Sanders Family Christmas - Provision, Winter 2010

Chicago Critic

The revisit to the Sander’s family rings hollow

The Sander’s Family Christmas finds the same white evangelicals in 1941 at Christmas time celebrating Jesus birth and the US entry into World War II. This hooky hillbilly show is a hollow remounting of Smoke On the Mountain mounted by Provision Theatre in May of 2008. That show worked on the intimate stage at the Viaduct Theatre as a novelty bluegrass musical.



The Christmas Sander’s show simply doesn’t work as the larger stage and all the ‘testifying’ (preaching and religious storytelling) slowed the show to a crawl. The dated references to the war and the down-home rural traits wore thin over 2 hours. The music also played poorly as many of the songs were difficult to hear as guitars and the piano drowned out some solos. But my biggest difficulty with this show were all the boring testifying. I thought I was going to see a Christmas show, not visit a Evangelical church service. I was also offended by the religious justification for war that came from the preachers in words and song.



I though Kevin O’Brien played the Reverend Mervin Oglethrope as a manic, obnoxious jerk who tried to upstage everyone to the point of being an irritant. With the sound problems and the bland bluegrass tunes (where was a banjo?), Sander’s Family Christmas is a too long and too religious a show that is more of a church service than a play or music concert. This sequel is a carbon copy of the original sans the fine musicianship. This formula bombs as a Christmas show. I wonder who the audience is for this turkey? It plays like a hillbilly church service that is not exactly fare for sophisticated Chicago audiences. A strange choice for a Provision Theatre Company that usually mounts outstanding shows.

Not Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: November 27, 2010

For full show information, check out Sander’s Family Christmas page at Theatre In Chicago.

Sanders Family Christmas - Provision, Winter 2010

Around the Town Chicago

“Sanders Family Christmas”
Alan Bresloff

somewhat recommended Provision Theater Company is devoted to producing works of hope,reconciliation and redemption;works that challenge us to explore a life of meaning and purpose. That is a portion of their “mission statement” and for the most part, they have truly lived up to this statement. This Holiday Season, they are presenting the sequel to “Smoke On The Mountain” , “Sanders Family Christmas”, a sort of hokey little musical story filled with Christmas songs and spirit. It is Christmas Eve, 1941 in the town of Mount Pleasant NC, home of the Mount Pleasant Pickle Factory. Reverend Oglethorpe ( Kevin O’Brien) has asked the Sanders Family, a local family that records Gospel music, to attend this service and help in getting the locals into the holiday spirit with their music. Many of the young men in town are about to ship out to help with the war efforts of World war II, including the Sanders’ son,Dennis.

There are 13 songs, mostly Carols, in this two hour show, and for the most part, they are not ones that are familiar to most of those in attendance ( at least not at the opening night performance). While there are some well known and talented performers in this cast, this is not a show that will be enjoyed by most theater-goers. It is a blue grass show and if you are into Gospel music and down home humor, you will feel at home, but if you are not one who enjoys religious shows and unfamiliar “church-type” music, this one will probably allow you to take a little nap.

Director Tim Gregory uses the stage at Provision to its best advantage and the set by Inseung Park certainly looks like a small rural church might, but the show itself isn’t strong enough for the talented cast members to make an impact. Susan Moniz as Vera sanders is quite motherly and has the southern drawl down pat, but the songs she does do not allow her to use her full vocal range which many of you have witnessed at other area theaters- it is much to good for this music. Richard Marlatt takes on the role of the Patriarch of the Sanders family, Burl. I was surprised to see him carry a bible at all times, it almost appeared that he had added the script to the good book, as he peeked down on several ocassons ( did he come into the show late? did he not learn his lines? Or was that a direction from Gregory?).

I was impressed with Amber Burgess as June, the eldest Sanders daughter, who unlike the others was not a singer, but plays a mean fiddle and does a great job with the bells. She signs the songs with her family, but along the way realizes that no one in their town is deaf! Burgess is adorable in her role and younger sister Denise , twin to Dennis , is well played by the adorable Christine Barnes. Uncle Stanley ( Ron Turner) is doing his own songs and has recently returned from Hollywood where he made a movie with Gene Autry ( for those of you who do not recognize this name, he was a big cowboy star back in the day and also made the original “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”.

While this show did very little for me, many of the audience members were laughing and clapping along with the characters, so my guess is that if you like “blue-grass” and you are into Gospel sound and services, you will enjoy the show. You can catch it through December 23rd ( I guess the Sanders family heads back to North Carolina for Christmas) with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. The tickets range from $25-$28 and can be purchased by calling 1-866-811-4111 or online at www.provisiontheater.org

The theater is located at 1001 West Roosevelt Rd, ( on the campus of The University of Illinois-Chicago) with plenty of free parking.

They are also running a second holiday show, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” on Wednesdays at 10 am,Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. tickets for this one are $15 for adults and 410 for children under 12. Runs 12/1-12/22. For more info check out www.provisiontheater.org

"Sanders Family Chirstmas" - Chicago Reader, Winter 2010

Sanders Family Christmas
When: Through 12/23: Fri-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM,
Price: $25-$28


This holiday sequel to Smoke on the Mountain revels in old-fashioned, downhome sentiment. Performing on the first Christmas Eve after Pearl Harbor, the title family regale the congregation of a North Carolina Baptist church (us) with affecting confessionals, heartfelt sermonettes, seasonal anecdotes, and a well-chosen slew of country carols, sing-along favorites, and lesser-known Yuletide gems--all to the accompaniment of fiddles, a piano, a double bass, and clapping hands. Tim Gregory's eight-person cast--featuring the always irresistible Susan Moniz--never condescend. The charm is never forced and the nostalgia never cloys. Above all, the show's vision of simple folks stepping up to fight Hitler and cherish Christmas suggests the promise of decency, not just a fond remembrance. --Lawrence Bommer

"Smoke on the Mountain" - Cornwell's Dinner Theatre, Fall 2010

Cornwell's dinner Theatre has staged "Smoke on the Mountain" nine years ago. The show marked the first of it's 14th season and the first for new producer Dennis McKeen and his TopHat Productions. Now in its 23rd season, Cornwell's and TopHat are reviving the much-loved gospel musical with Paul Kerr who directed the show in 2001. This time Kerr takes a role in the cast as McKeen fills the artistic-diredctor's shoes.

Just like nine years ago, the show kills. Its distinctive brand of zany humaor keeps the audience in stitches while over 20 gospel number rock the house with live music.

The show's humor starts from lights up with a hilarious situation faced by the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, N.C. Pastor Mervin Ogglethorp's (Travis Smith ) job is to kick off the first ever Saturday Night Sing with a performance by the Sanders Family Singers; except that the congregation has already been seated and still the Sanders Family has not arrived. Within seconds the audience flies into hysterics, laughing at Mervin's distress.

Soon enough, the Sanders Family makes its grand entrance with tales of a bus turning over on the road amid many shenanigans. From those opening moments of hilarity, the audience knows it is in for a real treat.

The show rotates through the Sanders family, with each taking a turn sharing a monologue revealing personal character as well as the character of the times: Depression-era, the South during 1938 and a traditional gospel revival. The Sanders family includes family partiarch Burl (Paul Kerr), his wife Vera (Amber Burgess) and their three children Stanley (David Goins) and the "twins" Denise (Molly Laurel) and Dennis (Tim Leonard). Burl's sister une (Brooke Beesley) rounds out the singing family group.

The Sanders sing many familiar and unfamiliar gospel tunes, such as "No Tears in Heaven", "Jesus I Mine", "Christian Cowboy", "Brining in the Sheaves", and "Smoke on the Mountain".

Some of the songs are exhilarating such as "I'll Fly Away" and "When the Roll is called up Yonder". But it is "I'll Live a Million Years" along with its dancing performed by Denise and June that sends Pastor Mervin into a tizzy and drives the Sanders family from the stage to close the First Act with cries of "No dancing! No dancing!"

Act Two starts off with a biblical debate of scripture quoting betwen the pastor and Vera in which the Sanders matriarch wins, proving that the bible is not opposed to dancing.

In the second act, the Sanders family continues to share experiences that have teste their faith or anecdotes that can be turned to a biblical homily or object lesson, Amber Burgess has one of the best moments with these soliloquies with a gut-busing laugh riot of a story about a June bug featureing comic business with an actutual insect (or well pantomimed facsimille).

Some of the stories are serious as well, such as David Goins telling a riveting tale about bridge building and bar hopping in answer to the sobreity sermons of the pastor. In the first act, Tim Leonard also shows off his preachy talents with a display of Bible-thumping and witnessing that is as powerful as it is funny. Likewise, the monologues by the rest of the cast are solid, if not as standout as those of the other three. Brooke beesley, Paul Kerr, and Molly Laurel all contributte with strong acting and great humor, especially Laurel whose attempts at sign language are constant source of hilarity throughout the show.

In nine years and dozens of shows, McKeen has grown into a masterful director/producer with a good eye for creating strong ensemble casts and assembling high produc tion values in the Cornwell's venue.

"Ring of Fire" - Battle Creek Enquirer, Summer 2010, Cornwell's Dinner Theatre,Michigan

Cast succeeds in combined Cash tribute

Battle Creek Enquirer - Battle Creek, Mich.
Author: Christopher Tower
Date: Aug 15, 2010


When music legend Johnny Cash died in 2003, his loving fans thought they would never see him again. Though "Ring of Fire" does not feature Johnny Cash himself -- or even an impersonator -- his spirit can be seen in every note of this theatrical concert at Cornwell's Turkeyville dinner theater.

Staged by Top Hat Productions, a cast of nine musicians and performers bring to life the music of John R. Cash with great skill, energy and emotional intensity. Though the show skimps on biographical details of Cash's life, the music provides all that is lacking in terms of story.

The show, running through Sept. 4, opens with a musical number that makes clear there will be no one imitating Johnny Cash. Instead, all of the performers are Johnny Cash. This intelligent arrangement allows director Dennis W. McKeen to arrange performers in duets, trios and other sets that best serve each song.

Ben Jackson returns to Cornwell's after a two-year hiatus with deep bass renditions of songs such as "Big River," "Folsum Prison Blues" and "Ragged Old Flag" -- sure to give pleasant shivers up and down the spine. Amber Burgess, who is spending the year at Cornwell's, demonstrates strong vocal talents and shows off her celerity with the fiddle throughout the show.

The main band backing these performers includes Athens native Scott Pauley on drums, longtime Cornwell's musical director Denise Minter on keyboards and newcomer Kenneth McKeen on guitar and stand up bass.

Molly Laurel and David Goins both make their Cornwell's debuts in this show, teaming up on the beautiful "If I Were A Carpenter." Goins' rousing "A Boy Named Sue" is one of the highlights of the second act, but he also delivers stunning versions of "Man in Black," "Why Me, Lord" and "Daddy Sang Bass."

Madeline Fallier returns from her stint in "Church Basement Ladies 2" as a bass and guitar player along with some simply heart-wrenching, exquisite solos, including "I Still Miss Someone," and "Cry, Cry, Cry." Timothy Leonard rounds out the cast with guitar and mandolin playing, as well as some hilarious antics during "Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart." Leonard also shares a fun duet with Laurel early in Act One on "While I've got it in My Mind" and rocks out a version of "Cocaine Blues" in Act Two.

"Ring of Fire" is transformative. If you love Johnny Cash's music, you will leave loving it more (if that's possible), and if you have never loved the music, this show will win over your heart as it has the hearts of these performers. Don't miss your chance to relive the music of the great John R. Cash with this winning musical production.

Church Basement Ladies II - Cornwell's Dinner Theatre playing Vivian - Spring/ Summer 2010

'Church Basement Ladies' cooks up fun
Christopher Tower • For the Enquirer • April 23, 2010


Have you ever wanted to know what goes on in the church basement kitchen? If you didn't learn the secrets of quality Scandinavian food preparation a la northern Minnesota in the first show, "Church Basement Ladies" returns with "The Second Helping" of town gossip, fear of the "cities," and life lessons seen through the window over the basement kitchen counter.


Though the first church basement musical packed the halls of Cornwell's so full in 2008 that the dinner theater ran it again in 2009, this version trumps both with a cast of solid professionals who polish this rough-cut stone into a glittering gem. And if that's not enough to lure people from the blooming spring weather, Cornwell's has installed a new sound system with ample microphones for performers and digital enhancements that separate vocals to provide every seat in the dining hall with perfect acoustics.


Two performers from "Dixie Swim Club" (Amber Burgess and Emily Bodkin) stay on to be church ladies with newcomers (Lyndsey Agron and Madeline Fallier), and they comprise one of the most solid, four-person ensembles ever to grace a Cornwell's stage. Marshall local Alan Elliott rounds out the cast, reprising his role of the Pastor Gunderson.


The show charts out three generations of women who volunteer in the church kitchen. Vivian Snudstad (Burgess) has retired as head of the kitchen. Mavis Gilmerson (Bodkin) is the quintessential farmer's wife with grown children, though not as much seniority as Mrs. Snudstad. Karin Engleson (Agron) fills the second generation of church ladies with a newlywed daughter, a new role as head of the kitchen, and many years ahead of her. Beverly Engelson (Fallier) plays the third generation, a young newlywed and newly pregnant kitchen worker who chooses the small-town Lutheran church over a more fast-paced life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The women's lives unfurl like a multi-faceted quilt (which is also a prop in the show) through four scenes, two acts, and a dozen musical numbers. Together, in their sanctuary of activity and fellowship, they cope with triumphs and tragedies that life serves them with humor and love. Some of the funniest lines include: "We're Scandinavian; we don't have feelings"; "Happy? We're Lutheran. Happiness has nothing to do with it"; and as a direction of what to do with bad leftovers: "Scrape it into the slop bucket and I'll take it home and give it to the pigs. Keeps 'em regular."
Even the pastor gets into the act, sharing news of the Viking Super Bowl of 1970 instead of the church meeting and learning to play the guitar as the church catches up with the "flower children" of the times. Alan Elliott plays a wonderful straight man to the zaniness of the four ladies.


And the ladies are the delightful main dish. Amber Burgess shows off once again why Top Hat Productions has locked her in to many of this season's shows. She remains consistently in character as Mrs. Snudstad, keeping all movements age-appropriate even when dancing. But at the same time, her low-key performance of the dour widow is brilliantly funny. Emily Bodkin shows the greatest range in the show, playing a character complete unlike the one from "The Dixie Swim Club." Bodkin also really belts out one of the show's earliest and best numbers: "God's Way of Saying."

Dixie Swim Club - Tophat Productions, Cornwell's Dinner Theatre. Winter, 2010. Playing Sheree Hollinger

BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRER

'Dixie Swim Club' one of the best shows the theatre's ever done
Christopher Tower • For the Enquirer • February 27, 2010


You know you're in for a treat when the server at the dinner theater knows what's best on the menu.

"It's one of the best shows they've ever done," exclaimed Celeste Briegel of Battle Creek, a server at Cornwell's Professional Dinner Theatre in Marshall Township speaking of the new show that kicks off Turkeyville's 2010 season.

With a knowing half smile and a nod of the head, Celeste delivered her sincere preview of "The Dixie Swim Club" as she seated us for a Wednesday matinee in February. Seeing Celeste at many theatrical productions around the area, I knew her assessment was the well-considered reaction of a veteran theater patron.
"The Dixie Swim Club" lived up to Celeste's praise. It is one of the best shows ever to grace the stage of the turkey-themed dinner theater.

This delightful comedy drama by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten has been described as "Steel Magnolias" meets "Same Time Next Year." But it resonates with notes of "Golden Girls" and even "On Golden Pond."
And yet such comparisons sell the show short. "The Dixie Swim Club" manages to grow into a unique experience that stands on its own.

The show spans 33 years in the lives of five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team. Each year they gather together as they did in their competing days around the rallying cry of "the faster we swim, the sooner we win." With rules to leave spouses, kids and work at home, they meet at the same beach cottage on North Carolina's Outer Banks to drink, swim and enjoy their longtime friendships.

As all true ensemble shows, each character fits a different personality type. Sheree (Amber Burgess), the steadfast team captain, organizes the activities of each weekend. Dinah (Emily Bodkin), the career dynamo, drinks too much and cannot seem to find a man. The vain, sexpot Lexie (Brooke Beesley) believes the world revolves around her and her problems, until she has a problem too awful to share with the others. The epitome of bad luck, Vernadette (Kristin Danko), shows up each year with improbable injuries and even more outlandish events in her personal life, but she brings an acerbic wit and enthusiasm to each swim club gathering. And lastly, Jeri Neale (Laura Lynne Tapper), who had entered convent life, has a series of life-changing experiences that provide interest and opportunities for humor among the team.

The dialogue runs from hilarious to heart-wrenching as the lives of the women unfold and the years pass. These five actresses bond as the first of four scenes commences. It's clear that director Dennis McKeen has assembled a uniquely tight knit ensemble with the power to move emotions intensely. These women are five of the finest performers to ever grace the stage at Cornwell's.

Each performer creates a memorable character with crisp performances. At first, Laura Lynne Tapper's Jeri Neale seems the weakest of the lot, but then she precipitates the cause of what moved me to tears in the second scene. Though Lexie could easily be a caricature reminding some of Samantha from "Sex and the City," Brooke Beesley manages subtle changes and a richness of character. Though Danko and Bodkin deliver much of the comedy and the show's best lines, each shows a more serious side in scenes that are as funny as they are touching because of the talents of these fine actresses. And lastly, Amber Burgess proves why she is going to be featured in so many shows this season at Cornwell's. A consummate professional, Burgess also uses her considerable acting talent to create a character that rises above her stereotype in complexity and nuance.

"The Dixie Swim Club" deserves to play to packed houses every time the lights come up. If you make the time to see this show, you will be spreading the word about it just like Celeste Briegel and everyone who has filled the seats at the dinner theater.