Dutch Apple will Present New Installment of the Church Basement Ladies

 

The all new installment of the Church Basement Ladies series of musical comedies, A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement, will be presented at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre from September 24 – November 7, 2015. The popular series began at the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis with the first installment, Church Basement Ladies, in 2005. Its sequel, A Second Helping, The Church Basement Ladies Sequel, and the Christmas Musical, Away In The Basement, A Church Basement Ladies Christmas, have been seen in venues coast to coast to cheering, sold-out crowds.

In the latest installment, these “bulwarks never failing” are at it again. The year is 1960, and a reformation is underway. With a new crop of Confirmands, Beverly, the youngest of the bunch played by Sarah Cammarata, dons her first pair of high heels for her confirmation ceremony. Mrs. Snustad, the matriarch of the kitchen played by Diana Wilde, wins top honors at the County Fair for her “Grand Champion” pickles. Mavis, the able-bodied farm wife played by Shannon Connolly, must find a way to deal with the new “Super Highway” that cuts through her farm. Karin, the real homemaker of the kitchen played by Alison Nusbaum, finds new freedom behind the wheel of her husband’s pickup truck and must reconcile a new world of change for her daughter, Beverly. Pastor, played by Greg Eiden and who has always found strength and solace in the church basement, has found new love and announces his impending nuptials. The Church Basement Ladies are once again required to face change head-on. Against the changing tide, these pillars of the church stand strong in their faith and in their friendships with more crazy antics, more great new songs and more lessons reluctantly learned.

With all new music by composer Drew Jansen who wrote the music and lyrics for the past Church Basement Ladies installments and script by sketch comedy writer, Greta Grosch, who also penned the sequel and the Christmas version, A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement continues to be inspired by the writings of author/humorists Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, including the best-seller Growing Up Lutheran.

Audiences from coast to coast have fallen in love with these residents of the church basement, and all agree that each new installment gets better and better. What’s more, you do not have to have seen past installments in order to know what’s going on!

Dutch Apple is excited to have Curt Wollan, the Artistic Director of the Plymouth Playhouse in Minneapolis, return to his role as director. His company, Troupe America Inc., has produced all five installments of Church Basement Ladies there. Wollan has produced and directed over 200 national tours including The Odd Couple with M.A.S.H stars Jamie Farr and William Christopher. Last season, Wollan had the honor of directing Dolly Parton in her family memoir musical, My People. Working alongside Wollan will be choreographer Samantha Hewes Cramer whose work was recently seen at Dutch Apple in the beautiful West Side Story and previously in Crazy For You.

Church Basement Ladies: A Mighty Fortress is Our Basement will be at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre September 24 through November 7, 2015. Ticket prices range from $49 to $56 for meal and show with a special rate for groups of 16 or more. A limited number of show-only seats are available for $34. Call 717-898-1900 to make a reservation or order your tickets online at DutchApple.com.

4 Reasons Why You Should Go See 'Once' at Hershey Theatre

When I first saw the musical Once a few years ago on Broadway, it quickly joined my "Top 5" list of all-time favorite musicals. Seeing Once at Hershey Theatre only reaffirmed my love for this show. There's a reason (actually quite a few reasons) why this show won eight (EIGHT!!!) Tony Awards. While I could easily list 20 great things about Once, here are four of the main reasons why I fell in love this show (and why I think you will too!):

1. The story
"Guy" (played by Stuart Ward) is a musician from Dublin who is just about to call it quits, when "Girl" (played by Dani de Waal) unexpectedly comes along and inspires him to keep on going. She has faith in his music, and he has faith in her. While it may sound like the classic tale of boy meets girl, this love story takes some unexpected turns. Even the ending can be interpreted as happy or unhappy, depending on how you look at it.

2. The music
With the setting of the show in Ireland, much of the music has more of a folk sound to it as opposed to the typical show tune style found in many musicals. With a simply beautiful and at times haunting score, it's easy to see why Once won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2013. Adding to the beautiful music is the fact that the actors are also the musicians. The song "Gold" is one of my favorite songs from a musical ever, and it proves how talented the whole ensemble really is. The first performance of the song at the end of Act One is one that I could watch over and over, but equally good is the A capella reprise in Act Two. "Falling Slowly" is another favorite of mine from the show and really showcases the musical talent of Ward and deWall.  

3. The humor
The first time I saw Once, I was caught completely off guard by how genuinely funny it is. Seeing it again, I found myself laughing just as much as I did the first time. While the story is ultimately a complicated love story, funny moments are sprinkled throughout the whole show at just the right moments.

4. The pre-show experience

I absolutely love when musicals do creative things to enhance the audience's experience, which is maybe one of the reasons why I was so quick to fall in love this show. Much of the show takes place in a bar, which happens to be open to the audience upon arriving to the theatre. Simply walk up on stage to purchase a glass of wine, bottle of beer, or even just a water. How cool is that?! You can't take pictures or touch anything, but just being up on the stage and seeing the set up close is an amazing and unique experience. There are a few other surprises that I won't give away, but I'll offer the following tip: If you're up for the full experience, try to be on the stage about five minutes before the start of the show.

With a genuine story told through top-notch performing, beautiful music, and unexpected humor, Once is easily one of the best musicals to come to Hershey Theatre. There's no reason why every seat in the house shouldn't be filled for the next few days!

Once plays at Hershey Theatre through September 20. For more information and tickets, please visit www.hersheytheatre.com.