Get in the spirit with the church ladies at Hemmens

Submitted by Hemmens

The church ladies are back again for the musical, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement,” the fourth installment in the hilarious and heartwarming “Church Basement Ladies” series at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way in downtown Elgin. Performances are at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23. Tickets are on sale now: $40 for Golden Circle, $30 for main floor and $22 for the balcony at www.hemmens.org or at the box office at (847) 931-5900. Group discounts available.

Travel back to 1960 and join the ladies as they face the changing tide. In “A Mighty Fortress Is Our Basement,” a reformation is under way. Beverly, the youngest of the bunch, is growing up. Mrs. Snustad, the matriarch of the kitchen, wins top honors at the County Fair for her “Grand Champion” pickles. Mavis, the able-bodied farm wife, has to find a way to deal with the new “super highway” which cuts through her farm. Karin, the homemaker, must reconcile with a new world. And Pastor has found love and is getting married. These charming pillars of the church stand strong in their faith and friendships with more crazy antics, great new songs and more lessons reluctantly learned.

All four installments of “The Church Basement Ladies” are inspired by the books of author/humorists Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, including the best-seller “Growing Up Lutheran.” The family-friendly script from sketch comedy writer, Greta Grosch, and music by composer Drew Jansen, have audiences falling in love with these residents of the church basement and they all agree that each new installment gets better and better.