LaComdia musical hits comic notes

"Church Basement Ladies" may have a slight script but it was a boatload of laughs in the current show at the LaComedia Dinner Theatre in Springboro.
Based on the book "Growing Up Lutheran," the two-act musical features three women and one teen-age girl who make meals in a small church kitchen in a rural Minnesota town. The quartet of cooks prepares meals for big church events. Along the way, they gossip a bit, joke a bit and solve various personal problems. They also keep the church pastor on the right course, too.
Call they funny, call them bossy. But they sure know how to have fun.
About a dozen passable short songs and some choreography are sprinkled throughout the show. Without question, however, the real highlight on the evening is the comic acting performances.
Kudos to the entire cast of Becky Barrett Jones as Karin, Chelsea Lewis as Signe, Karin's daughter, Janet Brucken as the wacky Mavis, Denise Cox as the steadfast Vivian, and Chris Kramer as dedicated Pastor Gunderson. The ensemble is right on target, performing together as a comic unit. Moreover, each woman performs various "solo" bits -- some in the hammy mold -- in the LaComedia spotlight, prompting guffaws from the audience.
"Church Basement Ladies," directed by Minnesota resident Curt Wollan, has a nice Norwegian influence in the dialect. Most theatergoers, regardless of religious preference, can easily relate to the comic situations presented in this very funny production.
For ticket information, call (800) 677-9505.