THE TROPICAL PICKLE

a World Premiere by Jeff Daniels

JULY 7, 1992 – AUGUST 30, 1992

Bob Lee, plant manager of the Shankelford Pickle Company, will stop at nothing to win a promotion and an all-expense-paid trip to the Annual Condiment Convention in Miami. His plan to wine and dine the company’s new president collapses when unexpected guests crash his carefully planned dinner party.

Directed by T. Newell Kring

CAST:

  • Sandra Birch
  • Karen Kron
  • Wayne David Parker
  • Matthew Letscher
  • Guy Sanville
  • Randall Godwin
  • Susan Arnold
  • Set Designer: Greg Gilette
  • Costume Designer: Greg Gilette
  • Lighting Designer: Dana White
  • Stage Manager: Susan C. Guszynski

PRESS QUOTES

“… physical slapstick worthy of Laurel and Hardy … The show shines with unforgettable moments.”

– The Ann Arbor News

“… a rollicking success… It’s a show to relish.”

– Jackson Citizen Patriot

“… unique dialogue. It is the stuff of genuine farce, which requires totally serious people having absolutely no luck in communicating with each other.”

– Detroit Free Press

 

“… non-stop comedy…”

– The Chelsea Standard

TIES THAT BIND

by Kitty S. Dubin

NOVEMBER 14, 1991 – JANUARY 5, 1992

“Ties That Bind” revolves around Dr. Karen Bloom, a psychologist whose best-selling book about personal relationships thrusts her into the celebrity spotlight. Her sudden success on the lecture and talk-show circuit interferes with her personal clients and nearly destroys her own ten-year marriage to her high school sweetheart.

Directed by Julie Nessen

CAST:

  • Jan Radcliff
  • Arthur Pearson
  • Phyllis Lewis
  • Carl Knisely
  • Annemarie Stoll
  • Gerard L.A. Smith
  • William C. Coelius IV
  • Set Designer: Gaetane Bertol
  • Costume Designer: Gaetane Bertol
  • Lighting Designer: Victor En Yu Tan
  • Stage Manager: Danna Segrest

PRESS QUOTES

“Kitty S. Dubin’s new play aims to ponder human intiemacy on a leveal some theatergoers might find risqué. In fact, this funny, sad and wise show is as intimate as many of us crave (yet often fear) to be.”

– The Ann Arbor News

“The Purple Rose Theatre has concocted a production as smooth as hand cream. The play is coated with the gel of actors’ charm.”

– Detroit Free Press

“A promising young writer with a keen sense of satire.”

– The Detroit News

“’Ties’ works well at examining the strengths and weaknesses of intimate relationships, thanks in large part the acting of Radcliff and Pearson.”

– Jackson Citizen Patriot

MORE FUN THAN BOWLING

a comedy by Steven Dietz

JANUARY 23, 1992 – APRIL 12, 1992

Jake Tomlinson, owner of Turtle Rapids’ popular Dust Bowl Bowling Alley, finds himself contemplating the loves of his life and his love of bowling.

Directed by John Seibert

CAST:

  • Aaron Williams
  • Elizabeth Keiser
  • Phillip Locker
  • Cheryl Weaver
  • Terry Heck
  • Set Designer: Bartley H. Bauer
  • Costume Designer: Nancy Davis
  • Lighting Designer: Peter Beudert
  • Sound Designer: David J. Kron
  • Stage Manager: Dana Gamarra

PRESS QUOTES

“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn exotic new phrases to say in a bowling alley.”

– Detroit Free Press

“In the annals of theater history, Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theatre Company may be remembered as the theater that discovered a heretofore unrecognized link between love, death, and recreational sports.”

– The Detroit News

“Guaranteed: At least one chuckle per minute + one big guffaw every five when you enjoy the Purple Rose Theatre’s latest comedy “More Fun Than Bowling!”

– The Ann Arbor News