Special to the PVT Elisa Arias in the lead role of "Percy," gives hope to "Eli," played by Dan Westbaugh, in the staged performance of "Spitfire Grill," a heart-warming story about a young woman and a town that find hope and a new social acceptance. The musical will be staged two consecutive weekends in June. The production is directed by Francie Winters of the Pahrump Theater Guild. Advertisement

"Spitfire Grill," the second Theater Guild production of the year, premiered off-Broadway and won the 2001 Richard Rodgers (Rodgers and Hammerstein) Production award.

The musical is based on a 1980s movie about an abused young woman from a dysfunctional family who spent time in prison and has just been released.

Longing for beauty and something good in her life, she chooses her destination from a magazine photo depicting a mountain creek winding through woods alive with the colors of autumn.

The location is Gilead, Wis., a tiny town, smaller than Pahrump, with problems of its own. The town has seemingly never recovered from the loss of its favorite son, a decorated Vietnam veteran. With the loss of their war hero went their hope for a future.

Battling fears from the past, Percy (played by Elisa Arias) relocates, only to find a town prejudiced against her background and adding to her feelings of worthlessness.

But Percy believes in her ability to bring about change and as she struggles to overcome her feelings of inadequacy, she discovers the town going through those same changes as well.

The director, Francine "Francie" Winters, selected the play as a catalyst to change for Pahrump. "This is a gift to Pahrump," she said. "I hope the audience comes away with a new way of looking at our town." Perception is everything and Winters wants to give Pahrumpians a new way to perceive this town and what it has to offer.

One of the major points of the play comes to the forefront when Hannah (played by Debra Garland), the "crotchety" owner of the Spitfire Grill, gives Percy permission to advertise a raffle of the property. Part of the entry to the contest is the submission of an essay stating why the writer should win the raffle. There are so many entries coming from all over the country, the whole town becomes involved in selecting the winner. Part of the eye-opener for current residents of Gilead is discovering that they live the kind of life desired by many others. Winters said, "You get what you look for."

Winters said the songs tell parts of the story very well. "The lyrics are so poignant," she said.

The cast of "Spitfire Grill" includes Shelby Thorpe (played by Tamara "Tammy" Jones), who becomes Percy's best friend. The two girls share the unpleasantness of abuse in common. Shelby is married to the none-too-kind Caleb (played by Phil Raneri).

Sheriff Joe is played by Jeff Stacey, Linda Nosik is the busybody Postmistress and Dan Westbaugh is a visitor to Gilead.

The "Spitfire Grill" performance dates are 7 p.m. June 13, 14, 20 and 21 in the Pahrump Valley High School auditorium. There will be a special matinee added to the schedule for 2 p.m. June 21.

Tickets are $10 for the general public and $7 for students and PAC members. Tickets go on sale at the door half-hour before the performance.

They are expecting sold-out crowds so it might be advisable to get them in advance from Ace Hardware, the Chamber of Commerce, the Pahrump Community Library or the Pahrump Arts Council office.

Winters is seeking a replacement for herself and her endeavors as a director. She said, "I've been involved in acting and stage productions for 47 years." She would like to get involved in other things and needs help. Anyone interested may contact her at 537-6555.

Jeff Stacy is the publicity contact for the performance and is looking for advertisers to help produce the souvenir program given away at all performances. Anyone interested may call him at 910-1924.