London premiere of The Spitfire Grill at the Union Theatre

The Union Theatre in south London will present the London premiere of the 2001 musical The Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley from 23 July to 15 August 2015, with an official opening on 24 July 2015.

Featuring music and book by James Valcq, lyrics and book by Fred Alley, the musical is based on the film of the same name by Lee David Zlotoff.

"The musical follows recently paroled convict Percy Talbott, who is looking for somewhere to start over, and rural Gilead, Wisconsin, seems just the place. She takes a job at the Spitfire Grill, a crumbling diner where the townsfolk congregate and gossip, run by a feisty widow named Hannah. Hannah has been trying to sell the diner to escape from the painful memories it holds, but the property has been on the market for a decade with no takers. Soon, Percy hatches a plan to hold a raffle for ownership of the Spitfire Grill—for one hundred dollars and an essay about why they might want the Grill, anyone can enter the contest. As the seasons change and rumours about her past build, the contest entries begin to roll in, and Percy starts to realize that she's not the only person in Gilead with a history."

The production is directed by Alastair Knights, with musical direction by Simon Holt and choreography by Lee Crowley. The cast includes Belinda Wollaston, Hilary Harwood, Natalie Law, Katie Brennan, Hans Rye, Chris Kiely and Andrew Borthwick.

The musical premiered Off-Broadway at the Duke Theatre on 7 September 2001, presented by Playwrights Horizons. This production will mark the UK professional premiere and the first London Production.