"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.

"Church Basement Ladies" by Rags to Rags Productions at Plymouth Playhouse

How is it that I've been a theater blogger in Minnesota for 15 years and have never seen a show from the Minnesota musical comedy institution that is Church Basement Ladies? I have no excuse, other than possibly geography (the shows have primarily performed in Plymouth and Burnsville, neither a great location for me), and that it's produced by a production company (Troupe America and/or Rags to Rags Productions) rather than one of the many theaters I frequent. Whatever the reason for this omission, it has been remedied, and I have now been indoctrinated into the basement. After eight sequels, the original Church Basement Ladies has returned to its original venue, Plymouth Playhouse underneath a Ramada Inn off 494, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The three original ladies of the basement are still with the show, which works like a well-oiled machine at this point. This musical comedy is very broad, very corny, very Minnesotan, and whole lot of fun. This incarnation of Church Basement Ladies continues through August 24, after which they're sure to pop again somewhere, and I hope to visit the basement again!

"I'll be Homicidal for Christmas" by The Mystery Cafe at Sheraton Bloomington

This holiday* season brings us not one but two mystery dinner theater experiences with The Mystery Cafe. The troupe has been around for over 35 years, but I only just "discovered" them last year. As their performance season is just a few months around the holidays, I had to wait a year before seeing them again. But the good news is they have four shows this season at two locations: two holiday shows currently playing, and two more coming up in January. It's a fun immersive experience that goes beyond traditional theater, obliterating the separation between audience and performers, with broad campy comedy (and too many bad puns to count) performed by some of the best comedy/improv folks in town. A few weeks ago I saw their new show A Cruise-mas Carol at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake on the north side of town, and last night I drove across the city to their new south metro location, the Sheraton Bloomington, for the returning show I'll Be Homicidal for Christmas. Set during a taping of a Christmas TV special in the '70s, things go off the rail when someone(s) end up dead. There are just a couple more performances of the Christmas shows left before they start their new shows in January, and they've got a 25% discount for the Sheraton shows running through December 28. It's a fun group outing that's maybe a little less intimidating than theater can sometimes be for the uninitiated.

"The Bucket List of Booze Club" by Freshwater Theatre Company at the Crane Theater

In their first production in over two years, Freshwater Theatre Company is bringing us a new play by Michigan-based playwright Maureen Paraventi called The Bucket List of Booze Club. An odd title for a sweet and salty, funny and poignant play about female friendship and the mother/daughter bond, which couldn't be more appropriate for this Mother's Day weekend. This very real and relatable story is beautifully brought to life by the cast and creative team at Freshwater. But only 6 performances remain in this short run, so bring your closest friends, a parent or child, or yourself to the Crane before it closes on May 15 (click here for info and tickets). 

"The Doyle and Debbie Show" at New Century Theatre

Wednesday night is usually Nashville night in my house. But last night I decided to postpone my date with the deliciously soapy look at country music to see The Doyle and Debbie Show, a warped and wacky version of that same scene. There's plenty of drama in this relationship, but instead of singing at the Bluebird, country duo Doyle and Debbie are making their comeback at The Station Inn (a real-life Nashville music establishment where the show has performed). It's very funny and entertaining with committed performances by the three-person cast and some really great country-sounding songs, with just one serious flaw (more on that later).

As one half of the famed country duo, Doyle has seen some hard times (divorces, alcoholism, fraud, and various other scandals). He discovers a new "Debbie" singing in the VFW and hires her to go on tour with him and bring back the old Doyle and Debbie act. The hard-working single mother puts up with the misogynist and slightly crazy Doyle to get her one big chance in Nashville. The show consists of the duo singing old and new hits, interspersed with stage banter and a few glimpses into the not-so-happy backstage life.

Although I'm no fan of what passes for country music on the radio today, I love that good old Country-Western sound, and the original music in this show hearkens back to that. Written by Bruce Arntson (who also performed in the original Nashville version of the show), the dozen or so songs include ballads, up-tempo numbers, and some fantastic harmonies. They're really wonderful traditional country songs, but with completely ridiculous lyrics that poke gentle fun at the common themes of the genre. There's the overly patriotic song, the cheated-on woman song, the sappy love song. But all of them take it to the extreme so that you're laughing and grimacing while taping your toe to the rhythm.

Kim Kivens and David Andrew Anderson
as Debbie and Doyle

A big reason why I chose to see this show is Kim Kivens, who is absolute perfection in everything she does (see also, the ridiculously hilarious political satire Shelly Bachberg Presents...). As Debbie, she has completely transformed both her singing and speaking voice into an authentic Country-Western sound, with shades of Dolly and Loretta. Even the way she says Doyle is perfection. She sings these ridiculous songs with absolute conviction, and lets us know exactly how Debbie feels about Doyle with every sideways glance as she tries to pretend for the audience that everything's OK. As Doyle, David Andrew Anderson is her equal, mastering that slightly nasal (in a good way) country sound and almost making this jerk sympathetic. The two create some beautiful harmonies together, even if the words they're singing are the likes of "when you're screwin' other women, think of me" and "I peed your name in the snowbanks of life." Also good is Paul Somers as their reliable "band leader" Buddy, who tries to help Debbie keep Doyle in line.

And now we come to the bad news. Unfortunately this production does not include a live band; they sing to a recorded track (I doubt they'd be able to get away with that in Music City). This is one of my least favorite things in musical theater, to which I take offense as a former band geek. I wish the producers had shelled out a few more bucks to hire some musicians; the experience would be greatly improved with a couple guitars and a fiddle, and would be worth an increase in ticket price. It would feel more like a real Nashville club, rather than a really excellent karaoke performance. The "band leader" counts down and then pushes a button on his laptop. Add a live band, and maybe some wait service to bring out drinks during the show, and The Debbie and Doyle Show could be a fantastic immersive country music satire experience.

The Doyle and Debbie Show is playing at Hennepin Theatre Trust's New Century Theatre, which is set up as a country bar, with tables in the audience and photos and music memorabilia on the walls, and has been extended through May 11 (check out the discount tickets on Goldstar). It's a fun and entertaining 90 minutes featuring some great original country songs well performed by the cast.