HEBER CITY — Heber Valley is truly a hidden gem within the mountains. This tight knit community, with friendly neighbors, and a rich history built into the corner stores of Main Street makes this small town feel like your home away from home. It seems only fitting that a story about connection, redemption, and new beginnings opens within the backdrop of a city whose story is not so different from the one portrayed on stage.
Heber Valley Entertainment presented The Spitfire Grill at the Ideal Playhouse, which had a hugely successful run between the dates of April 24th through May 9th. Based on the 1996 indie film, this musical made its off – Broadway debut on October 2nd, 2001, and remains a relevant, must-see production 25 years later.
The Spitfire Grill tells the story of Percy, a young woman recently on parole, who begins working at a small grill located in the backwoods of Gilead, Wisconsin. After suffering a hip injury, Hannah, the owner of the grill, takes Percy’s advice in putting an ad for the grill in the paper, inviting folks from all walks of life to send in essays describing why they should be selected to take it over. As rumors spread about Percy’s imprisonment, her credibility as a member of the community begins to dwindle. She turns to her new found friends for refuge and learns how to heal herself within this charming landscape, painted with the “colors of paradise.” It is a story of sacrificing all that once was, in an effort to gain what’s been right in front of you all along.
Directed by Steve Anderson, the creative director of the Ideal Playhouse, and assistant directed by Sam Bennett, this production was a standout among local theatre efforts. This directing duo cut no corners when it came to utilizing this venue in creative ways. The Ideal Playhouse doubles as a movie theatre, and a stage production venue, which means the house and stage themselves are somewhat narrow. At the top of the show, Percy was set in jail in front of their proscenium arch, which later doubled as Effy’s house, and later again Caleb’s house, and so on. Audiences were invited to suspend their disbelief instantly, and the direction and staging of this piece made it easy to do so without much difficulty.
Technical Director, Dave Bates, blew audiences away with his intricate projection mapping which nicely complemented the simplicity of the physical set. Throughout the show, the changing of seasons was expressed through the changing of the leaves in the Wisconsin woods. Dave takes projection mapping to the next level, however, as the projections stretched into the audience all the way up to the tech booth. I was completely enveloped in the beautiful landscape of Gilead which gave a clear insight as to why Percy learned to love it there. In addition, the set design also did some of the story work in terms of foreshadowing. I noticed immediately that the tree trunks on the upstage wall were reminiscent of the bars to a prison cell. The difference being that there was a large opening right in the middle of those trees, which opened up towards the beautiful colors of the surrounding wood.
The Spitfire Grill features a seven person cast, each with dynamic personalities to portray, and all of them charming beyond degree. Ashley Bates’ portrayal of Percy was tortured, dynamic, and expressive. Bates has a gift for understanding comedic timing and pacing within her role. We tracked Percy’s development clearly as Ashley let that character live and breathe and evolve within her. It was intoxicating.
Ashley is supported in her cast by Sam Bennet as Joe, Jessica Theriault as Shelby, Beth Knight as Hannah, Tyson Augustus as Caleb, Robyn Laine as Effy, and Brian Bevacqua as The Visitor. While all performances were beautifully executed, I want to highlight Jessica Theriault in her portrayal of the meek, humble wife who was dealing with abuse in her marriage. This is not an easy part to play, and yet, there was something so genuine about Theriault’s characterization and the life she gave to the role of Shelby. To portray a woman learning how to stand up for herself, and to still have the heart to help others is a tremendous feat, and to Theriault’s credit, was executed with elegance. With vocals like a songbird, I found myself completely enraptured by her presence and heart every time she opened her mouth.
Music Director Karyn Anderson excelled in the massive undertaking a musical The Spitfire Grill is. This show is packed to the brim with musical moments, many of which have overlapping vocals and harmonies, with difficult timing and pacing. The cast sang with such clarity and confidence, which is impressive considering how fast paced a lot of the score turned out to be. The lyrics were crisp and clear and the harmonies offered moments of dissonance and pause. It’s safe to say that I will be listening to this album on repeat for a while! I’m only disappointed the Ideal Theatre cast won’t be the ones singing the tracks!
Heber Valley Entertainment’s The Spitfire Grill offered the very thing that theatre, as an art form, is always attempting to provide; an escape. I was so involved in this little town of Gilead that I nearly forgot I didn’t live down the street from this little grill myself! I left this production wanting to expand my social circle and strengthen those relationships that I already have. By and large, this production was a beautiful tribute to humanity at its finest. May we all slow down a bit, find a seat at the table, breathe in the beautiful woods outside, and embrace whatever paradise we courageously make for ourselves.
MORE INFO: The Spitfire Grill played April 24 through May 9, 2026, at Heber Valley Entertainment’s Ideal Playhouse (113 N Main St, Heber City, UT 84032). The production was presented as a live Broadway musical, with performances listed at 7:00 PM and a two-hour runtime. Tickets were listed at $22–$32. For more information about Heber Valley Entertainment and future productions at the Ideal Playhouse, visit https://www.hebervalleyentertainment.com/.
Editor’s Note: This review was written on time. The delay was on our end and we apologize to the excellent artists and writer who put this together.