Column: Stage Right, by John Holt

“We’re closer to heaven in the church basement where we do the Lord’s work” goes a lyric in one of the songs in this delightful play at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center on Broadway, running through May 4.

I had the privilege of previewing the play at the next to last dress rehearsal on Tuesday evening, and I am looking forward to bringing my wife with me when I see it again.

Imagine a woman in a dress with an apron and wearing black tie shoes with argyle socks. That was Mary Wayne playing the part of Mavis Gilmerson.

Lynn Berven portrays the pastor of East Cornucopia Lutheran Church of the Prairie with fitting panache. His character displays the dynamic, interesting days of ministry that typify the life of a pastor.

When I saw Nancy Lahs come out as Mrs. Vivian Snoostad, I thought for a moment I was back at the Plymouth Playhouse in the Twin Cities where I saw my first “Church Basement Ladies” professional production titled “A Mighty Fortress Is Our Church Basement.”

Let me tell you, the ACT production stands up very well in comparison.

With Sue Wiersma playing Karin Engelson, raising her daughter, Signe, played by Kristi White, in the church basement, I learned about the origins of lutefisk and lefse —something about loaves and fishes by the Sea of Galilee.

If you are Lutheran, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to laugh at yourselves and your heritage, especially as Minnesotans. And if you aren’t Lutheran, I think you’ll enjoy the laughs that come frequently in the dialogue as well as in the lyrics of the songs.

In addition, some profound questions are answered in the play, such as: Is all change bad? What is the proper menu to serve for funerals? What are the seven sacred pickles? What’s better: lefse made with real potatoes from scratch or with instant potatoes “like they do in the Cities”? What are the benefits of bland and pale food?

What could be more interesting than the gossip and history of East & West Cornucopia Lutheran Churches of the Prairie all wrapped up in the preparations for the annual lutefisk supper? They even deal with such problems as hot flashes. Furthermore you’ll learn why no one should ever dare go to the Twin Cities if you want to be a good Lutheran, and the real differences between Lutherans and Catholics.

There are other surprises, for instance: Who would ever imagine that the Lutheran pastor at East Cornucopia Lutheran Church would don an Easter Bunny costume for the furnace fundraiser? (I guess it’s not a surprise now.)

The set was great; it was so authentic that I felt like I really was gazing into the basement kitchen of any small church in rural Minnesota.

The sound was good — I could easily understand the words in the dialog and the songs. The close harmonies were well done and enjoyable as the songs came out frequently in the play. (After all it is a musical.) The musical accompaniment with pipe organ and piano was played masterfully by Norinne Jensen, who assured me that although she “married a man who is half Dane and half Swede,” she, herself, “is full-blooded Norwegian!” The choreography was surprisingly good for a bunch of conservative Lutheran ladies who “don’t dance.”

The play was not all jokes and laughter, and my heart was touched as we mourned with the pastor preparing his sermon for the funeral of the church’s faithful custodian.

Your heart will be deeply touched again as the youngest church basement lady gets cold feet on her wedding day. We learn that confusion, fear and excitement are all a normal part of the day. She receives reassurance and wise counsel from the sometimes curmudgeonly Mrs. Snoostad, learning that marriage is “forever, for always and for good!”

Director David Dahlquist, the cast and the crew of Albert Lea Community Theatre have put together a fine production of “Church Basement Ladies,” a musical comedy. I am confident you will enjoy it. This is most certainly true.

 

John Holt is the lead pastor at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.