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By LIZZIE BOWEN| Staff Writer

PELHAM – South City Theatre’s next production, “Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming” will open on Friday, July 14.

This production will be touring to area churches. On Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15. The production will be shown at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit at 7:30 p.m. located at 858 Kent Dairy Road, Alabaster.

“South City Theatre, Pelham’s award-winning community theatre, is staging the sequel to one of Branson, Missouri’s best loved shows when we tour ‘Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming’ to area churches this July,” Director and South City Theatre Board Member Sue Ellen Gerrells said. “Here’s how Branson describes the show.  ‘Smoke on the Mountain is a … breath of fresh mountain air. It’s a drama, comedy and gloriously good gospel music production, gift-wrapped and given to delighted audiences by a smart, but slightly off-kilter clan of church choir members—the Sanders Family Singers. Imagine the setting… a devoted congregation, an era just after World War II, a small town in North Carolina, and the Saturday night sing at the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church is the biggest thing happening in town every week. Come on in for a sing-along with this talented collection of actors, singers, and musicians that make up the Sanders clan; they’ll entice you with more than 25 classic gospel tunes, a tad bit of downright contagious laughter, and a few touching moments that just might shake a tear or two from the driest of eyes. They’re a slightly imperfect bunch, but they’re happy and lovable and generously talented.’”

The second string of shows will be on Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 23 at 2 p.m. The show will be at Restore Campus First United Methodist of Alabaster. The address is 128 Market Center Drive, Alabaster.

“Our goal in presenting this nostalgic show is to take audiences back to a simpler time, entertain them for a couple of hours, and have them leave the show smiling and humming the melodies,” Gerrells said. “My personal favorite part of the show is the creative ways one of the characters “signs” some of the songs. She’s full of enthusiasm but not versed in sign language so she’s made up her own version, usually choosing colorful gestures to express the words.”

The final dates of the show are Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at First Christian Church of Birmingham at 7:30 p.m. The address is located at 4954 Valleydale Road, Birmingham.