“Away in the Basement: A Church Basement Ladies Christmas" at the University of Dubuque -- December 5.
Tuesday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
A sweetly nostalgic look at holiday traditions and life in rural America, the touring production of the musical-comedy hit Away in the Basement: A Church Basement Ladies Christmas will be performed in the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on December 5, the family-friendly production a holiday-themed sequel to the national audience favorite Church Basement Ladies.
In Away in the Basement, the series' quartet of meal-cooking Lutheran Minnesota ladies are serving it up again, taking audiences back to 1959 and the day of the annual Sunday School Christmas Program. In the midst of the holiday preparations and sprinklings of love in the air, the ladies, in their witty, down-to-earth style, are creating their own memories from Christmases past and present. Content to do things the way they have always been done yet pondering new ideas, the reality of everyday life hits home as they plan the seasonal presentation.
As the children rehearse up in the sanctuary, several of the ladies of the kitchen are finishing up the treat bags filled with apples, peanuts, and ribbon candy, while others put the final touches on the nativity pieces. And as they mend old bathrobe costumes and discuss the politics of who’s going to play the various roles, little do the ladies know what surprises are in store for them. Known for their hilarious antics and subtle charm, the Church Basement Ladies are once again called upon to step in and save the day.
With the show's music and lyrics by Drew Jansen and book by Greta Grosch, Away in the Basement: A Church Basement Ladies Christmas opened at Minnesota's Plymouth Playhouse in November of 2009, and is the third installment in the successful production of the Church Basement Ladies musical comedy. All of the series' entries have been inspired by the books of author/humorists Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson, including the bestseller Growing Up Lutheran: What Does This Mean. The University of Dubuque's touring production is produced by Troupe America, and the theatre piece will be held in tandem with a 6:30 p.m. pre-show reception for Narratives by Ioana Mamali: What You See Is What Might Be, an exhibit on display in the Bisignano Art Gallery from December 1 through 29.
Away in the Basement: A Church Basement Ladies Christmas will be presented the the John & Alice Butler Hall of the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on December 5, admission to the 7:30 p.m. performance is $31-49, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/heritagecenter.
