- James, what drew you to the performing arts?

- My first piano and voice teacher, (James and performers chattering) Sister Frances Dolan.

Don't be afraid to sing out.

Sister Frances took me under her wing and taught me to hear music, to hear pitch, to match pitch, singing, and to play the piano.

♪ And this old grill ♪ ♪ Has come alive ♪ - What a gift she gave you to see that spark in you.

- The greatest gift.

(soft ethereal music) (soft ethereal music continues) - [Sandy] We all remember that person who taught us something invaluable.

- I could not carry a tune.

I was literally tone-deaf.

♪ Da, da, da, dum ♪ - For composer, actor, and director James Valcq, that something turned into everything.

That moment of love and support from a trusted teacher led him to a distinguished career in the performing arts.

And what have you learned by being in the performing arts?

- That we're all connected, that people need to hear stories.

I think stories can help us navigate our way through life.

- In the late '90s, James read a review for a movie called "The Spitfire Grill" in "The New Yorker" magazine.

What is it about it that you thought, "This needs to be on stage"?

- Those themes resonated as things that Fred Alley and I had talked about writing.

- [Sandy] The late Fred Alley was James's writing partner and good friend.

Together, they adapted the film to the stage.

Since then, "The Spitfire Grill" has been produced over 900 times worldwide.

- This is from the Korean production, which was a really beautiful production.

Well, then the only thing we need to do is come into a beautiful bright world.

- [Sandy] James is now directing the 25th anniversary production of "The Spitfire Grill" at the Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee's Third Ward.

On this episode of "The Arts Page," the director, writer, composer, James Valcq.

(gentle ethereal music) (gentle upbeat music) Directing the 25th anniversary production of "The Spitfire Grill" at Skylight Music Theatre is a homecoming for James.

As a child, Skylight Music Theatre is where he made his professional acting debut.

- [James] I literally grew up on the stage of the old Skylight on Jefferson Street.

- What are some of the productions you were in?

- "Wozzeck," the Alban Berg opera, and I remember the ad copy in the journal said, "Sadism, adultery, man's inhumanity to man."

And this was (laughs) my professional debut.

- As a seven-year-old.

- Yes, as a seven-year-old.

- James returns to where his professional career started in a much different role and in a much different show.

Back in the late '90s, when James and Fred Alley were writing their version of "The Spitfire Grill," they never thought it would be as successful as it has been.

They were simply expressing themselves creatively.

♪ From the sound of your place ♪ ♪ Why would you ever want to leave ♪ - It was definitely a creative outpouring on our part.

Let's look at Fred.

He was such a soulful man, but, boy, could we laugh, and you really see that in that photo.

But as we were writing, sometimes Fred would get this twinkle in his eye and say, "James, this is our great work."

I didn't know it was to be our last.

(somber piano music) Fred died on May 1st, 2001, and the last time I saw him, we were waving to each other as I watched the cab disappear over a rise in the road.

Now there's a lyric Fred wrote in the show about a beloved hero and the characters remembering the last time she saw him, and she sings, "Everyone in town walking up that hill, waiting for the bus, waving him goodbye, part of all of us."

So much of who Fred was as a person is written into "The Spitfire Grill."

(somber piano music continues) - How does it feel to be directing something that you have written and are so close to?

- I've directed the show twice before.

This is my third go round.

I do it on festive occasions, literally.

I did a 10th anniversary production and a 15th anniversary.

I had planned on doing a 20th anniversary production, but COVID prevented that.

So I talked to Michael Unger about the possibility of doing a 25th anniversary production and possibly at the Skylight, and he was very much on board with it.

- [Michael] Thanks for coming, Sandy.

- It is absolutely my pleasure.

Michael Unger is the artistic director of Skylight Music Theatre.

In his role as artistic director, he seeks out shows that inspire people to look at the world differently while being relatable and entertaining.

- [Michael] Great theater, characters have a journey, and every character in this play has a fantastic journey.

♪ I want part of me ♪ ♪ To come alive again ♪ - Everyone finds their own community in the story, which is the gift of something being universal, not easy to achieve, but with good writing you can do that.

And you see yourself.

You see your mother.

You see your daughter.

You see, you know, different relationships in your lives embodying the characters, and you relate to it in a way that pulls you in emotionally.

And if we can do shows that pull you in emotionally, we've done our job.

- Come back to me with the best of the batch, and then maybe, just maybe, I'll put up with your smart-ass remarks.

- And how do you feel like this production has grown and is different?

- James has a very different take on this production, actually.

This is more minimal.

The scenery, you'll see nothing is exactly what it is until we say what it is.

There's abstract, sort of woodsy-looking stuff, and it can be a bench, it can be a log.

It can be a promontory.

It can be a table.

- And we can come back to this exact same look for the curtain call.

- He's pared it down quite a bit, so what we get to is the essence of the material, the words, the music, the characters, and wonderful performances.

So this is a sparing production which really exposes the beauty of the material.

- [Sandy] The 25th anniversary of "The Spitfire Grill."

- Yes.

- What does it mean for Skylight Music Theatre to be hosting this production?

- Well, it's quite an honor.

- We did it.

- So when he came to me, he called me and said, "Would you like to do the 25th anniversary production?"

I was like, "Absolutely, no question," 'cause it could go a lot of places.

And I think he really feels at home here, and we are proud to be Milwaukee's home for music theater, and a lot of our artists on both sides of the proscenium feel that this is their artistic home.

So that loyalty is really important to us, and we strive to make it a place that is welcoming for those artists to come back.

♪ Olly olly oxen free ♪ ♪ Strike it while the iron's ♪ - Just as Michael and Skylight Music Theatre are honored to be hosting the 25th anniversary production of "The Spitfire Grill," James is equally as honored to be having this milestone at a place he considers his home.

What's it like to be back at Skylight Music Theatre?

- I haven't worked there in about 10 years, and to come back and remember those early days and just see the detail and dedication and dedicated people to each aspect of the production is really kind of wonderful.

(performers singing) ♪ I'm just a fool who couldn't see the forest from the trees ♪ - Truly part of the fabric of the Wisconsin theater arts community.

- Absolutely, and invaluable and irreplaceable.

I don't know of another place that does the range of work that the Skylight does.

♪ The colors of paradise ♪ - [James] It's had an enormous impact on me, and I can't be the only one.

(audience applauds and cheers) - [Sandy] Thanks for watching "The Arts Page."

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