A diner and parolee transform a town in Messiah College’s production of “The Spitfire Grill”
April 1st, 2009
GRANTHAM, Pa. (April 1, 2009) – See how one parolee and one town’s local diner transform a community in Messiah College theatre department’s production of “The Spitfire Grill.” The musical will be performed April 23-25 and 27-28 at 8 p.m. and April 26 at 3 p.m. Each performance is in Miller Auditorium in the Climenhega Fine Arts Center on the college’s Grantham campus. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students and can be purchased by calling the ticket office at (717) 691-6036 or www.messiah.edu/tickets.
Upon her release from prison, parolee Percy Talbott moves to Gilead, Wis. There she finds a town trying hard to forget the secrets of dark pasts buried underneath its charming appearance. Talbott finds a job at the local diner, the Spitfire Grill, and gradually befriends its owner, Hannah. Seeing that the town is also suffering financially, Talbott proposes that Hannah raffle off the diner, gaining money for the town but also moving past the painful memories associated with the Grill. From the hands of an unlikely teacher comes forgiveness to a town desperately in need of healing. The musical, known for its soaring melodies and uplifting spirit, has been described as “a compelling story that flows with grace and carries the rush of anticipation.”
Messiah College’s production of “The Spitfire Grill” is directed by Ed Cohn, associate professor of theatre.
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences, enrolls 2,800 undergraduate students in 55 majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham, Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.