Salem theater offers ‘Church Basement Ladies’

Staff report

SALEM

Salem Community Theater will present “Church Basement Ladies,” a musical comedy that reflects the characters found in just about every church in every city.

The production, which opens Friday and runs for two consecutive weekends, is the first performance of the show by a community theater in Northeast Ohio. Salem recently obtained the rights to it after years of trying.

Directed by Mark Frost, “Ladies” takes place in the church basement kitchen of East Cornucopia Lutheran Church of the Prairie, a small rural church in a small town in Minnesota. Set amid the social changes of 1964 to 1968, it follows the five-member cast through the various food- related events of the church year, and features clever and comedic lyrics.

The musical is inspired by the humorous book “Growing Up Lutheran” by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, published in 1997.

The stage production premiered in 2005 with a book by Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuehlke, and music and lyrics by Drew Jansen, and had years of success as a touring production nationwide.

From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen, Vivian Snustad (played by Jody Lewis), to the young bride-to-be Signe (Ally Depanicis) who needs to learn the proper order of things, we see the stalwart church ladies handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter fundraiser and a steaming hot July wedding.

Rosalyn Blystone portrays Signe’s mother, Karin Engleson, and Pastor Kari Lankford – who is an actual Lutheran minister – plays Mavis Gilmerson, the strong and steady jackie-of-all-trades.

“The plot contains plenty of elements and characters that anyone ever exposed to a church kitchen will recognize,” said SCT Managing Director Gary Kekel, who plays the church’s calm and steady minister, Pastor Gunderson, and also serves as music director. Choreography is handled by Joanna Andrei.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $15 ($11 for seniors and $9 for 17 and under). Group discount rates are available. Call the box office at 330-332-9688.