"The Spitfire Grill: The Musical"

I remember at the Illinois All-State Festival seeing the 2nd act of The Spitfire Grill being done (I believe) by a performing arts school. I had been seeing a short show before, and at intermission of Spitfire, some of my friends told me to come and see the 2nd act. After a quick brining up to speed, I watched the 2nd act and loved it, especially the two leading ladies. I was just thinking about it, and looked at some of it's reviews (OK, only 2, one being a different production), and it seemed to be pretty well received, not to mention that it's fairly new. I was wondering, why don't we hear more about it? Just from the 2nd act I saw, the material seems better than that of some show recently.

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A couple of the songs are in the regular rotation on Broadway World radio. I cannot comment other then those few I have heard, I did enjoy them.

Liz Callaway and Garrett Long were involved Off-B-Way, if memory serves me.

Yeah, it really is a great show. The ending is very different from that of the movie, however.

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I saw the off-Broadway production and thought it was superb.

I'm playing "Joe" in a college production later this year.

It's a fun, good old family fun musical. Like the classics. A solid story with great a perfect speed pace. We get piece by piece of the mystery and plot of the show. A love story not between people - but of the sentimentalism of living in a small town.

It consists of a small cast of seven. Each character has their own sub-plot going on, but are all connected to The Spitfire Grill.

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Unless it's rewritten, I can't see it on Broadway.

It's relatively shorter than the average show. Plus - it's such a small cast and lacks "spectacle" to draw in the crowds.

It's perfect for off-Broadway, tours, and regional productions. But I don't see it succeeding on Broadway, despite it's being a very good show.

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the original offbroadway production was short because it was a limited engagement at Playwrights were it sold very well.

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I have been trying to locate the Cast Recording to this show and can't. I was told it is out of print. Does anyone know where I can find it?

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Thank you umgeoboy

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I managed to order the recording through Samuel French.

I believe this is a wonderful, quintessentially American show, with lovely melodies. I prefer it to the movie, especially with the changed ending, which isn't as pious and tearjerking. I also agree that both this and "Reefer Madness" deserve a second hearing--both are kickass, and both got lost in the post-9/11 chaos!

Someone asked if this team had written anything else. They did--the equally unlucky, shortlived off-Broadway sci-fi parody "Zombies from the Beyond". Off-Broadway had a mini-flood of such shows for a brief period ("Weird Romance", "Return to the Forbidden Planet", etc.) and "Zombie Prom" is the one that survived; however, I'm a fan of the limited charms of "Zombies from the Beyond." The score is forgettable, but the book is often very funny and shows a detailed knowledge of the staging and conventions of 1950s alien-invasion movies. (the Act One finale features the entire cast, male and female, in Judy Jetson garb with pink hair and skirts, singing the title song--it's that kind of show.)

"Spitfire Grill" was, sadly, the last work of its lyricist, Fred Alley, who had a fatal heart attack during the last weeks of rehearsal.

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Great great great music.

The Act One finale is semi-cheesy but a classic!

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thanks, now i remember reading of Alley's passing. What a loss. ZOMBIES BEYOND sounds fun---i am not a fan of ZOMBIE PROM really, but i agree that REEFER MADNESS kicks ass. i was hoping that the HBO version would draw attention to it and result in regional productions (kind of like HEDWIG and HOUSE OF YES experience) but so far no go. Haven't seen the HBO version either...

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