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My Top Ten List

Photo of Brian F. Clark

Brian F. Clark

Professor, Catalog Librarian & University 100 Instructor

Born: Buffalo, New York
Colleges: SUNY at Buffalo (B.A.), Indiana University (MLS/MIS)
Favorite Book: Whatever I’m currently reading
Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory (Currently), MASH (All-time favorite)
Favorite Movie: Hoosiers
Favorite Food: Buffalo Chicken Wings






I have been a theatre buff since I was in junior high school. I have an undergraduate degree in theatre and have acted in dozens of plays and musicals including seven seasons of summer stock (two at the Berks Summer Theater & five at WIU’s Summer Music Theater) I am also the liaison to the department of Theater and Dance. Here is the list of my favorite Top Ten Plays or Musicals. Some are my favorite because I love the script and/or music, others because I loved acting in it. If I have appeared in a production the name of the character(s) I played and where I performed the part are in parenthesis. In fact, only No.1 and No. 2 are my two favorite musicals that I have never had the opportunity to perform in.

Top Ten Favorite Plays or Musicals


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    • 10. Company (Bobby-Charleston Light Opera Guild) Company is a musical comedy. Its plot revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. Unlike most book musicals, which follow a clearly delineated plot, Company is a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a celebration for Bobby's 35th birthday.

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    • 9. Kiss Me Kate (Henry Trevor/Baptista-WIU Summer Theater) The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi. A secondary romance concerns Lois Lane, the actress playing Bianca, and her gambler boyfriend, Bill, who runs afoul of some gangsters.

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    • 8. A Christmas Story (Dad-Macomb Community Theater) Based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd, this beloved holiday play follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker, who spends most of his time dodging a bully and dreaming of his ideal Christmas gift, a "Red Ryder air rifle." Frequently at odds with his cranky dad but comforted by his doting mother, Ralphie struggles to make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact.

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    • 7. Meet Me in St. Louis (Grandpa-WIU Summer Music Theater) Meet Me in St. Louis is a musical divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis, leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (more commonly referred to as the World's Fair) in the spring of 1904.

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    • 6. The Nerd (Warnock Waldgrave-WIU) One of the funniest plays ever written. The action centers on the hilarious dilemma of a young architect who is visited by a man he's never met but who saved his life in Vietnam—the visitor turning out to be an incredibly inept, hopelessly stupid "nerd" who outstays his welcome with a vengeance.

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    • 5. Music Man (I’ve done this musical 3 times - Charlie Cowell the Anvil Salesman-WIU, Barbershop Quartet-High School, Child in the Band-Community Theater) The Music Man’s plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive Iowa townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. Harold is no musician, however, and plans to skip town without giving any music lessons. Prim librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him, but when Harold helps her younger brother overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, Marian begins to fall in love. Harold risks being caught to win her.

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    • 4. Moon Over Buffalo (George Hay-Macomb Community Theater) The hilarious Moon Over Buffalo centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s. At the moment, they’re playing Private Lives and Cyrano De Bergerac in rep in Buffalo, New York with five actors. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong, abetted by a visit from their daughter’s clueless fiancé and hilarious uncertainty about which play they’re actually performing, caused by Charlotte’s deaf, old stage-manager mother who hates every bone in George’s body.

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    • 3. 1776 (I have appeared in this musical twice, John Hancock-Berks Summer Theater, Rev. Witherspoon-WIU) 1776 is a musical based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It dramatizes the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document.

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    • 2. Fiddler on the Roof   Fiddler on the Roof is a musical set in the settlement of Imperial Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters (or Tevye the Dairyman) and other tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his Jewish religious and cultural traditions as outside influences encroach upon the family's lives. He must cope both with the strong-willed actions of his three older daughters, who wish to marry for love – each one's choice of a husband moves further away from the customs of his faith – and with the edict of the Tsar that evicts the Jews from their village.

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  • 1. Pippin   Pippin is a musical. While many interpretations of Pippin have risen since its debut, there is no single correct explanation of the musical's meaning. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious performance troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance.