The Church Basement Ladies in Rise Up, O Men

press release: From the minds and hearts of authors/humorists Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of the best-selling book Growing Up Lutheran, comes the latest chapter to the Church Basement Ladies series, Rise Up, O Men, a brand new musical comedy introducing the men of the church right alongside your favorite ladies from the basement.

As these hard-working farmers discuss “man stuff,” they unintentionally disrupt the order of the kitchen. But that’s what happens when you let the rooster in the hen house. Will you have fun? You betcha!

Rise Up O Men will be performed Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Overture Center Ticket Office (201 State Street), by phone (608.258.4141) or online (overture.org). Groups of 10+ may be eligible for discounted tickets; for information, please call 608.258.4159. This show is appropriate for age 6 and older.

This sidesplitting, uplifting peek into the lives of the rural Norwegian Lutherans who audiences first fell in love with in 2005 is the sixth chapter of the story begun in the original Church Basement Ladies. Rise Up O Men features familiar faces: Mrs. Mavis Gilmerson, Mrs. Vivian Snustad, and Mrs. Karin Engleson who would never leave the basement kitchen unattended, of course (who would make bars for the youth group meeting?). But as they busy themselves with preparations for their church’s participation in the town’s 1964 Centennial Celebration, we get to see their coming and goings from the eyes of the menfolk, who have their own problems to solve.

Karin’s husband Elroy, farmer Carl and Great War vet Arlo are joined in brotherhood by series staple Pastor E.L. Gunderson. Their camaraderie unites them as they deal with furnace salesmen, looming retirement, rival Protestant denominations, the Pastor’s bad jokes, and Arlene’s even-worse cooking.

“We’re ready to introduce some new faces to the many fans who’ve become part of the Church Basement Ladies family over the years,” said Troupe America’s Curt Wollan, who has produced all six of the shows. “We’ve also got a lineup of original musical numbers that we’ve caught our preview audiences humming on the way out of the theatre — between the belly laughs and the songs, Rise Up O Men is an exciting addition to the Church Basement Ladies canon.”

This latest chapter in the lives of these rural Minnesota Norwegians was developed by Greta Grosch, who wrote the scripts for the second, third, fourth, and fifth musicals in the series. Longtime Minneapolis Star Tribune theatre critic Graydon Royce contributed additional material. Composer and songwriter Dennis Curley wrote the music, with lyrics by Dennis Curley and Greta Grosch.

What critics are saying:

“… as comfortable as a pair of well-worn shoes.” Minneapolis Star Tribune

“It’s apparent that behind every Church Basement Lady is a man who loves them and says, ‘Yes dear’… a lot!  Sensational fun as always with that Lutheran pizazz!”                                  -      Pam Lundell, KTIS Radio

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies, and hundreds of local artists engage nearly half a million people in educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org