Stories, secrets and surprises
Stories behind the creation of the hit CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES musical franchise.
How "Signe" become Beverly. (And why she suddenly turned blond.)
For the first few years of the shows, costumers had the freedom to wig the young actress playing Beverly/Signe as they saw fit. However, in CBL3 (a Christmas show), it was determined that the character always played Mary in the Christmas program, AND the blue percale bed sheet costume looked "so pretty" with her blond hair. So, from thereon, Beverly/Signe would be a blond.
In CBL1 the young character is called Signe. In the other eight versions of the show she is Beverly. Why the name change? The original scriptwriters chose the name Signe because of its Norwegian roots. The authors of the source material argued that, in the 30's and 40's, children of Norwegian immigrants were often given nice plain names (like Janet and Suzann, for example.) A solution came in CBL2 when it was determined the character's full name was Beverly Signe Engleson, and during the years of CBL1, she was using her middle name (Signe) as an act of Lutheran rebellion. Everybody wins
Super Bowl IV: The Vikings vs the Kansas City Chiefs
While the shows take place in a fictional kitchen, the team strives for historical accuracy, whether they are referencing TANG, the Vietnam War or Eisenhower's Super Highway. Act 2 of CBL2 opens on Jan 11, 1970, the day of Super Bowl IV - the Minnesota Vikings vs the Kansas City Chiefs. The creative team found footage of the game and was able to recreate some of the actual play by play on stage. The Chiefs may have won that year, but the Vikings did score one touchdown. North Dakota native Dave Osborn got ahold of the ball on the Kansas City 4 yard line and turned it into a touchdown! Mr. Osborn paid a visit to the Church Basement in 2008 and met the ladies. We're trying to track down that picture!
The decision to have Elroy pass away.
In CBL2, Karin's husband passes away. There was a great deal of discussion about whether of not this was a good "plot point" for a musical comedy. The authors of the source material, Janet and Suzann, were both widows at the time and pointed out that, for a large portion of our audience, surviving the death of a spouse would be a relevant issue. While the shows are certainly a lot of fun, the team also strives to reflect the very real joys and struggles of our audience. After all, this is their story, too.
Sidebar: In CBL5 our little church closes. There there was discussion if the death of the church should also mark Vivian's passing. But Vivian is a survivor so, instead of a funeral, CBL5 ends with a wedding for Vivian. Audiences were surprised and delighted at this positive turn of events.
Have any celebrities ever done these shows?
A number of television celebrities have spent some time in the basement, including William Christopher of MASH and Barry Williams of THE BRADY BUNCH as Pastor, and Cindy Williams of LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY as Karin.
Brief history of the Lutheran church.
In the late 1800's, the church was the center of the many small farm communities scattered thruout the Midwest, and each church reflected the heritage of its founders. Our little Lutheran church is a Protestant church descended from the Norwegian Synod, later the Hauge Synod, and continued to hold services in Norwegian well into the 1940's. By 1960, after a series of mergers, our church becomes part of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), which becomes the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1988. The ALC first ordained women as pastors in 1970.
Where is the fictional church located?
Our fictional church is located in the rich Red River Valley of northwestern Minnesota, approximately 200 miles north of "the Cities," near the border of North Dakota. Fargo is the nearest big city, and Eisenhower's Super Highway would, indeed, have run right thru some of our communities good farmland. (CBL4) Vivian's ancestors likely donated the land for the church and the cemetery.
Where do your come up with your ideas?
Ideas for the show come from a number of places. The authors of the source material, Janet and Suzann, are prolific writers with a large collection of humorous books. Members of the creative team draw upon their personal experiences - CBL5 was inspired by the Emmy Award winning documentary DELEFIELD, about the closing of a rural Lutheran church in the 1990's. And audience members often make suggestions. After Beverly mentions she can't "wait to get confirmed and become an adult" in CBL3, audiences told us, "Well, now we have to see her get confirmed." And CBL4 was underway!
When did you know you had a hit?
The first run of the original show was sold out 6 months in advance of opening. Midwestern audiences were eager to see a story about themselves. Farmers and church basements are NOT the topic of many blockbusters and, when the curtain opened for that very first show, the audience gasped in delight and recognition. They saw the aproned ladies, and the lime green walls of the kitchen and they knew, this was their story!
