"Church Basement Ladies: A Second Helping" by Rags to Rags Productions at Plymouth Playhouse

Almost one year to the date and I'm back in the basement. The literal basement beneath a Ramada Inn where Plymouth Playhouse is located, and the theatrical basement that is the setting for the Minnesota-grown musical comedy franchise known as Church Basement Ladies. The first musical in what was to become a series premiered in 2005 at the Plymouth Playhouse, written by Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuelhlke based on the book Growing Up Lutheran by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, with music and lyrics by Drew Jansen. That was before my time as a theater blogger, and somehow I also missed out on the eight sequels, all penned by original cast member Greta Grosch, with Dennis Curley joining the songwriting team. Lucky for me, Rags to Rags Productions began what I hope is a full series rewatch last year, so I was able to jump in on the ground floor, or basement, as it were. After seeing the original The Church Basement Ladies last year, I wrote "this musical comedy is very broad, very corny, very Minnesotan, and whole lot of fun.... and I hope to visit the basement again!" My hopes were realized; this year they're doing the second show in the series, aptly titled A Second Helping. Because it is exactly that - a second helping of the humor, the heart, the bad puns, the physical comedy, and the Minnesota references. You can see it now through August 23, but don't worry if you haven't seen the first one, you'll have no trouble jumping into the story and falling in love with these charmingly quirky (and familiar) characters.

Playwright Greta Grosch did not miss a beat in penning this sequel, picking up right where the original left off, and maintaining the broad and almost farcical comedy tone, with heart. We're now in 1969, ending up in the new decade 1970, and once again the four basement scenes are centered around church activities: a meeting of the teenage Lutheran League, a visit from some missionaries, the congregational meeting (delayed by a few hours due to the Vikings playing in, and losing, the Super Bowl), and spring cleaning. We check in with our three ladies - elder stateswoman Vivian (but you can call her Mrs. Snustad) has passed control of the basement over to Karin, who suffers an unexpected loss, and farmer's wife Mavis is still telling stories about her husband's mishaps. Karin's daughter Signe-now-Beverly (it's complicated), who married at the end of the last play and moved to The Cities, is pregnant and has decided to move home. Birth, death, new romance, new starts, even Pastor Gunderson is shaking things up.

The beautiful thing about this show is that the original three actors are still playing these same characters, over 20 years later, and know them like the back of their hands. Janet Paone is a Minnesota treasure, and sheer perfection as the stern but loving (don't hug her!) malapropism-spouting Vivian, with the most hilarious use of flabby-arm humor I've ever seen. Greta Grosch is also a local comedy treasure, with some great physical comedy and prop humor in this show. Dorian Chalmers epitomizes the sophisticated Karin (she once lived in The Cities, doncha know), showing a lot of emotional range in this installment. The other two actors are newer to the franchise, but they're the familiar to me - both were in last year's show, so this show feels very much like the sequel that it is. Via Logan gets to show a bit of growth as Beverly, and Paul Somers is still charmingly putting up with these ladies as Pastor Gunderson.

Another reason for the consistency of this series is that all installments have been directed and produced by Curt Wollan, including this one. And they were able to reuse the set "that looks every bit the typical Minnesota church basement - brightly painted walls, tile floor, neatly labeled drawers and cabinets, a fridge stocked with so much prop food, and four doors (because in a farce, which this show is at times, more doors = more funny, especially if one of them sticks). And it doesn't hurt that the theater is actually in the basement and a bit chilly, and they play organ hymns before the show and during intermission, putting us right there in the basement. Characters are dressed in period costumes that reflect their personalities - more stylish for Karin, more youthful for Signe, more practical for Mavis, and more house dress for Mrs. Snustad. They wear different costumes in every scene, with attention paid to shoes, overshoes, and outerwear." And for this one they get to bring in some fun late '60s / early '70s fashion. (Scenic and props design by Erica Zaffarano, costume design by Katrina Benedict, daughter of book author Janet Martin.)

Once again the original score (by Drew Jansen and Dennis Curley, who also music directs) is fun and catchy (the repeated theme "cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and clove" will live in my head for a while), with a variety of musical styles of the era, and funny and clever lyrics about whatever the ladies are going through. And once again the ladies perform some charming choreography (by Lexie Swenson based on Wendy Short-Hays' original choreography). 

If I had one wish for this series, it would be that they bring back the "church organist" that was part of the early incarnations, i.e., live music instead of a recorded musical track. But either way, I will drive way out west to Plymouth again next year to see the third show in the series, if they do it - Away in the Basement. Christmas in July sounds great to me! (To find out more about the CBL universe, visit inthebasementproductions.com, which includes details of all nine shows and a timeline of the characters' lives.)