CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES IN THE LAST (POTLUCK) SUPPER Begins at Plymouth Playhouse Tonight

Curt Wollan and Troupe America Inc., the producer of the national hit musical comedy series, Church Basement Ladies, announce the ladies return to the Plymouth Playhouse in an all-new musical comedy The Last (Potluck) Supper. This will be the fifth installment in the successful series previewing today, August 1, 2, 3, 4, 7,8 opening August 9 and continuing through February 23, 2014.

Based on the books of Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, including the National best-seller Growing Up Lutheran, all four installments originated at the Plymouth Playhouse beginning with the first production in 2005. Over the course of the last four highly successful Church Basement Ladies musicals, audiences have continued to fall in love with the residents of the church basement kitchen. In the latest installment, The Last (Potluck) Supper, the year is 1979 the day of the church's Centennial Celebration, and past parishioners have gathered to share hotdish, bars and stories from the last 100 years. As the women work in the kitchen, these shared memories burst into life through a series of flashbacks. Travel back to 1897 and meet Vivian's grandmother, one of the founding members of the church; see Karin as a newlywed, cautiously navigating her way through he politics of the kitchen; and be there in 1944 when Mavis first barreled her way through the swinging door. As they time-jump through a Century, these ladies manage to serve up a rib-tickling panorama of the changes in the kitchen, without spilling a drop of their egg coffee!

Meanwhile, the Centennial Celebration continues on the lawn. But the celebration is bittersweet. Times are tough in this small farm community, and hard decisions will have to be made. Once again, the ladies handle it all with grace, hilarity and more crazy antics, more great new songs and more lessons reluctantly learned.

Executive Producer Curt Wollan's creative team includes the talents of composer/songwriter Drew Jansen, who wrote the original score and lyrics for Church Basement Ladies and co-wrote the music and lyrics for the sequel Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping, the music and lyrics for the holiday version Away in the Basement and A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement. Sketch comedy writer and head writer for the Medora Musical, Greta Grosch, who wrote the sequel Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping and the holiday show Away in the Basement, and A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement creates the script. The Last (Potluck) Supper is directed by Curt Wollan, choreographed by Wendy Short Hays with set design by Jared Grohs, lighting design by Scott Herbst, sound design by Mark Brodin, costume design by Katrina Benedict and musical direction by Dennis Curley.

The original cast returns featuring Janet Paone in the role of the "Widow Snustad" (Vivian),the matriarch of the kitchen, Greta Grosch as the able-bodied farm wife and jack-of-all-trades "Mrs. Gilmer Gilmerson"(Mavis), Dorian Chalmers in the role of "Mrs. Elroy Engelson" (Karin)- the best cook in the kitchen and Tara Borman plays Karin's daughter "Beverly Signe Engelson." Tim Drake performs his usual pastoral duties.

All four installments of the musical comedy Church Basement Ladies are inspired by the books of author/humorists Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson including the bestseller Growing Up Lutheran. The fifth installment, inspired by the Emmy Award-winning documentary DELAFIELD produced by Mark Brodin that follows the demise of his rural church that at one time was a source of continuity to generations of farm families.

The original production of Church Basement Ladies opened at the Plymouth Playhouse in September 2005 and performed to 250,000 patrons in it's two and a half year run. Its sequel, Church Basement Ladies 2: A Second Helping. opened March 2008 to equally enthusiastic response. 2009 produced the holiday show,

Away in the Basement, A Church Basement Ladies Christmas, which sold at 103.6 % attracting more than 60,000 audiences members regionally. The fourth show, A Mighty Fortress is our Basement, has followed with equal success. No matter the versions, audiences have instantly fallen in love with Church Basement Ladies. Currently this popular homegrown musical has grown to be the most successful show produced both locally and nationally by Troupe America in its twenty-five year history. All four versions of the show have toured nationally and productions have been mounted for runs in thirty states.

All performances of The Last (Potluck) Supper are at the Plymouth Playhouse with previews August 1,2,3,4, 7,8, opening August 9, 2013.

Performances dates, time and prices:

Wednesday 1 pm $27

Thursday 1 pm $27

Thursday 7:30 pm $34

Friday 7:30 pm $38

Saturday 3:00 pm $36

Saturday 7:30 pm $38

Sunday 2:00 pm $36

Overnight "Stay & Play " packages are available (includes a room for two at the Best Western Kelly Inn, a dinner voucher at the Green Mill Restaurant and two theater tickets to the current show, all under one roof). The Plymouth Playhouse is located at I-494 and Hwy. 55, twenty minutes West from downtown Minneapolis, in suburban Plymouth, Minnesota. For ticket information call the Plymouth Playhouse Box Office at 763-553-1600 x 1 or visit plymouthplayhouse.com. Tickets are also available online. For group information call 763-383-1073.

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