpable.
The radiant chemistry between Jess Simonson’s Shelby and Ledvinka’s Percy is the production’s heartbeat. Simonson makes Shelby instantly lovable, and watching these two women forge a friendship fortified by their shared support of Hannah is truly moving. As Hannah begins to soften, letting these two women breathe life back into her dying grill, they devise a plan to raffle off the establishment through an essay contest. The letters that pour in from across the country serve as a mirror for the characters, forcing the people of Gilead to see the beauty they had grown complacent toward. These moments are enchanting; I found myself as enraptured by the reading of the letters as the characters on stage were. The cast is rounded out by Amy Haynes Rapnicki, who provides brilliant comedic timing as the local gossip and postmaster Effy, and Steve Campbell, who brings a haunting, silent weight to the role of the Visitor.
The production benefits from a lean, strong cast where every performer serves a distinct purpose. This isn’t a show with a generic ensemble; the town is far too small for that, and the intimacy of the performances reflects it. This depth is mirrored in Bill Dunbar’s set design, which uses large tree cutouts to cast evocative shadows across the stage. The walls of the grill are mere frames, allowing the cast to transition seamlessly between the rustic interior and the misty Wisconsin woods.
As we face a major snowstorm this weekend — one that has unfortunately forced the theater to cancel Sunday’s matinee — the song “Ice and Snow” feels particularly resonant. The number captures the biting, isolated chill of a Wisconsin winter, but it also underscores the warmth found inside the Grill. Side-stepping traditional musical tropes, the show’s book is filled with heartfelt anthems that reveal the depths of past trauma and the healing power of found family. Under the flawless staging of Karen Fleming and the musical direction of Valerie A. Higgs, who maximizes the orchestra to showcase every vocal talent, The Spitfire Grill becomes a masterclass in storytelling. It is an uplifting, impressive achievement that proves even the most broken things can be made new. Despite the freezing temperatures outside, this production offers a glow that is well worth braving the winter weather to experience.
The Spitfire Grill plays through February 8, 2026 (Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.), presented by 2nd Star Productions performing at The Bowie Playhouse — 16500 White Marsh Park Drive in Bowie, MD. Tickets are $30 (general admission), $27 (seniors 62+), $19 (children under 12); group rates are also available. Purchase tickets through 2nd Star Productions online.
The show program with full cast and crew is here.
The Spitfire Grill
Music and Book by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the Film by Lee David Zlotoff
Directed by Karen Fleming
Produced by Crista Drysdale & Otega Okurume
Music Directed by Valerie A. Higgs
Assistant Directed by Josiah Killam
Stage Managed by Kristi Gardner
Associate Produced by Alex Johnson
Assistant Music Directed by Owen Posnett
