Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island again serves up a satisfying helping of nostalgia, tradition and warm-hearted, wonderful entertainment in its latest production.
Resurrecting its biggest-selling show of all time, “Church Basement Ladies” is back at the table here after 17 years – not only with the beloved Circa veteran Tom Walljasper reprising his role as the pastor, but his wife Shelley and daughter Krianna in leading roles as well.
An immensely talented 21-year-old Moline High alum, Krianna is a natural, genuine and winning presence on stage, playing the fresh-faced Signe, who traverses major life transitions in the show – including college, love and her wedding. Krianna (who’s already in performed in over a dozen professional productions and a recent CBL national tour) confidently holds her own next to her strong folks.
It’s easy to see why the CBL series (among nine musicals set in a rural Minnesota Lutheran parish) is so popular at Circa and nationwide. It’s the ultimate theatrical comfort food – easy to digest, tasty, and non-threatening.
The five characters here are relatable and like family members – each quirky in their own way, but endearing, dedicated and they want the best for everyone.
Shelley has been in other CBLs at Circa (but not the first one), always playing Mavis, more a comic character, and this is her fourth one. The last one was “You Smell Barn” in 2021, which Tom was not in. She is Vivian now, the role she was on tour, and Tom reprises his popular role as Pastor E.L. Gunderson, a character he first performed at Circa 17 years ago.
Other members of the solid, energetic ensemble include Bootlegger and mainstage performer Sydney Dexter Richardson as Karin, and making her Circa ’21 debut, Kathy Day as Mavis.
A celebration of the church-basement kitchen and the women who work there, the original CBL features four distinct female characters and focuses on their relationships as they organize the food and solve the problems of a Minnesota church about to undergo changes in 1965 (the plot ends in 1968).
From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, we see them handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter fundraiser, and a steaming hot July wedding. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the pastor on course while thoroughly enjoying (and tolerating) each other as the “steel magnolias” of the church.
Before the current production, Circa’s frequent entries of CBL have been:
- 2007 – CBL 1 – same one they’re doing now
- 2010 – “A Second Helping”
- 2013 – “A Mighty Fortress”
- 2015 – “Last Potluck Supper”
- 2018 – “Rise Up O Men”
- 2021 — “You Smell Barn”
CBL has been so successful since its 2005 debut that it has inspired no fewer than eight stage sequels, the most recent of which – Church Basement Ladies in “Plowin’ Thru” – had its world premiere at the Ames Center in Burnsville, Minn., in September 2022.
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In addition to touring nationally, the musicals have been licensed in all contiguous 48 states and Canada, and it is estimated that more than four million audience members have attended CBL and its sequels. Three of Circa’s top 10 selling shows have been CBLs.
Under the expert, clear direction and choreography of Circa ’21 veteran Andrea Moore, the new production plucks at your heartstrings like a harp virtuoso, with heavenly results.
Among many highlights are Tom Walljasper’s touching, meaningful “Song For Willie,” Krianna’s beautiful, shining “Sing a New Song,” and Shelley’s tender, moving “For Good.”
Krianna and Sydney’s sprightly duet “This is Most Certainly True” is cute and irresistible; the funny “The Cities” posits the dreaded Minneapolis/St. Paul as a “smorgasbord of sin” compared to the wholesome prairie, and Kathy Day’s sunny “My Own Personal Island” is a tropical delight that portends a preview of another Circa musical later this season (for the older crowd), “Menopause.”
There are bountiful, glorious harmonies (as well as vital life lessons) throughout CBL, and opening night was so fitting as it fell on International Women’s Day, as well as during the holy season of Lent (Easter will be Sunday, March 31).
After bows on Friday, Tom stayed at the edge of the stage to recall a memorable night 17 years ago when his glasses flew off and slid across the freezer on stage (which plays a key role itself in the story).
“It’s one of the things I love about theater – there’s a little bit of inherent danger,” he told the audience. “A number of things can go wrong…What we experienced tonight, no one else will see the exact same thing. It’s different every time.” That makes live theater truly exhilarating.
Yet what is comforting and attractive about favored shows or pieces of art can precisely be their familiarity and dependable sameness. Tom may not be the same as he was or give the same portrayal as he did in 2007, but we can depend on his razor sharp, empathetic delivery of the pastor. And though Krianna wasn’t Signe 17 years ago, we can still admire the wide-eyed, eager young woman embracing her life’s adventures.
Show details
“Church Basement Ladies” will be presented at Circa through April 27, with performances on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:15 p.m. Pre-show entertainment featuring the theatre’s wait staff the Bootleggers will precede all performances.
The CBL great pre-show is a divine medley, including “Faith,” “Say a Little Prayer,” “Livin’ On a Prayer,” “Spirit in the Sky,” “Like A Prayer,” “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” “Missing an Angel” and “Let It Be.”
Tickets are $63 for the Friday-through-Sunday dinner-and-show productions and $56 for all Wednesday performances, available at the box office (1828 Third Ave., Rock Island) or by calling 309-786-7733 ext. 2.
While you’re there, be sure to check out the lobby merchandise table, which includes CBL aprons, and a variety of cookbooks chock full of recipes (everything from casseroles, soups and salads, to appetizers and desserts) from area residents. For more information, visit the Circa website HERE.
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