Church Basement Ladies

One of the best shows I've seen! Great comedy & music! Performers were great!!!

A host of memories come rushing at us; and we are transported to another time and place. And these actors are top notch at causing us to remember those times and to cry, smile and laugh a lot! On the other hand, this play is not only for older people, but for all ages. Thanks for a great time.

The Lutheran's take on Sister Bernie's Bingo Bash, the Church Basement Ladies was an entertaining and funny play.

Great Play!!! Being from Minnesota we could relate more then some of our fellow viewers. Highly recommend

The play was very funny. The entire cast was excellent. I particularly liked the cast member that played Mavis. An afternoon well sepnt.

This is a very slow moving "muscial" and extremely boring. The first scene of the 2nd Act was probably the best and then it went really down hill; meaning the last scene of the program was the worst. I would not recommend this "muscial" to anyone and would have left at the intermission but since I paid so much for the tickets I wanted to get the full picture. I wish I had left at intermission. I have seen better high school muscials and much better local theater.

Even though it is set in the 60's, a lot of the humor still hits home today. The characters are a bit over the top but not outside the range of realism. While not a rollicking farce, the humor is consistently spread throughout the performance to keep you entertained at all times.

It was cute quirky story with some great comedy. The music is toe tapping and the performances were good. A Minnesota Prairie Home Companion

William Christopher and the cast of four women "Church Basement Ladies" delivered outstanding performances at the Southern Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. The timing of their comedic lines was superb. The audience laughed often and joined in to finish some of the lines..."This is most certainly true!"

My husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed Church Basement Ladies. All the cast did an excellent job - we especially enjoyed William Christopher in his role as the minister. The church could have been any denomination - it showed in a very funny way that all people are basically the same.

Boring! Not funny! Slow! I slept through some of it. I am an avid theatre goer. I was very disappointed and regret spending the time and money.

1964.... felt like I was in the basement of my church... Totally enjoyible!!! I loved the wonder bread boots!!!

Loved the play and seeing William Christopher in the Minister role was wonderful. The actress who played Sidney had the most beautiful voice and stage precence, The chemistry of the characters was very real. I took my Mother, sister and in law and though none of us is Lutheran, we related to each character as if we have known each of them. HIghly recommend this play, but don't sit in the second balcony... the acoustics were horrible up there.

I went to see the show with my husband, expecting a good and funny show. It was hilarious. We laughed more at this show than any show in the past few years. The physical humor was tremendous, the expressions priceless, the characters so defined and the comic lines hit home. We invited a retired minister to join us. He laughed louder and longer than we did saying, "This is so true."

We are retirees and regular church attendees who enjoyed the afternoon with the "Church Basement Ladies". In our experiences with real church basement ladies, elderly church attendees, and youth, the writers hit the nail on the head. It is a difficult juggling act for any congregation and pastor to juggle the interests of all parishoners. The writers did so with humor and compassion. The music was toe-tapping and the voices, particularly Signe, were quality. The Viking-Scandanavian aspect of the Minnesota culture was well represented by the actors in their speech and idiosynchrasies. This brought a great deal of the humor to the production. The Southern Theatre in Columbus, Ohio is an architectural gem, well restored. Cudos to all involved in making an enjoyable afternoon.

Church Basement Ladies started slow but picked up. It was good, not great, but good enough that I would recommend it to others with a caution attached.

Church Basement Ladies hit all the right notes. I laughed through it. Even though I wasn't raised Lutheran, I was raised in the north in this time period and I could easily relate with all of it. A great, fun time for all ages.

The play was hilarous. Laughed until I cried. Great characters.

The audience was laughing before a word was said, and the laughter continued throughout the play. William Christopher belies his 76 years with his absolutely captivating performance. The four church basement ladies were an over-the-top send up of many church ladies I have known. We are looking forward to "Church Basement Ladies 2."

My wife and I attended the Church Basement Ladies play last night and both of us found it to be very funny. I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

This was a well done production - all the actors performed flawlessly and it was very enjoyable to watch. The singing and dancing were great- I highly recommend.

This show is quite funny if you have ever been involved in cooking and serving a meal from a church kitchen. I enjoyed both the acting and singing and Mavis is beyond words.

I left the theater feeling thoroughly entertained. Lots of laughs. I thought the choreography was especially well done. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't catch all the lyrics because they were muffled or not enunciated strong enough.

Could put local names to all the characters. Good job!

I didn't actually see this play; I sent my parents. They enjoyed it very much and both mentioned how funny it was.

I really enjoyed the play it was so funny I would recommend anyone to see it

I loved the musical, they truly captured the culture and the times. I know, I was there in the 60's. Acting and singing, and dancing were perfect, the cast is truly phenomonal. A well written musical, loved the humor, it was very, very, funny. Quite refreshing, I love good clean fun, its the best. You betcha.

This was a cute and funny ensemble play. If you've been a "church kitchen lady" you will enjoy it. Exaggerated, but true, and the songs were clever. The actors were good together and had nice voices.

Loved the show was funny and the acting was wonderful had good seats and would come back for any other shows.

My husband and I both enjoyed the show! The performers were very talented and kept us entertained for over 2 hours. It takes place in the 1960s, and we are able to relate to that era.

Acting good. Liked the play. Sometimes the voices, were screechy. Perhaps it was a little loud and a bit like yelling.

very enjoyable. Actors were very talented and did a great job.

A great show with fun lines and real anecdotes. Keeps Lutheranism in the church where it should be; not on the social agenda of deviants and the misguided politically correct. All of this series is first class in concept and production.

It's hard to understand words in a song and there seemed to be a lot of singing in this play. I felt that especially where the Pastor sings to his wife, could have been spoken. Mavis was hard to understand at times because she draws out her words so much instead of just saying them. I greatly enjoyed last year's play and that's why I went to this one and brought my parents. I didn't enjoy it as much, but maybe the other one was SO good that any other won't measure up. I'm glad I saw last year's play and have that memory.

We thoroughly enjoy this show with a new cast from what we have seen in Mpls. Their musical talent was great and the blending of their voices were surpreme. We were not real excited about the place where it was held (Spencer, IA convention center - we thought the crowd were too far away from the show, itself, and the chairs too closely spaced. The sound was good and only a few of the lines were muffled to catch the punch.

Church basement Ladies is a delight for all ages. Men too! This is the second show I've given tickets as a birthday gift to my best friend. Christmas Show was just as good as the other Church Basement Ladies show we attended. Makes a wonderful gift!

It was a delight! I took my teenage daughter who was not so keen on going but she loved it too. Thank you!

I had heard of Church Basement Ladies before, finally saw them do 'Mighty Fortress is Our Basement'. I was touring a railroad museum in the Twin Cities this summer and saw a card about the play there, which said it would run through August 26 but thankfully was extended to October 21. I grew up Protestant but not Lutheran, but it was still very close to what I recalled social events in church basements were like. Since I majored in history I was still familiar with some of the things mentioned in the play like building a superhighway, as the setting is 1960. Liked the reference to a Martin Luther song 'Mighty Fortress' by making it the title of the play. I had seen 'How to Speak Minnesotan' at this venue before.

It was overpriced to begin with, so we were expecting a great performance, but to be honest I've seen better performances at my local high school. For as much as the Burnsville PAC cost to build, I was expecting a better stage. Again, Burnsville High School has a better stage! The acting was ok. A change of set at least once would have kept it more interesting. I was overall disappointed and doubtful that we'll be back to the PAC any time soon, and will not rush to see another Church Basement performance.

The characters were perfectly cast, the music fun and for those of us who grew up in the fifties, a step back in time. We have all known one of the "Church Basement Ladies" or been one.

Very good voices & usually articulated well. Just didn't get into the mood for what seemed like over-acting with this group. The jokes seemed a bit artificial. Maybe being in the balcony didn't help.

My wife and attended Away in the Basement - A Church Basement Ladies Christmas, at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center. As usual, the venue put on a fun show. The staff is both warm and professional, which isn't always the case at artsy places ;) Having had church experiences which are not Lutheran, or even mainline denominational, we were less than fully acquainted with the many traditions expressed (or alluded to) in the play. But (!) that didn't take much from enjoying the humor and pathos (surprise!) in this well acted story. We have been 'church-folk' for many years, and this provided enough context for us to appreciate nearly every situation. The rest were provided by our 12 years in MN! If you do happen to have Lutheran, Norweigan or Swedish church experiences to draw from, then you'll find yourself right at home! I very much appreciated the inclusion of heartache that's felt when expereincing the holidays without a loved one. This was unexpected, but added so much. Should you choose to find out what happens in the typical mid-western church basement, you won't be disappointed!

AWAY IN A BASEMENT has so many comical lines that are true to church life. It confronts the reality that life is full of characters and truth. The message of Christmas is presented in a unique and timly manner for todays hectic life style. Many of the issues facing indivuduals and church life are addressed in a caring and loving theology of the cross and resurection. Specifically the bibical message of: "The truth will make you free."

Every character represented someone that everybody knows. Each scene could have been played out in any denominational kitchen. Everyone should see this play and know the antics that are played out in the church basement during any activity going on during any season of the church. Oh, how I laughed...Oh, how you will laugh

I wanted to take my 94-year-old grandma to a play locally. The Rialto is really the best. I read some reviews about this play and they were great. I have to add my own great reveiw because it really was that... great. The cast at the Rialto was talented. Great singing voices. Characters were well-rounded. The entire theatre laughed uproariously throughout the whole thing. We both really, really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed the show. I could really see the old fashioned Christmas show going on in the other part of the church building. Only thing I found hard to hear the words of the first few songs cause the accomp. was too loud but once they corrected the sound issue it was fine.

This was a very cute show with amazing performers. More songs then I expected but all beautifully done. You had to grow up in MN and be a Lutheran to get some of the inside jokes. My Catholic friend and I had a great time giggling throughout the show. It is a fun way to laugh about ourselves.

For Lutherans, a must! Being Catholic was not this bad!

This theatre is just georgeous!!!! Can't wait to see another event at this location .

We attended with some friends, some of whom had not seen the first or second installment. THe ones who had seen the first two were less impressed with this production than the ones who had not seen any. Some of the set-ups for jokes were the same and became a little "tired", but we all did enjoy the production overall. The original cast, in our opinion, was better than this cast although this cast did work very hard to please.

Many of the moments in the play were funny reminders of church basements I have known. The physical humor of the actors was very funny and the entire cast seemed to have great chemistry. Thanks for a great afternoon!

Church Basement Ladies was so fun and the singing was great added to the comedy. I would recommend anyone who has worked in a church kitchen Lutheran, Catholic, whatever your denomination to see this play.

THE CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES WAS A DELIGHTFUL PLAY AND WE COULD RELATE SO WELL TO THE EXPERIENCES OF THE CHARACTERS

Wasn't certain what to expect other than "word of mouth" recommendation by a relative of one of the performers. Started out slightly "slow" but got very hilarious and extremely entertaining as tghe "plot thickened"

It is most certainly true-this is a cute romp through the ladies who launch the luncheons. Great ensemble work!

This was so much fun! The songs and the dialog are very clever. Norman Moses is wonderful.

Several women from my church and I saw the first CBL and thought it was so funny. When I saw there was going to be a sequel, I just had to bring my husband who grew up Lutheran. He had tears rolling down his eyes. Needless to say, none of us were disappointed. It was hilarious!

Absolutely great performance !!!! Would reccomend "everyone" everyone to see this play ! :)

It was a awesome and I would recommend it to anyone--very funny!!!

Just as funny as the first one maybe more. Looking forward to the next..

Loved the play. Wonderful job by all the actors, very funny.

For everyone who grew up in a church, whether you are Lutheran (or not), this musical will bring you back to the early 70s. The time flew by as we enjoyed the amazing musical numbers intertwined in the story. Kudos to the cast!!

It was wonderful. Very talented people and singing was great. It was funny and so glad I went. I would love to see the Christmas one they have.

Second helping was truely a good second helping of a great play. We laughed and laughed and even reconized people from our own church - the actors did a woderful job.

What a wonderful show. Excellent ensemble acting and singing, with a great story, and realistic characters which resonated with the audience. I enjoyed the audience reaction almsot as much as the show. I even shed spome tears during the production. Although Lutherans will find a special connectedness, I am Jewish and found the themes of love, family, religion, loneliness, pregnancy, and tradition to be universal.

Very cleverly funny--great little plugs...Lutheran, etc!! I appreciate the variety of personalities of all the characters, as I am a CBL myself!!

A little different story line but thought it was good and funny! Too bad the pastor's wife was not a live character as was in the original play. Anyone who has been affiliated with that era with a small church will find this play hilarious!

This was good clean fun, we laughed and cried, the play was very entertaining

Took our whole family to see it . It was my husbands 70th birthday. So we covered all ages and it was really enjoyed by all. We enjoyed the humor and the story line very much. Never got bored at any time. Some of it is so true and kind of like we church ladies act sometimes. Would see it again.

This play was hilarious! We laughed so much. Excellent job by all involved. Although, I had hoped they would have used the line from the first play "It's in the church cookbook" at least once.

Enjoyed the production very much -- Brought back good memories; however, some of the scenes still apply today.

I took my mom because she was a church lady at our church and it brought back fond memories for her and me. Was very funny and well put together, the characters were hilarious and we laughed the whole way through.

I expected an evening of laughs like the first one. This was kind of sad and even depressing.

Loved the play -- bought tickets for my mom and her friend -- they loved it. My family went and we loved it. Brought back a lot of memories from church as a kid. Great play, great actors. Hope another sequel comes soon!

An adorable play. Very enjoyable. Certainly brought back memories of hours spent in our own church basement! I was the youngest one there at 45. Has an appeal to the Baby Boomer generation.

We loved it, my 86 year old mom talked about being Mary's & marthas in their church. I loved the part about the quilt, being a quilter. My husband loved the humor. It was fabulous, just as great as the 1st one!

There were some funny parts, but overall it wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. It actually was kinda sad in some parts. I was looking for an evening filled with laughter, but this play didn't fully meet my expectations.

The church basement was again a buzz....great story, music and comedy! Plus it reminds me of years gone by....the Wonder Bread bread wrappers on the feet cracked me up since my grandma used to put them on our feet inside of our boots when we went out to play in the snow when my siblings and I were little. The whole show is SO Minnesota humor! I would definitely recommend this to anyone---I am sorry that it was only one show because I would go again if I could. It was a wonderful evening!

The actors were great, fun, and entertaining! I loved it!

What a Miracle! Away in a Basement with the Church Basement Ladies is a holiday joy to see. Laughter abound and the sentiment of the season is so touching. Many laughs and thoughts of years gone by with references to many of the memories I had while growing up. I loved the production. The music, staging, set and characters make you feel like you have known them all of your life. This is a must see. Take the time to see it and enjoy the Christmas season no matter what time of year.

We liked the show and felt it was well presented. The actors were very good and we even liked the costumes, props and stage scenery.

The singing, the acting, and the comedy were great. It brought back many memories of the 60"s.

My two friends and I thoroughly enjoyed this play. Spent two hours laughing our heads off. We want more of this quality.

well done, well sung, and i think very realistic from the 60's. crowd was mostly older and could relate. younger crowd probably couldn't.

The show was great and the facility was extremely nice!

I have to be honest - I was very excited to see this show, and came away very disappointed. I really expected the show to be more humorous overall. It was not worth the money I spent.

Heart warming! So many situations in the basement kitchen I could identify with. It gave me laughter and I saw many friends there. Thanks for coming to Topeka KS.

I really enjoyed the play. It was well done and entertaining. I would recommend it to friends.