Currently playing as part of the Bell Witch Fall Festival in Adams, Tennessee, David Alford’s SMOKE: A Ballad of the Night Riders, a bluegrass musical transports audiences to the Black Patch Tobacco Wars of the early 1900s, when farmers in northern Middle Tennessee and western Kentucky found themselves caught between collapsing tobacco prices, powerful corporate interests and increasingly desperate attempts to regain control of their livelihoods.
And while the story may be more than a century old, SMOKE feels anything but antiquated. Set between 1904 and 1908, SMOKE follows the Hartley family, a small farming family caught squarely in the middle of the Black Patch tobacco conflict. Falling tobacco prices had devastated farmers, while powerful tobacco buyers exerted enormous influence over the market. Farmers organized the Planters’ Protective Association in an effort to collectively withhold tobacco and force higher prices. As frustration mounted, the conflict increasingly turned toward intimidation and violence, giving rise to the masked Night Riders. Alford wisely doesn’t turn this into a dry history lesson. Instead, he gives us the aforementioned Hartleys…the acronym-appropriate Heart of this story.
Owen Hartley is a farmer, husband, father and veteran whose experiences in the Philippine-American War have left their own scars. Callie is his equally determined wife, while their young son, Owen Jr., or “Nub,” represents the future they’re desperately trying to protect.
The Night Riders, by name and appearance might initially be looked at as villains, but there’s so much more to them. Their anger grew from a very real economic crisis, but their methods became increasingly brutal. SMOKE understands that both things can be true. That’s what gives the story its moral complexity—and its modern relevance.
American farmers today aren’t facing masked riders on horseback, but questions surrounding corporate consolidation, market power, government agricultural policy and the ability of independent farmers to control their own economic futures remain very much alive.
SMOKE asks what happens when the people doing the work have less and less control over the marketplace. It doesn’t offer an easy answer, but it certainly gives the audience something to think about.
At the helm for this year’s presentation is director Galen Fott, who brings a wonderfully intimate understanding to the production. Having performed in six of the show’s previous 12 productions, Fott knows this material from the inside out and his careful direction reinforces this. His direction of Alfords beautifully crafted script keeps the historical backdrop from overwhelming the human story. The focus remains on a family being squeezed from every direction until every decision carries a consequence.
At the center of the production is Bradley D. Gale as Owen Hartley, who gives the show its emotional backbone. Gale finds the complicated balance between Owen’s toughness and vulnerability, particularly as his military past collides with the violence unfolding around him. His strongest moments come in the musical numbers. “Little Man” reveals Owen as a father rather than simply a farmer or veteran, while “Smoke” becomes an affecting exploration of his psychological scars. By the time Gale reaches “Little Patch of Dirt,” the farm has become more than property—it represents family, independence and the future he wants to leave his son.
As Callie Hartley, Cassie Donegan provides the production’s other essential half. Donegan brings warmth, intelligence and plenty of steel to Callie, a woman who refuses to simply stand on the sidelines while the men make decisions about her family’s future. Her own family connection to tobacco farming lends additional authenticity to the role. Her performance of “Take a Stand” captures Callie’s determination, while “Waltz With You,” performed with Gale, gives the couple a beautifully human moment of tenderness amid the surrounding turmoil.
Payton Justice as Callie’s younger brother Ned Munroe brings youthful conviction to the increasingly complicated conflict. Justice effectively portrays a young man who believes strongly in doing what is right while discovering that righteous intentions don’t always produce righteous outcomes. Early on in Act 1, his lead on “Moses of the Black Patch” sets the pace of the fight ahead.
And then there is Gunner Swanson as Owen Jr. “Nub.” Swanson’s young character is crucial precisely because he reminds us why all of this matters. Every argument over the farm, every act of resistance and every violent escalation ultimately affects the generation that comes next. Swanson brings the necessary innocence to Nub, giving the audience a tangible reminder of what is at stake. And yes, when the young actor gets his moment in the spotlight, the audience reaction is one of pure joy.
The thread connecting the personal drama to the larger historical elements is masterfully presented by Matthew Carlton’s Storyteller. As with any show in which he appears, Carlton’s presence assures those familiar with his work that they’re in for quite the performance. His Storyteller keeps the audience grounded in the broader story without turning the production into a some sort of yawn-fest history lesson. OK, OK, I admit it. History was never my strong suit, but with this cast and this story, it’s just as much an evocative tale as it is a tale of yesteryear as well as a bit of a cautionary tale of the plight of today’s agricultural foundation in homegrown products far beyond the scope of the tobacco industry.
Making his SMOKE debut is Austin Correll as Owen’s more successful, but equally headstrong brother Emmitt. Correll’s Act 2 “I Can’t Even Whisper Your Name”, which he performs while strumming acoustic guitar, reveals Emmitt’s fractured heart and softer side. Nick Spencer, seen early on Cash, a bit of a villainous businessman, with his booming voice and towering presence also nicely fits in to a later role of anti-hero as captain of the Night Riders. Rounding out the cast are Christopher Strand as Dr. David Amoss and Dustin Davis, Elaina Norton and Madelaine Aquaviva as Balladeers. Together, the ensemble make the history personal and perfectly present the struggles, shortcomings and hopeful survival through the drama of the tobacco wars.
The Bell Witch Fall Festival’s outdoor performance space is almost a character in itself and is impossibly well suited to SMOKE. The Tennessee landscape, the increasing darkness of the October evening as the sun sets, and, most importantly, the unmistakable scent of dark-fired tobacco wafting through the air from actual nearby tobacco barns all come together to create an atmosphere no conventional theatre could manufacture.
Aiding in the authentic feel, Gary C. Hoff’s set design, a relatively simple thatched backdrop with smoked tobacco leaves hanging to dry, complements rather than competes with that environment. Another exciting visual occurs midway through the story when factual details of the Night Riders’ raids come to life courtesy a bit of period-appropriate shadow theatre created by Bryan Hull, adding visual texture and help expand the storytelling beyond the physical confines of the stage.
Then there’s the always highly anticipated appearance of actual horses and riders courtesy of Mandie Neblett and family. When the Night Riders emerge, history suddenly feels much less like history and much more like something happening right in front of you. That’s outdoor theatre at its best.
Playwright David Alford, who also wrote the music and lyrics, has created a Broadway-worthy bluegrass score with a dark side. SMOKE wouldn’t be SMOKE without its music. Alford’s bluegrass score gives the production its distinctive identity, and the songs aren’t simply breaks between scenes—they advance the story and reveal the characters.
“Night Rider Theme” establishes the menace surrounding the masked riders, while “Simple Arithmetic” brings the economics of farming into the storytelling. “Moses of the Black Patch” expands the narrative into the mythology of the region, and “The Call” pushes the characters toward the conflict they can no longer avoid.
The quieter numbers are equally important. “I Can’t Even Whisper Your Name” and “Prodigal Sin” (Y’all!!! That title!!!) deepen the emotional landscape, while “Waltz With You” provides a welcome reminder that beneath the historical conflict are people who love one another.
By the time the production reaches “Smoke/The Call Reprise” and eventually the “Night Rider Reprise,” the musical themes have acquired an entirely different weight. That’s the mark of an effective score: the songs mean something different because of everything we’ve experienced between them.
And with a live band lead by Rocky Lane and featuring Nick Bryant on mandolin, Aaron Holman on 5-string, banjo & dobro, Reagan Brown on fiddle, Joe Hott on guitar, CR Melberg and Ernie Escalera on upright bass and percussionist Christopher Speich accompanying the action from just behind the actors on stage, the music feels organically connected to the Tennessee landscape it echoes.
What makes SMOKE: A Ballad of the Night Riders work is that it refuses to let the past remain safely in the past. Farmers were struggling. Powerful interests controlled the marketplace. Communities were divided. People were angry. Some organized, some resisted and some resorted to violence. Everyone eventually had to live with the consequences.
Those particular circumstances may have changed, but the underlying questions haven’t disappeared. Who gets to determine the value of a farmer’s labor? How much power should corporations have over the people who produce what we as a society need/want to sustain and enjoy our lives? And what happens when legitimate resistance becomes destructive? SMOKE doesn’t answer those questions for us. It makes us reflect on them them.
With Fott’s assured direction, strong performances from Gale, Donegan, Justice, Carlton and company, an atmospheric setting, thoughtful design and a bluegrass score that carries genuine dramatic weight, SMOKE succeeds as both theatre and storytelling. It is history with a heartbeat. It is bluegrass with some serious bite. And beneath all that smoke is a story about ordinary people fighting to hold on to their little patch of dirt while forces much larger than themselves threaten to take it away. Some things really don’t change all that much. And that’s precisely why SMOKE still has something to say.
SMOKE: A Ballad of the Night Riders presented as the opening event of this year’s annual installment of Bell Witch Festival continues with evening performances Thursday, October 8 thru Saturday, October 10. . Each evening the grounds at the Bell School Community Complex (7517 US-41 Adams, TN 37010) open at 6pm giving attendees the time and opportunity to peruse the grounds, the gift shop and vendors, including food trucks for a delicious meal before the at Kay Bagby Theatre and Brooksher Outdoor Pavilion seating opens at 7pm for the 7:30pm showtime. Grass Lawn tickets are $22.13 to 27.38. Seating at the covered pavilion range in price from $37.89 to $27.35 (prices include fees). CLICK HERE to purchase SMOKE tickets. For a preview of the music from SMOKE, give the original 2010 cast recording a listen on Spotify or Amazon.
Following SMOKE, the Bell Witch Fall Festival continues October 17 with Red River Tales & The Bell Witch Opry Revue. The afternoon celebration begins from 3:00–6:00 p.m. and features local blacksmiths, tobacco twisters, chandlers, broom makers and more, along with clogging, storytelling and music—all free to enjoy. Food will also be available for purchase from vendors on the Bell School grounds.
Then at 6:30 p.m., The Bell Witch Opry Revue makes its festival debut. Directed and arranged by Bel Stuart, the revue transports audiences into the world of a live radio program from days gone by. Tickets are $5 for Grass Lawn seating or $15-$20 for pavilion seating. CLICK HERE to reserve your FREE tickets for the afternoon fun and to purchase tickets to Red River Tales & The Bell Witch Opry Revue. Please Note: On the ticket grid, the red area can be selected for the FREE aspects of October 17 events, to purchase tickets for the Revue, please select either green (lawn ticket option) or reserved seating under the pavilion.
The Bell Witch Fall Festival then culminates October 22–31 with the annual presentation of David Alford’s spellbinding SPIRIT: The Authentic Story of the Bell Witch, presented on the hallowed grounds where the legendary Bell Witch is said to have roamed. Festival grounds open nightly at 6pm, with seating at 7pm and the show at 7:30pm, giving visitors time to explore vendors, grab dinner and settle in for an evening of history, entertainment and a little supernatural intrigue. SPIRIT tickets range in price from $27.38 to $43.14. CLICK HERE for tickets. For more information, call 615.696.1300 or visit bellwitchfallfestival.com. To keep up with all things Bell Witch Fall Festival, check them out on Facebook and Insta.
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