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Church show featuring more ‘Smoke’

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 8:42 PM Monday, June 15, 2009

Where there was “Smoke on the Mountain” last year, there is even more “Smoke on the Mountain” this year.

In 2008, Cross and Flame Productions, which puts on a religious-themed show every year, played the popular gospel musical “Smoke on the Mountain” to great success.

So it only made sense for the company to present the sequel, “Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming” this year, said Jim Butch, the director of the show. Performances are Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20, at Christ United Methodist Church.

The original show chronicled the adventures of the singing Sanders family performing in the late 1930s at a North Carolina church. This sequel picks up seven years later, after the end of World War II, when the Rev. Oglethorpe is getting a big send-off. Two ladies in the church who are traditionalists resist some of the new trends in the story.

Sequels are very often similar to the shows that spawned them, but Butch was struck by just how similar “Homecoming” is to last year’s show.

“What interests me is how it follows the same format,” Butch said, referring to the mix of monologues and witness statements through the songs. “It’s exactly the same as in the first show.”

That being the case, Butch uses exactly the same cast he had last year, with the exception of some chorus players.

“There’s lots of music. I cut a great deal of the dialogue to enhance the music because that’s what people like. There are more than 20 songs,” Butch said.

“We’re a little bit more comfortable now, more familiar with it. There’s a lot more music in this one,” said cast member Pam Cole.

“There’s more comedy this time. It’s funnier,” said cast member Scott Leonard.

There will be a dinner at the Friday show for which advance reservations are required. Call (513) 422-7364. Saturday will feature only the show.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.