"Down to the Cities and Back on I-35 with the WT's"
On April 19, a group of ten women from our communities made an excursion to Plymouth (a Minneapolis suburb) to attend the production of The Church Basement Ladies at the Plymouth Playhouse. They left in two vehicles and stopped at Tobie's in Hinckley for lunch (which was great). When they were leaving the parking lot, Jodie offered a box of candy to Jo to share with the women in Tee's car. Much to the amazement of everyone, she took the box of candy to Tee's car and off they drove! Fortunately, through the technology of cell 'phones, Jodie called Tee and had the scofflaws return the box of chocolates which was meant for "sharing" and not "keeping." Obviously, that got the rest of the trip off to a light-hearted approach for these women.
The group arrived at the Best Western Kelly Inn without further problems and checked into their rooms. Since it was still early and there was plenty of time before dinner, they did what only a group of Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists from a small town would do when turned loose in "The Cities"--they went to the bar for a drink! Clockwise Below: Laurie (in red), Mary, Jo, Tee, Pat, Naomi, Sharon and Elsie.
The group had decided to wear aprons to the performance of the play, just to get in the spirit of it. Mary had plenty of her aprons for us to wear--in fact, she ironed them in her room after we arrived (See the link on the right for Mary's Productions)! The women had the nerve (perhaps it was because of the drinks in the bar beforehand) to move the sign for the play and have their photos taken with it. Below, they are all in their "apron finery" before eating dinner at the Green Mill, part of the complex where they attended the play. There was a group of Red Hat women in the restaurant and the WT's decided that they didn't need a group like that since they have each other! Below:Front (L to R): Mary, Sharon and Jodie. Back: Laurie, Jo, Tee, Pat, Naomi, Helen and Elsie.
The tour guide had arranged for very good seats for this performance of the play. Below: Sharon, Naomi, Elsie and Laurie (back) and Helen, Mary, Pat and Tee (front) read the program as they wait for the production to start.
Below: Jo, Sharon, Naomi, Elsie and Laurie (back) and Jodie, Helen, Mary and Pat (front). The group made quite a "hit" in their aprons. Before the play, some people thought they were part of the cast and others wondered if they should have been wearing aprons also.
The play was fantastic! The story takes place in the kitchen of a church basement. There are five characters: the minister, the organist, three women who prepare the meals/refreshments for church events, and the college-age daughter of one of the women. In the first scene, they prepare for the December, 1964, lutefisk dinner during a blizzard and during which the minister keeps coming down to the basement to tell them that the number of people who will be attending keeps on growing. The three older women are hilarious as they explain the food and how things work to the younger woman. A funny song is "The Pale Food Polka." In the second scene the longtime church custodian has died and they are preparing the food for after the funeral. The minister keeps coming down to say that the sanctuary keeps getting colder and colder. Finally, Mavis, one of the cooks goes to try to fix the furnace. The upshot is that it cannot be fixed that day but she discovers a wood heater and a pile of wood. It turns out that Willie (the deceased custodian) had it piled and saved for just such an emergency. The funniest song in this scene is the "Dead Spread" about the food for the event (and a discussion of the lasagna--and how inappropriate it is--that the minister's "new" wife had prepared for it). The third act takes place at Easter--a Hawaiian Easter dinner. The costumes and the placement of the coconuts for the "sagging" women is a riot. There is much discussion about the younger woman and "The Cities" and how young people change when they leave home. Their concern is that she might be falling for a Catholic young man. The final scene takes place three years later as they prepare for the wedding of the younger woman and her "cold feet" that day. One of the songs in this scene, "For Good," was near and dear to Mary's heart. The older woman sings a song to the young bride about using things and not saving them "for good." Mary is always telling us and her seminar attendees that they should use their linen and silver often and not to let it sit in drawers and cupboards waiting for the appropriate moment--any event is a "for good" time to use it! Obviously, we loved seeing the various aprons that they wore for each of the scenes. After the curtain call, the characters ran up the aisle and out the door. As they passed us, one of the women tapped Jodie on the shoulder and said, "Love your aprons!" So we were noticed!
Above: After the curtain call, the actors formed a reception line so that we could greet them. Left to right: Mrs. Lars Snustad (who had us all rolling in the aisles with her facial expressions and comments), Mrs. Elroy Engelson (mother of the bride), Pastor Gunderson, Signe, and Mavis (who was hilarious with her kitchen solutions to her hot flashes).
Naomi and Sharon greet the actors who mentioned the aprons once again.
Helen and Jo share a laugh with "Vivian Snustad."
After the play the group stood around as people came up to ask questions about the aprons. One group of women from Wisconsin wanted the information sheets that Mary had prepared. They commented that they liked the aprons better than "certain colored hats!" And what did these Walkie Talkies think about the play? "It was outstanding! Any woman who has worked on lunches after church events can identify with these 'Church Basement Ladies'."After a great night of sleep and probably some laughter about remembered scenes and lines, the women enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel and left around 9:00 a.m. They stopped for about an hour of shopping at an outlet mall and then ate at Applebee's in Cloquet on the way home. The one group shared the chocolates with the members in the other vehicle (this time they were sure to get the box back!). Mary entertained the group in Jodie's van by reading the Personals from the City Pages. One area that was particularly interesting had to do with speed dating; the group decided that it might be worthwhile to set up a speed dating event in town when they return!
What is their next plan? Jo wants them to set up a trip to Chicago to get on the Oprah Show! We'll have to follow the Walkie Talkies to see what they will do next! One never knows with this group of crazy and active women!
End of Article.
Trip Trivia
1. Which two women (who just happened to share a room) forgot their nightgowns? Better yet--what did they do?
2. Who sleeps with her head wrapped in something very interesting?
Our lips are sealed--we will never tell--because "What happens in Plymouth, stays in Plymouth!"
