Smoke on the Mountain

Opening the 2015/2016 season at Pacific Theatre is Smoke on the Mountain, a musical revue of sorts that will transport you back to a Baptist church revival set in the 1940s. Complete with live instruments, the show incorporates sermons and stories of each of the characters between songs as you are immersed into participating in a lively gospel church service.

Stealing the show for me was Kaitlin Williams as June Sanders, whose comedic timing is spot on as the one member of the musical family to not be seen as musical; rather, she signs the songs for the hearing impaired while the rest of the troupe entertains, though her struggles at signing is what's really entertaining. Not to mention the slapstick style of instrument playing she takes on, from a spoon on a washboard to creating the sounds of hell or the trotting of a horse.

Another highlight was Kim Larson's character Denise Sanders, whose story line of being torn between religion and her desire to see more of the world was probably the most interesting part of the show. Not everything is black and white anymore, as we watch this congregation deal with the changing world around them, beginning with the arrival of electricity.

For a high-spirited evening of music and theatre, Smoke on the Mountain is a great escape from the doldrums of rainy Vancouver nights. The show is on now at Pacific Theatre until November 1st.