INSIGHT Magazine November 2015 | Page 20

Thanksgiving ENTERTAINMENT November brings us a few interesting shows as we build up to a very crowded December, with shows at the Oxford Performing Arts Center bringing music legends and bluegrass revivals to their stage, while CAST recruits actors from the wild for their next show. Check it out: SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN COMES TO OXFORD PERFORMING ARTS CENTER There aren’t many stage shows that take on gospel music and bluegrass, but “Smoke On the Mountain” combines both into a musical comedy that shines light on Southern life. The story is set in 1930s North Carolina, in a church near the Smoky Mountains. The Sanders family, a traveling band of bluegrass musicians, have just come out of a five-year hiatus to perform at the local Baptist church. Each member of the family testifies and bears witness between songs, revealing their quirks and imperfections in spite of attempts to appear saintly. The audience itself is part of the play, acting as the congregation, which adds a nice breaking of the fourth wall to keep things interesting. Along the way, the troupe performs gospel and bluegrass staples like “I’ll Fly Away” and “Rock of Ages” while dusting off less common tunes like “Filling Station” and “Meet Mother in the Skies.” “Smoke on the Mountain” runs Nov. 12-15 at 7 PM, with tickets for $10 and $20 available from www.oxfordpac.org. https://youtu.be/6u0WFdwuuP0 Purchase tickets here: http:// www.oxfordpac.org/smoke-onthe-mountain.html MAVIS STAPLES AND JOAN OSBORNE SOLID SOUL TOUR You might remember Joan Osborne from her 1995 hit single, 20 November 2015 INSIGHT