Church Basement Ladies

>> NOTE: Bill Christopher is not available for all shows. <<

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Who are the "Church Basement Ladies" and what's the show about?

A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, Church Basement Ladies is a new musical comedy featuring four distinct characters and their relationships as they organize the food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church about to undergo changes in 1964. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, we see them handle a record breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter Fund Raiser, and, of course, a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the Pastor on due course while thoroughly enjoying, (and tolerating) each other as the true "steel magnolias" of the church. Funny and down to earth, audiences will recognize these ladies as they witness the church year unfold from below the house of God. This is most certainly true!

Church Basement Ladies uses the renowned Scandinavian Lutheran humor writings of "The Lutheran Ladies," Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of a host of humorous books the most famous being Growing Up Lutheran. The script is by Jessica Zuehlke and Jim Stowell with music and lyrics by composer Drew Jansen, who gave us the music for the popular long-running hit musical, How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical.

"Church Basement Ladies" is a Box Office Hit... The Success Story:

Plymouth Playhouse, Minneapolis
Played for 3 years with gross sales over $7,300,000. 56% of sales were to bus groups!

New Theatre in Kansas City
Played for 11 weeks in 700 seat theatre with a gross of $2,200,000

Overture Center for the Performing Arts in Madison, WI
Played 3 weeks in 1,100 seat theatre with a gross of $495,000
Opened with $138,000 in group sales

Hoyt Sherman Theatre in Des Moines
Played one week with a gross of $225,000