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Rural Route Bookstore

Scandinavian-American and Rural Humor Books

Books about Farm Life, Small Town Life, the Midwest, and Scandinavian-Americans

       Featuring the Heartwarming Humor of "Those Lutheran Ladies"     Tell a Friend

Church Basement Ladies is a musical comedy based on Martin and Nelson's writings. Church Basement Ladies

It is a humorous reflection about growing up in an era before women wore pants to church and before men served in the church basement.  Church Basement Ladies gives you heartfelt, hilarious insights into the lives of those who prepared and served at weddings, anniversaries, funerals and farm auctions.

Written by Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuehlke
Music and Lyrics by Drew Jansen
Directed by Curt Wollan
Church Basement Ladies is produced by Troupe America.

Church Basement Ladies opened on September 8, 2005 at the famous Plymouth Playhouse and closed on March 2, 2008.  The sequel, Church Basement Ladies 2, A Second Helping, opened on March 8, 2008.  For information on dates and tickets for the Playhouse, go to Plymouth Playhouse.

Church Basement Ladies CDChurch Basement Ladies      CD of the Music
Original Cast Recording


Drew Jansen, lyricist and composer, wrote all the music for this new musical comedy based on Nelson and Martin's books. Recorded in August 2005, just prior to the opening of the play, vocals are by the original cast: Greta Grosch, Janet Paone, Dorian Chalmers, Ruthie Baker, and Tim Drake. Keyboards, for this CD, are performed by Drew Jansen who is also musical director of the show.

Songs on this CD include: Closer to Heaven, The Pale Food Polka, Get Down to Business, Song for Willie, My Own Personal Island, Dead Spread, The Cities, This is Most Certainly True, Sing a New Song, Mother of the Bride, and For Good.

$15.95 CD - CBL
Church Basement Ladies on Tour:  2009

January 15, 2009 through  TBD
 
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre
1380 Colonial Blvd
Ft. Meyers, Florida

Box Office: 239 278-4422
Website: http://www.broadwaypalm.com/

Church Basement Ladies opened at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, MN in February 2005. Within months, after playing in several midwestern cities, it was based at Plymouth Playhouse in Plymouth, MN, and a traveling cast also took the show on the road during the winter of 2006--2007.  Church Basement Ladies closed March 2, 2008 at Plymouth, and the sequel opened a week later.  Below are some photos and reviews of the Minnesota-based production of Church Basement Ladies.


Pouring Coffee



"Those Lutheran Ladies," Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson (holding coffee pot), and Director/Producer Curt Wollan at a very Lutheran Opening Night Party at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.





  Church Basement Ladies Cast

Church Basement Ladies


 




The play is a smash hit.  See the newspaper reviews:

From Church Basement to Main Stage  (Sept. 14, 2005)
Take two scoops of hotdish, hold the Jello and prepare for a hit  (Sept. 14, 2005)
Augsburg Alumnae receive 'Gold Pen Award' (Oct. 23, 2006)
Church 'casserole queens' receive overdue tribute (Apr. 25, 2007)
United Methodist cooks share prize-winning church recipes  (Apr. 25, 2007)

Church Basement memories  (Apr. 25, 2007)
Theatregoers know the ladies can cook, and they're welcome to seconds (Pioneer Press, Dec. 6, 2007)
Isn't That Special? (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Dec. 21, 2007)    (Word document of article)
Evora Wheeler has a winner (Emporia Gazette, March 19, 2008)   (Word document of article)

Church Basement Ladies: Sing for your lutefisk (Isthmus, Madison, WI., Aug 15, 2008)
A review from a blogger who saw the show at the Capitol Theater and loved it (Aug 14, 2008)




Church Basement Ladies 2, A Second Helping opened at the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis on March 8, 2008. This is a sequel to the wildly successful Church Basement Ladies which played at the Plymouth Playhouse for over two years.
For tickets, go to www.plymouthplayhouse.com.



Some viewer comments:                            Photo by Paul Nixdorf
  • The play was great!  Everyone said it was even better than the first one (if that is possible).
  • I loved how the play was not a sequel - you couldn't say that one was better than the other becuase they were both different and both great!
  • When Beverly came out in her navy dress (identical to my Kelly Green one from 1969) and sang, my 4-year-old grandson whispered in his dad's ear: "Daddy, she is beautiful!"
  • It was marvelous!  (This was written by a woman in Vintage clothing.  She left Minneapolis about 1:00 am, drove to W. Central MN in the snow, and emailed this at 4:56 am before she left for work in Alexandria.  SN)
  • Congratulations, Suzann, on another hit.  I know this one will run for years!
Newspaper Reviews of Church Basement Ladies 2, A Second Helping:

'Church Basement Ladies 2' still cooks   (Minneapolis Star Tribune, March  17, 2008) (Word Document of article)
Plymouth Playhouse cooks up another tasty offering (MN Sun Newspapers, Mar. 26, 2008) Word Document of article)
Church Basement Ladies still dishing out the good stuff in a second serving spiced with the same humor (Pioneer Press, March 28, 2008)  Word document of article
Play gives Plymouth theater new lease on life  (MN Sun Newspapers, April 4, 2008   (Word Document of article)

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All Caragana Press products are available at wholesale prices to qualified retailers, organizations, churches, schools, and libraries.  Call 800 494-9124 for details.