1990s

2010s - 2000s - 1980s - 1970s

by Susan Yankowitz

Night Sky revolves around a young astronomer named Anna. After a tragic car accident, Anna is faced with aphasia, a disorder in which the brain cannot process thoughts into words effectively. Night Sky pulls the audience into Anna's mind of confusion as she struggles to grasp the language she once communicated so well.

Rags depicts life at the turn of the century when hundreds of thousands of immigrants journeyed to America in search of new opportunities and in hope of fulfilling their dreams.

by Neil Simon

Rumors was produced on Broadway in 1988 and lives up to Neil Simon’s history. Set at a dinner party in a New York City townhouse, the play revolves around four couples trying to cover up rumors that eventually lead to utter chaos.

Pippin is a musical about a young man who takes the audience on an unpredictable and crazy journey through war, politics, and love as he searches for "complete fulfillment".

 by Neil Simon

Fools features the antics of the village of Kulyenchnikov, located deep in the heart of Mother Russia. A century old curse has been placed upon the entire population, causing the inhabitants to be doomed to stupidity.

The Music Man is a nostalgic and heart-warming comedy about lovable con-man Harold Hill and the people of River City, Iowa. The show made its debut on Broadway in 1957 and is filled with favorite showstoppers like "Seventy Six Trombones", "Till There Was You", and "Gary, Indiana".

by David Ives

All in the Timing is a joyride through six hysterical comedy masterpieces. This critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit is just plain fun. Audiences saw Shakespeare through monkey’s eyes, were the first to learn the universal language, met the Lindbergh baby, and saw true love when they least expected it.

When a postulant proves too high-spirited for the religious life, she is dispatched to serve as governess for the seven children of a widowed naval captain. Her growing rapport with the youngsters, coupled with her generosity of spirit, gradually captures the heart of the stern captain.

by Samuel Marshak

After spending nearly a month in Russia, the students of Poplar Pike Playhouse returned home with an intriguing Russian children’s tale, Twelve Months. Russian-born director Leonid Mazor, guest director for the production, chose this adaptation of a Russian fairy tale to entertain both children and adults alike. This was the Mid-South premiere of this fanciful fable.

The Secret Garden is a heart-warming story about a young girl named Mary who, after her parent's death, is whisked away to her uncle’s gloomy mansion where she discovers an unkempt garden which she nurses back to health.

The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world. The story is very simple, a playful variation of the Romeo and Juliet theme, but the style of the show is quite sophisticated. Melodic, humorous, at times sentimental, it manages to be both simple and complex at the same time.

This musical was premiered for the first time in the world at the Poplar Pike Playhouse. Can’t Stop Dancin’ is an original review conceived and directed by Tony Award winner Charles Strouse. This extraordinary musical not only featured young actors and actresses but also spoke in the voices of young people today. His wife, the acclaimed choreographer Barbara Siman, staged the dance sequences for the show.

This captivating musical is a tale of love, loss, and redemption performed by a group of island peasants as they wait out a violent storm. The legend they tell is of a young peasant girl who falls in love with a rich boy. Filtered through their faith and imaginations, the peasants tell the story of the girl’s destiny. With a calypso flavored score using simple language and continuous song and dance, this re-telling of The Little Mermaid delivers melody, love and joy in tropical abundance.

This extraordinary musical is about an international chess match between the American and Soviet champions. Set during the Cold War, the story evolves into a highly dramatic tale of love and international intrigue.

by Larry Shue

This ingenious and imaginative comedy was written by Larry Shue. The action centers on the hilarious dilemma of a young architect who is visited by a man he has never met, but who saved his life in Vietnam. The man turns out to be a hopelessly inept "nerd". As the situation becomes increasingly more ridiculous, the architect is left with no other alternative but to contemplate violence.

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The Poplar Pike Playhouse presented the long-awaited return of an American favorite in the spring of 1992. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! delighted Playhouse audiences in 1977. Fifteen years later the Playhouse was at it again as they presented the 1992 revival production.

by John Olive

The Voice of the Prairie is a play about a man named David Quinn who is discovered by radio entrepreneur Leon Schwab. David tells tales of Frankie, the blind girl he rescued from a cruel father, and becomes famous on the radio as the Voice of the Prairie. The cleverly-constructed play cross-cuts between scenes of Leon and David and scenes of young Davey and Frankie on the lam.

by Cole Porter

Anything Goes is the award winning production about the mayhem and comedy aboard a transatlantic cruise. The central plot revolves around the young Billy Crocker, who has fallen in love with beautiful Hope Harcourt, engaged to someone else. With a complete cast of dancers, singers, and sailors; Anything Goes is one of the most delightful musicals of all time.

Book, Music and Lyrics by Kelly Hamilton

Set in the mid-1940's in the New York offices of Snood Publishing, a disgruntled writer, Joe; under the name of Helen Hathaway; writes Trixie True, a loveable detective, into a case she can't solve. In her fictional world of malt shops and perfect friends, she must solve this case.

Fractured fairy tales of a darker hue provide the remarkable context for Into the Woods, which deconstructs the Brothers Grimm by way of Rod Serling. While the faces and names are familiar, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and company inhabit a sylvan neighborhood in which witches and bakers are next-door neighbors, handsome princes from once-parallel fables are competitive (and equally vain) brothers, and all the stories intersect through unexpected new plot twists.