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REVIEW: Playhouse 'Smoke' still has charm
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Even though the "Smoke on the Mountain" series of plays is as corny and formulaic as they come, even the most hardened critic can't help but be charmed by the Sanders family and the down-home music they make.
As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park has been reviving some of its most popular shows, and it comes as no surprise that something from that series is a part of it, with "Sanders Family Christmas," the second of the trilogy, becoming part of the area's holiday offerings.
In this installment, the romance between June, the sister who signs instead of sings, and the Rev. Oglethorpe heats up on a cold Christmas Eve. The family is late again, having to push their bus up the hill through the snow, and one of the twins, Dennis the Boy, has enlisted in the Marines in order to serve God and Country in what will soon be known as the Second World War.
Stanley, the wayward brother, has found his way home again after a stint in Hollywood, where he sang a song in a Gene Autry movie, and Denise the girl has made up her mind to join the USO.
The comedy, however, is secondary to the down-home music, a combination of period tunes ("Christmas Time's A-Comin'"), traditional carols ("Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" and "I Wonder as I Wander") and songs written for the show ("Merry Christmas Down Home").
And if after seeing this and you decide you just can't get enough of the Sanders family, you can take in the third of the trilogy when Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre trots out "More Smoke on the Mountain" Dec. 3-6.
- “Sander Family Christmas: More Smoke On the Mountain” by Connie Ray, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov.7-Dec.31, Thompson Shelterhouse Theatre, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Cincinnati. $45-61. (513) 421-3888
For a complete theater calendar, visit cinstages.com
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