By DANIEL SHOCK
A Seat on the Aisle
When The Spitfire Grill opens with a young woman arriving in an unfamiliar town, carrying little more than a fragile hope for a fresh start, I felt the pull of something personal. Twice in my life I’ve packed up and moved to a community I didn’t know. So, I know what it is like to arrive as an outsider and wonder, will anyone make room for me here?
The Spitfire Grill, a folk-tinged tale of second chances, unfolds gradually in Carmel Community Players’ production, softening your defenses and evoking deep compassion for a group of broken individuals striving for wholeness.
The show follows Percy Talbott (Breanna Helms), a young woman newly released from prison who arrives in the small town of Gilead, Wis., after seeing a brochure that makes the place look like a fresh start. Gilead is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and where the residents either don’t want to be there or don’t want anyone else to be there.
Sheriff Joe Sutter (Zach Hoover) is the first to encounter Percy, and he helps her land a job at the Spitfire Grill, an aging diner run by Hannah Ferguson (Susan Smith), a woman who is grouchy, guarded, and clearly tired of being in charge of anything.
What makes this production work is the way the cast connects both musically and emotionally, like people who have actually been listening to one another. Susan Smith’s Hannah Ferguson was my favorite performance of the night. I’ve seen Smith in other productions and already knew she could act. What I didn’t know, until this show, was what she could do with a song. She was magnificent. Her voice is full, clear, and emotionally grounded; she sings like she means it. Every time she opened her mouth, I enjoyed it.
Breanna Helms portrays Percy Talbott. (Photo provided by Carmel Community Players)
Breanna Helms plays Percy with a kind of earned anger. She portrays Percy as a trauma-filled young woman with sharp edges and little patience for comfort she hasn’t paid for. It’s a believable portrayal, and it makes Percy’s moments of vulnerability land harder. Sarah Marone-Sowers, as Shelby Thorpe, brings a voice clear as a bell and a presence that feels luminous in her featured moments. And the show truly shines when Percy, Hannah, and Shelby sing together. These harmonies drive the emotional intensity of the evening. It’s the sound of their wounded lives briefly lining up into something beautiful and uplifting.
The men are strong, too. John Whitaker’s Caleb is, frankly, annoying (not a great guy), and Whitaker leans into that without turning him into a cartoon. His portrayal is solid, and he sings beautifully even while making you want to throw a spatula at him. Zach Hoover’s Sheriff Joe Sutter sings with a warmth that, at times, reminded me of John Denver: open, earnest, and strangely comforting.
Christine Sanserino’s Effy Krayneck adds humor and heart, landing jokes cleanly and singing nicely as part of the ensemble. And Brandon Wentz plays the Visitor with mystery and sincerity, making the role feel human instead of merely symbolic.
Because this was opening night, the first few musical moments landed a little unevenly. There were some pitch issues here and there that felt like pure jitters rather than lack of preparation. The good news is that whatever nerves were in the room didn’t stay long. By the end of the night, the singing had become more confident, clear, and genuinely enjoyable.
Technically, the sound in this production deserves real credit. The cast is miked, and both speaking and singing came through clearly: no muddy lyrics, no swallowed dialogue, no distracting volume swings. The lighting didn’t call attention to itself, which isn’t a criticism; it simply did its job without drawing focus away from the people and the story.
If I had one staging quibble, it’s this: there was a noticeable amount of action staged at audience level on the left side (stage right). For many audience members, that’s a tough angle, and it made several moments difficult to see. It didn’t ruin the show, far from it, but it did feel like a self-inflicted injury in a production that otherwise wants the whole room to lean in together.
The Spitfire Grill is a story about healing, forgiveness, and the quiet power of community. It is not a story that fixes you with a speech, but rather with consistency. Carmel Community Players delivers it with warmth, strong vocals, and a cast that gels in a way that makes the whole town of Gilead feel real. If you need a reminder that people can change, and that towns can, too, this is a good place to spend an evening. Recommended.
Content advisory: Recommended for ages 12 and up; contains some adult themes and language.
Carmel Community Players’ The Spitfire Grill runs at The Switch Theatre (Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy), 10029 126th St., Fishers, through March 8. Find tickets and information at carmelplayers.org.
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