The best Tyler Perry plays

In this 2006 stage play starring Cassi Davis, Cheryl “Pepsii” Riley, Judy Peterson and Tyler Perry as the infamous pistol-carrying granny. Madea (Perry), finds her shenanigans have finally caught up to her, leaving her behind bars. Still, no matter the circumstances, the opinionated matriarch finds a way to meddle in her family and friends’ lives. Under the comedic dialogue and musical numbers like “Whaddaya Know About Jesus?” and “Love Don’t Love Nobody” lies an importance message about letting go of the past and looking forward to the future.

When Madea’s mischief-ridden exploits land her face-to-face with a judge, she is ordered to complete 20 hours of community service at Easy Retirement Home. Laugh-out-loud funny, the entertainment ensues from the moment Madea stumbles onstage and into the local seniors’ home. While the residents are turned off by Madea’s in-your-face shtick at first, they eventually warm up to her quintessential life lessons of family and love. The uplifting 2012 play comes with Perry's cast favorites—Patrice Lovely, Chandra Currelley-Young, Tamar Davis and Cheryl “Pepsii” Riley, among others—to boot.

Friendship is paramount and personal reflection is key—these are two of the lessons peppered between the lines in this Tyler Perry script. But that’s not how things seem from the get-go. In this musical, the crowd-pleasing, gray-wigged Mabel Simmons (aka Madea) has once again found herself in trouble with local authorities (surprise, surprise). Fresh out of options, she decides to move in with her friend Bam (Cassi Davis), who, lucky for Madea, is recovering from hip replacement surgery. What initially starts out as a way for Madea to use her pal in an attempt to hide from the police turns out to be a blessing in disguise for Bam’s family.

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Take a stroll down memory lane as Madea attends her 50th reunion. Set in the Pandora Hotel where the class of 1953 is spending the night, the nostalgic play introduces various colorful characters who are battling personal problems that range from infidelity to domestic abuse. Between knee-slapping laughs and gospel-infused numbers from vocalists like David Mann, the show leaves viewers with one very important takeaway: Forgiveness, even of yourself, trumps all.

For a hilarious two hours, watch as Madea and her outspoken friend Bam (Cassi Davis) team up to teach a lesson to their new neighbors, a foster mother and her rowdy kids. Amidst the chaos, comedy and gusto-packed gospel music, the feisty duo still manages to present the valuable lesson that faith, love and forgiveness are the components of any happy family.

Simultaneously hysterical and poignant, this Tyler Perry play—starring Patrice Lovely and Palmer Williams Jr.—juxtaposes a filthy rich family alongside a poverty-stricken couple and their son, who are all on the verge of being evicted from their grandma Hattie Mae’s home. In an effort to save the house, Hattie Mae’s daughter, Rose, and son-in-law, Frank, find work at the wealthy Louis Willis’ estate. Things turn sour, however, when Mrs. Willis attempts to buy Frank’s affection with money. Faced with the choice between saving his family or betraying his wife, Frank (spoiler alert!) makes the right choice. And it doesn’t take long before Louis sees his wife’s true colors and steps in to do the right thing, too.

Brenda, the admissions clerk at the hospital, is a single mother struggling to care for her son, Calvin. Kerry, the head nurse, is having an affair with a doctor, who already has a wife and baby on the way. And Mr. Brown, a hypochondriac patient, is rushed to the emergency room after he faints before a flight to Memphis. Set in a hospital emergency room, these and other character secrets are brought to light through lively song and dance.

This 2001 stage production, which inspired the 2005 film adaptation, gives spectators a glimpse into the lives of an upper middle-class couple, Helen (Marva King) and Charles McCarter (Curtis Blake). When Charles announces that he’s divorcing Helen, her family is left to pick up the pieces.  Armed with advice (and much more), Helen’s mother urges for forgiveness while her grandmother, Madea, comes to her rescue with a gun.

Anita (Cheryl “Pepsii” Riley) is a successful single woman with a great job, loving family, and plenty of friends. The one thing missing from her life? The perfect husband. Her best friend, Jasmine, decides to play matchmaker and finds the man of Anita’s dreams, Randy, on the Internet. At first charming (he even convinces her to marry him on a trip to Vegas), the tables soon turn. But as the title suggests, Randy better brace himself for what’s next.

This play, which first opened in 2009, follows a group of people living in a building in an inner-city neighborhood. The diverse cast of characters include Carol (Cheryl “Pepsii” Riley), a single mother with two teenagers, Tony (Donny Sykes), an active gospel choir member, the rebellious Lisa (Tamar Davis), Niecey (D’Atra Hicks), the upstairs prostitute neighbor, Peter (Wess Morgan) and Anna (Stephanie Ferrett), a couple who moved in to save money while Peter attends law school, and Floyd (Palmer Williams Jr.), the superintendent. Tracing their struggles, the production proves the truth in the play’s title.