CAPA presents Church Basement Ladies at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St., from Aug. 5-9.

The production features M*A*S*H star William Christopher and is a celebration of church basement kitchens everywhere and the unsung women who work there. This comedy takes a glimpse at life from the heart and soul of the church — the kitchen.

Set in 1964-65, the new musical comedy is a funny, heartfelt reflection on four women who tirelessly prepare food and solve problems for the congregation of a rural Minnesota church about to undergo changes. From the elderly matriarch of the kitchen to the young bride-to-be learning the proper order of things, the ladies handle a record-breaking Christmas dinner, the funeral of a dear friend, a Hawaiian Easter fund raiser and a hot July wedding.

Church Basement Ladies uses the renowned Scandinavian Lutheran humor writings of The Lutheran Ladies, by Janet Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of a host of humorous books including Growing Up Lutheran. The script was written by Jessica Zuehlke and Jim Stowell with music and lyrics by composer Drew Jansen, who also wrote the long-running hit musical How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical.

Christopher plays Pastor E.L. Gunderson. He has appeared in several guests roles on shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and That Girl, as well as on M*A*S*H as Father Mulcahy.

Tickets are $42.50, $37.50, and $27.50 and are available at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. 

For more information, visit www.capa.com.