The Spitfire Grill

A business that won’t sell, a woman struggling to start a new chapter in her life, and a small town of people to conquer life’s challenges and frustrations unscathed. These days, this could describe any small town. It’s also the uplifting tale of a fictional town called Gilead, Wisconsin in Memories’ upcoming dinner theater musical, The Spitfire Grill.

The Spitfire Grill is the story of Percy, a fiery young woman who sets out for a small Wisconsin town in search of a new beginning after being released from prison. She finds a home for herself at The Spitfire Grill, a dingy old diner owned by a cantankerous woman with a bad hip named Hannah. Between Hannah’s sharp tongue and the small town gossip that burns through Gilead like wildfire, Percy begins to question whether moving to Gilead was the right choice.

Just as her doubts arise, an accident makes it necessary for Percy to take over the Spitfire Grill, allowing her to build deeper relationships with her fellow employees and townsfolk and to learn she’s not the only one facing challenges or a troubled past. When Percy learns the grill has been for sale for ten years, she suggests a raffle. Entry fees are $100 and the best essay on why the entrant wants the grill will win it. Before long, entries are rolling in, and the entire town gets involved in reading them, causing a palpable shift throughout Gilead. Audiences get as excited as the townsfolk when Hannah finally reveals the raffle winner in the end.