Review: SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN: HOMECOMING at Red Curtain Theatre

For those of you who were raised in a small country church like me, The Red Curtain Theatre, 913 W Oak Street, in Conway, will bring back sentimental memories of yesteryear in this toe-tapping, sing-a-long gospel show SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN: HOMECOMING, which is being performed in their newly built Black Box Theatre for one more weekend Friday, May 12, through Sunday, May 14. This show, written by Connie Ray, conceived by Alan Bailey, and musical arrangements by Mike Craver, will have you laughing, tearing up a bit, and participating like you are in Sunday School Class. Bless your heart, you don't want to miss it!

Unfortunately, I have not seen the first SMOKE ON THE MOUNTIAN which introduces the Sanders family. Thankfully, that is not necessary to enjoy SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN: HOMECOMING. For the latter, it is 1945 and Burl Sanders (Scot Polk) and his wife Vera (Kayla White) have gathered the rest of the family to Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, where son-in-law Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe (Daniel Cathers) will be preaching his last sermon, and then move his very pregnant wife June Sanders Oglethorpe (Alisa Kindsfater) across Texas.

Dennis Sanders (Johnny Passmore)-the boy twin-has come home from the war and will be taking the place of Pastor Mervin. His sister Denise Sanders (Logan Wrightman) has twins of her own and has issues with getting them to calm down and sing with the family. Stanley Sanders (Kent Britton) is the wayward Sanders and brother to Burl, and rounding out the family band is Cousin Jethro Thistlethorne (Robert Norvell), who keeps quiet and plays his fiddle.

This is a talented group of entertainers! Directed by Cindy Nations and Music Direction by Kayla White, this team does incredible ensemble work, and several of them switch up and play different instruments throughout the performance. Laced with gospel tunes like Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Standing on the Promises, and Do Lord, all done in the style of bluegrass, their witnessing and drama will delight you throughout the show.

Polk's Burl is charismatic as the leader of the clan. He performs like he has led the family for many years.

White's Vera takes her role as the matriarch seriously, and I loved her children's lesson with the airplane. Watching her trying to get the plane to fly was really funny. It was endearing to see the joy coming from Cathers' Oglethorpe as he told of his excitement of moving to Texas. When he grabbed the stand and used it as his pony, I had tears from laughter. Bringing out my motherly feelings, I could relate to Wrightman's Denise dealing with her children, who never made an appearance....bless her! Passmore's Dennis took me by surprise when he really brought the fire to his sermon. Also, his banjo skills were impressive.

After ACT II's plot twist, Britton's Stanley gave a moving testimony that pulled at the heartstrings. On a side note, Britton's musical talents are enviable. He is a real asset to the Red Curtain family. And, it wouldn't be a bluegrass show without the amazing skills of their fiddle player Robert Norvell. He was quiet but brought a lot of musical support to make the show believable.

The scene stealer of the musical, though, is Kindsfater's June. She looked miserably pregnant and annoyed that she had to go along with her siblings' shenanigans. Her deadpan look during the whole thing was hysterical, but her sign language routine really put the show over the top. When June says ""I believe God means for me to sign for the deaf, and someday someone out there is going to understand me," she wasn't joking. Most of it was completely made up, but the real parts made the performance that much better. It is hard to keep your eyes off of her.

Broadway World understands that it takes a small army to produce a show. Technical staff includes: Director-Cindy Nations; Music Director-Kayla White; Stage Manager-Mary Spears Polk; Costumes-Wendy Shirar; Scenic Designers-Johnny Passmore and Cindy Nations; Scenic Construction-Johnny Passmore, Cindy Nations, Mary Spears Polk, Scot Polk, Tyler Alexander, and Liz Parker; Charge Artist-Liz Parker; Lighting Designer-Johnny Passmore; Light Board Operator-Mary Spears Polk; and Producer-Kristen Dickerson.

Broadway World would like to give a big THANK YOU to Daniel Cathers for the use of these wonderful pictures. Daniel Cathers is an experienced creative producer who specializes in video production and motion graphics. Check out his website at https://www.danielcathers.com for samples of his collaborations with various organizations.

For tickets to SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN: HOMECOMING or information about upcoming shows, visit Red Curtain's website at https://www.redcurtaintheatre.com.