Heartwarming wholesomeness and harmony abound in this Christmas offering, which represents Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's second musical featuring the Sanders family-- a tight-knit Smoky Mountain clan who love to witness and sing at the local Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Capitalizing on their previous success, Ray and Bailey bring back all the corny but pleasant humor and homespun charm of the original Sanders show (Smoke on the Mountain) and wrap it up in a sweet Yuletide setting. This time around, however, they inject more gravity by setting the show in the winter of 1941, just weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack. Tempered by the shadow of war, the play, which focuses on the Sanders' appearance at their church's Christmas celebration, is an uplifting mixture of bittersweet patriotism and old-fashioned holiday cheer.
Reprising his roles onstage and offstage, as director and leader of the Mount Pleasant flock, David Hemsley Caldwell once again brings a whimsical touch to the Sanders' saga. His playful direction lends a quaint grace to the proceedings, while his turn as the loquacious Rev. Mervin Oglethorpe adds a note of comic relief between all the musical numbers.
Following his lead the rest of the cast turn in winsome performances as the squeaky-clean Sanders brood, leading the parishioners (i.e., the audience) into a round of sermons, songs, and some unexpected side plots. William Mesnik provides a genial patriarch as Burl Sanders; Linda Kerns, as mother Vera, is a formidable songstress and storyteller, and Jason Edwards' turn as Burl's brother Stanley, the black sheep of the group, is an understated but heartfelt portrayal. Rounding out the ensemble are Johnny Hawkins, Emily Mikesell, and Tess Hartman, who play the precocious Sanders progeny. While Hawkins and Mikesell show off their impressive vocal and musical talents as twins Dennis and Denise, Hartman conjures hearty laughter as less talented elder daughter June. Born with a tin ear and a quirky sense of humor, June resorts to her one shining skill: sign language. It's a hilarious gimmick that Hartman plays to the hilt, signing crazy interpretations of the familiar gospel and Christmas songs that her fellow cast members deliver with authority.
The only drawback to this gentle sing-along is the playwrights' tendency to prolong the often-too-schmaltzy sermonizing between some of the tunes. Although the sentiments are heartening, the extended doses become a bit heavy-handed at times.
But this pitfall is overshadowed by the overall appeal of the play's inspiring attitude and the familiar musical numbers. As a feel-good Christmas show, this production is definitely a top-notch accomplishment.
"Sanders Family Christmas," presented by McCoy Rigby at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. Tues.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2:30 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 16. $35. (562) 944-9801.