Musical comedy and original plays onstage at Shawnee
Head up to the Poconos this weekend, where you can choose between a humorous musical comedy inspired by a best-selling book, or original short plays written by local playwrights.
On Friday, Shawnee Playhouse in Shawnee on Delaware opens both “Church Basement Ladies,” and presents performances of winning plays from its annual Shawnee Original Playwright Series contest.
“Church Basement Ladies” which runs Aug. 16 through Sept. 1, is inspired by the hit comedy book “Growing Up Lutheran,” by Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson. Published in 1997, “Growing Up Lutheran” is a humorous “scrapbook of memories” of what it was like to grow up Lutheran in the Midwest in the 1950s.
Martin and Nelson began performing as “Those Lutheran Ladies” around the country and joined forces with Curt Wollan, executive producer of the Twin Cities-based production company Troupe America, to turn the material into a musical comedy. Wollan wanted to create a show that celebrates the women who work so hard and with such dedication in church kitchens whether Lutheran, Methodist, Jewish or Catholic.
“I know about these “Steel Magnolias” of the church, because my mother was one of them while I was growing up,” WolIan says.
Wollan commissioned creative writing team Jim Stowell (one of Minnesota’s favorite storytellers) and Jessica Zuehlke (a performance arts educator) to develop the book. They collaborated with composer/songwriter Drew Jansen, known for the hit musical “How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical.”
Since then, Martin and Nelson’s writings have inspired six sequel “Church Basement Ladies” musicals.
Set in 1965, “Church Basement Ladies” follows four women who work in the church basement cooking meals for church functions, and their relationships as they organize the food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church.
From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, the musical gives a touching, funny look at these women’s lives as they handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian-themed Easter fundraiser, and a wedding in a steaming hot July. They stave off potential disasters, share and debate recipes, instruct the young, and keep the pastor on due course while tolerating each other.
At 7 p.m. Friday Shawnee’s Worthington Players will produce five of the winning plays from its Original Playwright Series contest. The winning plays will be presented on three consecutive Friday nights.
Plays include “The A Word” by Lisa Ellex, and “Two Friends in a Bar” and “To Be Alone” by David Hess (one-act-winners) and “Longshot” by Aren Haun and “The Dementia Monologues” by Marylou Ambrose (shorts winners).
Ellex is a jazz vocalist, who also writes poetry, prose, and music pieces for various publications. She is the host of the podcast, “Its Your Thing,” on www.WYLD.fm.
Hess’s plays are from short stories in his book “Damaged,” and were adapted by Frank Sabina.
Haun has been writing and directing his own work for over 20 years, including productions such as “Kill the Editor” at Exit Theatre in San Francisco and “Froth” at the Beckman
Theatre in New York City.
Each year, the Shawnee Playhouse encourages local playwrights to submit their original and unpublished works for a chance to win the playwright contest and have their play produced. This year, each submission was read by volunteer actors over several weeks.The public was invited to listen to the readings of the original plays and had a chance to vote and comment on each work.
The winners also include the full-length play winner “Country Fried Murder” by Judy Klass, which will be produced Sept. 14, 15, 21 and 22.
“Church Basement Ladies,” 2 p.m. Aug. 16, 18, 22-23, 25, 29-30 and Sept. 1; 8 p.m. Aug. 17, 24 and 31, Shawnee Playhouse,
552 River Road, Shawnee on Delaware. Tickets:$16-$26.
“Shawnee Original Playwright Series,” 7 p.m. Aug. 16, 23 and 30, Shawnee Playhouse, 552 River Road, Shawnee on Delaware. Tickets: $12-19. 570-421-5093, www.the shawneeplayhouse.com.
Murder Mystery at Kutztown Winery
Revisit the bar “where everyone knows your name,” when Without A Cue Productions presents the spoof murder mystery/dinner “Cheers! to Murder” Friday at Folino Estate in Kutztown.
It’s a sad day for some of the sitcom’s memorable characters, Sam, Diane, Carla and Cliff, when one of their own — Norm has passed away, and they have all gathered for his wake.
However, it seems Norm died at a bar and the circumstances surrounding his demise are questionable. In this interactive performance, accusations fly, tempers become heated, pasts uncovered, and anyone, including the audience could become the murderer’s next victim.
Included is a four-course gourmet buffet-style dinner, which includes dishes such as antipasti, penne pasta, grilled Tuscan herb salmon, chicken parmigiana, tiramisu and more.
“Cheers! to Murder,” 6 p.m. Aug. 16, Folino Estate, 340 Old Route 22, Kutztown.Tickets: $65. 484-452-3633, www.folinoestate.com.
‘Hamilton’ to premier in Philadelphia
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash musical about the life of American founding father Alexander Hamilton makes its Philadelphia premiere when “Hamilton” comes to the Forrest Theatre as part of the 2018/19 Broadway Philadelphia season presented by Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization.
“Hamilton” follows the story of the titular character, an immigrant from the West
Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation’s first treasury secretary. The show features a distinctive score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and Broadway, and the book, music, and lyrics were written by Miranda based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton.
The musical made its off-Broadway debut at The Public Theater in February 2015, where it sold out. The show transferred to Broadway in August 2015 where it was critically aclaimed and had record advance box office sales. In 2016, “Hamilton” received a record-setting 16 Tony nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical, and was also the recipient of the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“’Hamilton’ has injected fresh interest into Broadway as a genre, and it’s invigorating for Broadway buffs and new theatergoers alike,” says Crystal Brewe, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Kimmel Center.
The touring production features direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire.
Tickets have limited availability.
“Hamilton,” Aug. 27 to Nov. 17, Forrest Theatre, 1114 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Tickets: $169-$499. 800-447-7400, Telecharge.com.
Kathy Lauer-Williams is a contributing writer.