Derby Dinner’s “Church Basement Ladies” will have you rolling in the aisles.

Derby Dinner’s “Church Basement Ladies” will have you rolling in the aisles.

            There ought to be a law against having to appear onstage with Rita Durbin, but in Derby Dinner Playhouse’s production of “Church Basement Ladies,” Tina Jo Wallace gives more than she takes. With her ‘stinkeye,’ Durbin, makes most characters back down until she gets her way. Wallace takes the comic approach. Her performance is virtual slapstick with pratfalls, unique ways of opening doors and using props in unmatched ways. Does this sound like I enjoyed the evening? Yes, I did.

            “Church…Ladies” is a musical, and while the songs are bouncy, they are imminently forgettable, with the exception of the blues-tinged ballad, “For Good,” and the peppy “Sing a New Song” which you might be humming as you leave. The action takes place in a Minnesota Lutheran Church basement. If you don’t keep up with Garrison Keillor and the folks at Lake Woebegone, you may not be familiar with the idiosyncracies of Midwestern Lutherans. Ya! The four ladies who control this kitchen for all church functions have their own hierarchy from the iron-fisted boss, Vivian Snustad (Rita Durban) to the young college student Signe Engelson (Michelle Johnson). Karin Engelson (Janet Essenpreis) is Signe’s mother. The fourth member of this musketeer band is the rambunctious Mavis, played by Ms. Wallace. Cary Wiger is the much put-upon pastor E. L. Gunderson.

            This comedy is divided into four scenes, each celebrating an event in the church year. First, is the Christmas Lutefisk Dinner (Dec. 1964). Second is a very sad, and personal, funeral in Feb. 1965. Starting the second act is a very important event, the once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian Easter Holiday Getaway Furnace Fundraiser, complete with Hawaiian Easter Bunny (Spring 1965). Last is the Wedding Reception for a marriage that has been discussed, argued without conclusion, and has created temporary hard feelings in 1968.

            This production will continue at Derby Dinner Playhouse through September 25. For tickets and performance times, call 1 (812) 288-8281, or go online to www.derbydinner.com. Also go online to see the complete lineup of the Children’s Musical Theatre Season.

            “Church Basement Ladies” is a nicely rounded show in which most of the entertainment comes from how the players carry out the director’s instructions. The humor comes from the performing, not the page. Enjoy yourselves!