By Eva Trieger
SOLANA BEACH, California — Craving an omelet, or a cuppa Joe, served up with sarcasm or perhaps a smile? You know how it is when you stop in at your favorite breakfast joint, and don’t even have to say, “I’ll have the usual.” The waitress knows your signature dish, your daily habits, and maybe even with whom you spent the night or with whom you plan to spend the day. There’re equal parts comfort and intrusion in that relationship, yet, it’s intimate. But what if you stumble into the same diner, a stranger in a strange land? Somehow you’re not greeted with acceptance and understanding, but an undercurrent of suspicion and “wait and see.”
Friday morning, I enjoyed a phone interview with The Spitfire Grill director, Jeffrey Moss. The last show Moss directed at North Coast Repertory Theater was Rothschild and Sons. This show was popular, relatable and featured another outcast, Meyer Rothschild. At Artistic Director, David Ellenstein’s invitation, Moss returned to direct The Spitfire Grill, a 1996 film (David Zlotoff) that had been made into a musical by Fred Alley and James Valcq, and has enjoyed a successful national run.
Moss shared that he finds it immensely gratifying to go through the audition process and get to help the actors understand and grow with their characters. He humbly admitted that he learns something from each of the actors whom he directs, as well as the audiences who attend. He expressed his delight in returning to North Coast Repertory because he feels it is a prestigious theater and has set the bar high for San Diego stages.
Re-imagining classics is a passion of Moss’s, in addition to directing lesser-known shows. He is eager to take on any show he has never directed and believes it’s like a “crossword puzzle,” requiring exploration, risk taking, trial and error. The rehearsal process allows him to discover where the actors can take the show, how they can bring the book and script to life on stage.
I wanted to know what this director looks for in an actor. Moss explained that he wants his actors to make choices. He doesn’t want the actor to give him what they believe he seeks, but to show a range of possibilities. He sees his role as learning to communicate uniquely with each actor in the precise language that speaks to that individual.
Jeffrey Moss loves directing shows that are honest, heart-warming and uplifting, especially those that deal with hard subjects. The Spitfire Grill is gritty in parts, warm in parts, and very satisfying in all parts. The struggle between us and them is apparent, and the magical moment when the xenophobia falls away and acceptance abounds is fresh and palpable. Moss graciously gave me his time, but the real magic occurred later that night when I attended the final preview of this show.
North Coast Repertory is an intimate theater boasting 194 seats. I believe last night’s ticket sales must have been brisk because I saw nary an empty chair. Marty Burnett, set designer at NCRT for the past twenty five years, created the mood beautifully with a simple, yet convincing diner, in this small space. Behind a screen, musicians Alby Potts, Nikko Nobleza and Catherine Gray collaborated to produce several memorable tunes that conjured life in this fictional rural country town of Gilead, Wisconsin.
Percy Talbott (Aurora Florence) arrived in Gilead after being released from prison for the murder of her step-father. She finds work at the town’s only eating establishment, The Spitfire Grill, owned and operated by the sarcastic, yet kind, Hannah (Devlin). Hannah is crusty and abrasive, but she is also wise and sees promise in Percy that is not readily apparent to other small minded, small town folks. Percy has her share of screw ups in the kitchen, but she is determined to stay the course. Luckily for her, Shelby Thorpe (Meghan Andrews) is willing to lend a hand when Hannah falls and is rendered incapacitated. The two young women rally and keep the diner afloat as Hannah mends. Caleb Thorpe (Kevin Bailey), husband of Shelby and younger son of Hannah, is not thrilled about his wife’s decision to work at the diner, especially alongside Percy. It is during this rehabilitation, that Percy is brought into Hannah’s confidence about leaving a loaf of bread for a mysterious, silent stranger (Matt Thompson).
The comic relief is provided in the character of Effy Kraneck (Maggie Carney) postmistress and self-appointed gossip. Effy has witty one-liners and delivers great zingers as she is loath to accept the interloper, Percy, into their town. Even Effy must eventually come around and admit that Percy has become one of the family after she has cared for Hannah, and attempted to help her sell the diner through a creative raffle scheme.
A sweet romance is brewing between Percy and her parole officer, Sheriff Joe Sutter (Kevin Earley). Eager to escape the confines of this small Wisconsin town, the Sheriff is ready to leave, but after meeting and falling in love with Percy, he has new plans. “The outbound train has one less passenger” expresses his desire to stay put among the trees and the woman he loves.
As promised by Moss, the musical score really does have you leaving the theater humming along with the tunes, and the show, though it has its sad moments, is anything but a downer. The theme of love, acceptance, growth and compassion are prevalent and an air of optimism diffuses out of the theater’s vents as the curtain descends. Makes you want to stop by a local diner for a piece of apple or cherry pie and a cup of coffee before heading home to your loved ones.
The Spitfire Grill runs through June 25, 2017. Tickets are available at NorthCoastRep.org or by phone at 858.481.1055.
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Trieger is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. She may be contacted via eva.trieger@sdjewishworld.com