"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!

"Country Roads: The Music of John Denver" at Plymouth Playhouse

Shortly into Country Roads: The Music of John Denver, creator and host Dennis Curley tell us a story about his aunts and uncles sitting around the living room laughing, telling stories, and singing songs of the great singer/songwriters of the '60s and '70s, including John Denver. Dennis has successfully recreated that experience on the stage of the Plymouth Playhouse. He's not trying to imitate John Denver, or tell John Denver's life story, he's simply singing the songs that he loves and sharing what this music means to him, his friends and family, and the audience. There's really no theater here; it's a casual concert of one John Denver fan (and his awesome band) singing to a roomful of John Denver fans, who are encouraged to sing along. If you're a fan of John Denver, Country Roads is a must-see to experience all of that John Denver goodness. If you're not a fan of John Denver, well, you're missing out on some great music!

"Pop Up Musical" at Plymouth Playhouse

Musical theater is just the best thing, isn't it? If you agree, head west to the Plymouth Playhouse for the latest incarnation of the delightfully irreverent tribute to the love of all things musical theater, aka Pop Up Musical. Four friends, who just happen to be super talented local music-theater artists, created this show for the Fringe Festival a few years ago. It was so successful that they've expanded it and continue to bring it to various venues in the area (including the Jerome Hill Theater, where I saw it in 2013). The talented cast sings 24 songs from 24 different musicals, 23 of which I've seen on stage. Wow, am I a nerd the target audience for this show! While belting out showtunes, the cast also shares fun bits of trivia in the VH1 Pop Up Video style, using signs and video projections. It's truly a must see for anyone for whom the great American musical theater cannon holds a special place in their heart (and their iTunes).

You may have seen these four performers on stages around town. Jennifer Eckes, Judi Gronseth, Kevin Werner Hohlstein, and Timm Holmly have known each other and worked together for years (we get to learn how they all met through the pop ups during the song "Friendship"). Video screens on either side of the stage display pop ups, as well as images of things related to the song (famous magicians and clowns during "Magic To Do" and "Send in the Clowns," a photo of an actual "Edelweiss"). The cast also holds up signs with pop ups, harkening back to the show's low budget Fringe origins, and these are perhaps the most fun. While someone is pouring their heart out in song, one of their cast members picks up a sign from the big stack on one of the four podiums, and parades it around the stage like Vanna White, facial expression telling all. Signs can also be props - the blue fans of "Sisters," animals for "Circle of Life," and Annie's hair (which gets multiple uses throughout the show).

The pop ups take three forms: fun and interesting trivia about the shows and songs themselves (when it opened, Tonys, stars, backstage gossip), tangential info about a word or idea in the song (we learn that Kleenex is a proprietary eponym during "Suddenly Seymour," and about the invention and cost of champagne during "Hey Big Spender"), and personal info about the cast (Judi was born the year that Sound of Music premiered, Kevin slept on the sidewalk to get tickets to RENT). We learn how many times the words "Tomorrow," "Popular," and "Tonight" are sung in the respective songs (16, 14, and 38!), and some common malapropisms for the opening line of "Circle of Life" ("ingonyama nengw' enamabala," or "penguin mama, penguin has a mama?").

Timm Holmly, Jennifer Eckes,
Judi Gronseth, and Kevin Werner Hohlstein

All of these shenanigans almost distract you from the fact that these four can really sing. They all have powerful, gorgeous voices, and perform with great enthusiasm and delightful camp. Songs come from such beloved and diverse musicals as Avenue Q and Fiddler on the Roof, Xanadu (featuring some impressive roller skating tricks by Kevin) and Les Miserables. The cast fights over who gets to sing one of the most beloved musical theater songs, "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line. Who wins? The audience, because they all end up singing it. Unfortunately they sing to a recorded karaoke-like track, but they acknowledge and poke a bit of fun at that. And they sound better than any karaoke singers I've ever heard! Still, I would love to see how the dynamic would change with a piano accompanist replacing the recorded track; it could lead to some fun interplay with a 5th person onstage, as well as greatly improving the quality of the music.

If you, like me, obsessively listen to musical theater cast recordings, define your life in terms of musical theater milestones, and constantly quote showtunes, this is a show for you. Because Jennifer, Judi, Kevin, and Timm love musical theater as much as you and I do. But unlike you and me (well, me anyway), they have the talent to sing and perform these songs and entertain an audience with their non-verbal written-on-signs banter. Pop Up Musical plays in the cozy theater in the basement of a Best Western for just three more weekends, don't miss it! See the Plymouth Playhouse website for more info, and visit Goldstar for discount ticket deals.


This article also appears on Broadway World Minneapolis.

"Ring of Fire" at Plymouth Playhouse

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." This is how the country legend began all of his concerts, and it's also how the jukebox musical based on his life begins, as all eight members of the ensemble repeat this line. Ring of Fire loosely tells the story of his life, with the ensemble taking turns as the voice of Johnny, interspersed with over two dozen of his songs and other country classics. I grew up listening to country music (my dad is the biggest Johnny Cash fan I know); other families went to Disneyland on vacation, we went to Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry, and Dollywood. I'm not such a fan of current country music (preferring the folk/Americana genre), but I still love that old time country sound. Ring of Fire taps into that nostalgic love of old time country and features a fantastic cast of talented vocalists and multi-instrumentalists. I'm not sure I learned anything new about Johnny (except for his Scottish heritage), but it's a wonderful celebration of the Man in Black and his music.

Ring of Fire played briefly on Broadway in 2006 but it didn't last long. That's not too surprising; it feels like a show that's more suited to smaller theaters across the country than a big Broadway stage. It's been playing at Plymouth Playhouse all summer, returning after a successful run last year. This was my first trip to the Playhouse, and despite the somewhat odd entrance through a hotel, once you get into the basement theater it's a cozy and intimate little space, perfect for this show. Half of the cast were in the National Tour, and the experience and familiarity with the music and the subject are evident. In this show there is no differentiation between band, singers, and actors. All eight cast members play at least one instrument, most of them several. And they all sing and take turns playing Johnny, June, and members of their family. It's well constructed into four sections, with Johnny's songs appropriately chosen to match the mood of the story. We don't really get a lot of details, his first marriage and children and are glossed over, and how he made the transition from farm boy to country music star to drug addict to religious devotion is never really explained. But through the music and a few key points in his life, we get a picture of the man. Johnny's "Boyhood Years" are marked by hard work on the farm, a close-knit family, and the death of his brother. During "Opry and Fame," Johnny meets June and performs on the Opry stage, "Dark Years" touches on his drug use and prison records, which somehow morphs into "Redemption and Celebration." Along the way we hear many of Johnny's hits, including "Flesh and Blood," "Daddy Sang Bass," " Cry, Cry, Cry," "Get Rhythm," "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," and "A Boy Named Sue."

I was impressed with the terrific musicality displayed by this cast, as they smoothly make the transition between instruments, and from lead to back-up vocals, trading the spotlight fairly equally among the eight. They play over a dozen instruments: drumset, washboard, acoustic and electric guitar, upright bass, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, ukelele, accordion, dobro, autoharp, piano, and spoons. The entertaining ensemble currently includes Andy Carroll (bass), Dorian Chalmers (with a fantastic full-throated voice), Jacob Aaron Cullum (a charming young Johnny, with a pretty voice), Tim Drake (on drums, washboard, and more), Candice Lively (a lovely voice), Charlotte Matis (a mean fiddler), Chad Willow (the piano man with a deep voice), and Chet Wollan (with a great smile and an appealing tenor voice).

The Plymouth Playhouse stage is fairly wide and shallow, with about a half-dozen or so long rows (with ample leg room) in a soft curve around it. At the center of the stage is a rotating sloped circle which is not overused, but adds interest to the staging. At the edges of the seat are placed some barrels and crates to lend that authentic country feel. The costumes also do that, with Western shirts, fringed skirts, cowboy hats, and of course - plenty of black (set by Susan Holgersson and costumes by Katrina Benedict).

Johnny Cash and classic country fans are sure to enjoy this show. Ring of Fire continues through November 23 so you have about another month to catch it. Up next at the Playhouse is the holiday show The Alley Cats in A Doo-Wop Christmas, followed next year year by Pop-Up Musical, which I saw last summer and is a must-see for musical theater fans.

I'm so glad I finally made it out to the Plymouth Playhouse. They put on some great entertainment, and I look forward to seeing more there in the future.

the touring cast of Ring of Fire, half of whom are currently in the Plymouth production