Academy’s ‘Spitfire Grill’ coasts instead of soaring

"The Spitfire Grill," at the Las Vegas Academy, is a musical version (by James Val and Fred Alley) of a 1996 film that has some very devoted fans. I find its generic sentimentality nauseating, but, then, I may just not be a good enough person to appreciate it. Glenn Edwards' production, though, is at times likable and skilled.

Following a stint in prison, the young Percy (Rachel Richards; all the roles are double cast) slowly finds a life for herself in a small Wisconsin town, where she's taken under the wing of the crusty grill owner Hannah (Callie Williams).

The town is populated with familiar types, all of whom are fighting their own secrets. Unlike the movie, the ending ties all the threads of the plot nicely (and falsely) into a tidy package. The show fluctuates between bouncy musical comedy, existential drama and "Little House on the Prairie."

Williams' Hannah, though, provides a solid foundation for this unsteady tale. It's not just that Williams manages to look older. She projects a sense of world weariness that makes you believe she needs to have her soul awakened.

As the sheriff, Taylor Laws exudes such warmth and innocence that it's easy to understand Percy's attraction to him. Kimberly Miller, as the troubled and submissive wife, Shelby, sings with the sort of directness and expressive shadings that make you want to know more. And the 15-member cast brings surprising power to several choral numbers.

Edwards' usually fine pacing is greatly aided by Tammy Pessagno's lively choreography .

It's amusing to watch the town come "alive" by Percy's presence, but the characters aren't as well defined as they should be. The script is much to blame, but some stronger and inventive directing might have helped. Edwards succumbs to the show's sappiness by playing the last fourth heavily and slowly.

This is a musical-by-the-numbers. You can see where it's going much too quickly. You want this ride to soar, but it smoothly coasts instead.

Still, it's a joy to watch Williams as the grill owner. She demonstrates how a gifted actress can create her own reality even when the script she's working from is out to lunch.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.