Church Basement Ladies Return to Way Off Broadway for A SECOND HELPING

During the 2023 Season, the hilarious musical comedy Church Basement Ladies broke box office records at Way Off Broadway. This spring, the Lutheran ladies return to the WOB stage in A Second Helping – The Church Basement Ladies Sequel.     

 A Second Helping picks up the story in 1969 with a changing world.  As Vietnam War protests swell and women everywhere demand equal pay for equal work, the ladies in the church basement kitchen face changes of their own.  From the matriarch to the mom-to-be, the women find strength in each other as they deal with the changes from below the House of God.

    The original production of Church Basement Ladies, inspired by the books of Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, opened at the Plymouth Playhouse in Plymouth, Minnesota on September 8, 2005.  When it closed two and a half years later - after 1,123 performances - it had been seen by more than 250,000 theater-goers.  The production was such a hit with audiences, it was no surprise that the sequel opened at the Plymouth Playhouse at the beginning of 2008. 

    During the 2023 Season, WOB audiences had the chance to meet the ladies for the first time, and as with the other theaters where the show appeared, it was a box office smash. Guests couldn't stop talking about how much fun they'd had at the show. With that in mind, WOB's producers made the only decision they could...to bring the ladies back in A Second Helping.

               

    Returning from WOB's production of Church Basement Ladies for a second go-round are Melissa Ann Martin as Mavis Gilmerson, Hannah Pecoraro as Vivian Snustad, and Laura Walling as Karin Engelson.  Joining them are Emily Flack as Beverly Signe Engelson Hauge and Rory Dunn as Pastor Gunderson. 

    A Second Helping has a book by Greta Grosch, with music and lyrics by Dennis Curley and Drew Jansen.  WOB’s production is directed by Bill Kiska and music directed by Jordan B. Stocksdale.  

 
    The show will run from March 28th through May 24th, with performances every Friday and Saturday evening, and matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of the month.  A special Mother’s Day performance on Sunday, May 11th has also been added.  Ticket prices vary by performance date and may be purchased by contacting the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

 
    To learn more about A Second Helping – The Church Basement Ladies Sequel, or any of Way Off Broadway’s productions or events, including its upcoming productions of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Broadway Musical, Company, and Once Upon a Christmas Night, visit the theatre’s website at www.wayoffbroadway.com.

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