Church Basement Ladies Tickets | Schedule for 2024/2025 Events

Church Basement Ladies

Featuring music and lyrics by Drew Jansen and a book by Jim Stowell and Jessica Zuehlke, Church Basement Ladies is a musical comedy. The musical was performed in 2005 in Plymouth, Minnesota, followed by a premiere on the West Coast in 2009.

It is based on Growing Up Lutheran, a humorous book by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. The book was published in 1997 and is defined as a scrapbook of memories of how life was in the 1950s in the Lutheran Midwest.

The duo is fondly called ‘those Lutheran Ladies.’ They wrote more books with the same theme, which were made into the sequels of the musical Church Basement Ladies. There are about eight sequels to the musical.

Plot and Characters

Church Basement Ladies is the story of ladies who cook in the church basement to provide meals for church functions and events. The musical has six characters- four ladies who form the title characters, Pastor E. L. Gunderson, and the church organist.

Mrs. Vivian Lars Snustad, Mrs. Mavis Gilmer Gilmerson, Mrs. Karin Elroy Engleson, and Signe Engleson (Karin's daughter) are the four church basement ladies.

The musical is divided into two acts. The first act consists of seven songs and deals with a Christmas dinner and Willie’s funeral. The second act also has seven songs and presents a Hawaiian Easter dinner and a wedding.

The musical shows how life goes on and the relationships between the ladies who cook in the church basement and cater food to various happy and sad events through the years.

The ladies belong to different age groups, ranging from an elderly matriarch to a young bride-to-be who goes to the kitchen to learn cooking and stuff. They handle a massive Christmas dinner, the funeral of a friend they cherished, a fundraiser, and a hot July wedding.

It’s up to these four ladies to select the recipes, debate the ingredients, cook for hundreds of people, and prevent several disasters. They also have the responsibility to keep the pastor on the course.

At the same time, life isn’t all work and stress. They have fun, light fights, and strengthen bonds with each other. The musical is a delightful and humble blend of recipes, loads of food, and life in a small town.

The production company tours the US and Canada to perform the musical and sequels in different regions.