Church Basement Ladies II - Cornwell's Dinner Theatre playing Vivian - Spring/ Summer 2010

'Church Basement Ladies' cooks up fun
Christopher Tower • For the Enquirer • April 23, 2010


Have you ever wanted to know what goes on in the church basement kitchen? If you didn't learn the secrets of quality Scandinavian food preparation a la northern Minnesota in the first show, "Church Basement Ladies" returns with "The Second Helping" of town gossip, fear of the "cities," and life lessons seen through the window over the basement kitchen counter.


Though the first church basement musical packed the halls of Cornwell's so full in 2008 that the dinner theater ran it again in 2009, this version trumps both with a cast of solid professionals who polish this rough-cut stone into a glittering gem. And if that's not enough to lure people from the blooming spring weather, Cornwell's has installed a new sound system with ample microphones for performers and digital enhancements that separate vocals to provide every seat in the dining hall with perfect acoustics.


Two performers from "Dixie Swim Club" (Amber Burgess and Emily Bodkin) stay on to be church ladies with newcomers (Lyndsey Agron and Madeline Fallier), and they comprise one of the most solid, four-person ensembles ever to grace a Cornwell's stage. Marshall local Alan Elliott rounds out the cast, reprising his role of the Pastor Gunderson.


The show charts out three generations of women who volunteer in the church kitchen. Vivian Snudstad (Burgess) has retired as head of the kitchen. Mavis Gilmerson (Bodkin) is the quintessential farmer's wife with grown children, though not as much seniority as Mrs. Snudstad. Karin Engleson (Agron) fills the second generation of church ladies with a newlywed daughter, a new role as head of the kitchen, and many years ahead of her. Beverly Engelson (Fallier) plays the third generation, a young newlywed and newly pregnant kitchen worker who chooses the small-town Lutheran church over a more fast-paced life in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The women's lives unfurl like a multi-faceted quilt (which is also a prop in the show) through four scenes, two acts, and a dozen musical numbers. Together, in their sanctuary of activity and fellowship, they cope with triumphs and tragedies that life serves them with humor and love. Some of the funniest lines include: "We're Scandinavian; we don't have feelings"; "Happy? We're Lutheran. Happiness has nothing to do with it"; and as a direction of what to do with bad leftovers: "Scrape it into the slop bucket and I'll take it home and give it to the pigs. Keeps 'em regular."
Even the pastor gets into the act, sharing news of the Viking Super Bowl of 1970 instead of the church meeting and learning to play the guitar as the church catches up with the "flower children" of the times. Alan Elliott plays a wonderful straight man to the zaniness of the four ladies.


And the ladies are the delightful main dish. Amber Burgess shows off once again why Top Hat Productions has locked her in to many of this season's shows. She remains consistently in character as Mrs. Snudstad, keeping all movements age-appropriate even when dancing. But at the same time, her low-key performance of the dour widow is brilliantly funny. Emily Bodkin shows the greatest range in the show, playing a character complete unlike the one from "The Dixie Swim Club." Bodkin also really belts out one of the show's earliest and best numbers: "God's Way of Saying."