Wednesday, March 28, through Saturday, May 12
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
For the third mainstage production in its 2017-18 season, Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, from March 28 through May 12, will present the sixth presentation in a hugely successful musical-comedy series – The Church Basement Ladies in: Rise Up, O Men!, a follow-up to the Minnesota-set smash that, according to TwinCities.com, boasts “plenty of physical comedy” and “a lot of charm and humor.”
Written by Greta Grosh and Graydon Royce, and composed by Dennis Curley, this latest entry in the Church Basement Ladies reunites audiences with the tireless food-prep team of Mavis, Karin, and Vivian, but finally introduces them to characters frequently discussed but never before seen: the men of this rural Minnesota church. As these hard-working farmers discuss their scrap-lumber piles and the benefits of soldering versus welding, they unintentionally distrupt the order of the church-basement kitchen, causing no end of problems beyond Mavis' hot flashes, Karin's missing ring, and the church pastor's unwise aspirations about becoming a comedian.
Directing Rise Up, O Men! is Circa '21 veteran Curt Wollan, whose credits for the theatre include Ring of Fire, Southern Crossroads, and several previous Church Basement Ladies presentations. Travis Smith serves as music director, and in addition to venue newcomer Jeff March, the cast is composed of a quintet of familiar Circa '21 faces: Kay Francis (The Music Man), Brad Hauskins (Shear Madness), Deborah Kennedy (Freaky Friday), Rachelle Walljasper (Fiddler on the Roof), and her husband Tom Walljasper (Elf: The Musical).
In addition to its preview performances on March 28 and 29, The Church Basement Ladies in: Rise Up, O Men! will be performed Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:45 p.m.; Sundays at 5:45 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. All shows will be preceded by meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visiting Circa21.com.
