For music lovers, it's a good sign when you take your seat before a play and see four guitars, two mandolins, two banjos, a piano and a bass fiddle waiting to be picked up and played.

That's the scene that greets patrons who attend showings of "Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming" at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre.

A fiddle would have been nice, but the presence of two mandolins compensated nicely.

The cast delivers two shows for the price of one, a rousing gospel concert and a play that tells the story of the singing Sanders family at the end of World War II, and how they cope with the changes and transitions the period brings.

Within the story of the play is a series of stories that allow each character to add a piece to a mosaic of family history, including moments of joy and of challenge.

Patrons who haven't seen previous installments of the "Smoke on the Mountain" series need not worry. The stories the characters tell help fill in the blanks, providing family history that makes more meaningful the events of the current story.

The stories are full of charm, humor and poignancy, but it's the music that really brings the energy and life to the production.

Among the terrific performances one that stands out, ironically, is the one by the least musical member of the cast.

June Oglethorpe, the very pregnant wife of preacher Mervin Oglethorpe, is played by Lyceum veteran Leslie Lorusso.

She's the non-musical member of a musical family, assigned to play the "leftover" instruments.

As a result, she plays more instruments than any other member of the cast, taking a turn on everything from tamborine to cheese grater -- with spoons, cymbal, bells, washboard and trumpet thrown in, too.

Lorusso provides the most laughs throughout the show with her awkward attempts to hold her own with her odd instruments while enduring the rigors of late-term pregnancy.

The show's stories and complementary music provide a wide range of experience, from expressions of faith -- and dueling Bible verse quoting -- moments of redemption, forgiveness, sadness, joy and laughter.

There is something here for everyone, especially everyone who loves old time and gospel music.

"Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming" plays at the Lyceum through Sept. 16.

Contact Eric Crump at

marshalleditor@socket.net