Playgoers will recognize most of the titles in the Huntington Beach Playhouse's just-announced 2005 season, but about a year down the road will be a show no one has ever seen before — or even heard of, for that matter.

"The Golden Dream" is a musical by a local playwright, Joe Syiek, which will constitute a world premiere for the playhouse. It will open Sept. 23, 2005 and runs through Oct. 9. Additional information will be forthcoming when the production time approaches. (you may visit www.thegoldendream.com)

The playhouse will kick off its season with the popular 1950s musical "Bye, Bye Birdie," which illustrates what might happen if a rock star the equivalent of Elvis Presley dropped into a sleepy American town in that era (or this one, for that matter) to give a local teen queen "one last kiss" before reporting for Army duty (remember the draft?). The show opens Jan. 14 and will run through the 30th.

Comedy continues to reign Feb. 25 through March 13 with Henry Denker's "The Second Time Around." If you enjoyed the playhouse's recent production of "Squabbles," you should get a kick out of this tale about love among the senior citizens, whose kittenish antics raise their kids' eyebrows.

The mood turns deadly serious in April, when Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" arrives with its chronicle of supposed witchcraft and religious zeal in Salem, Mass., during the late 1600s. This modern classic drama opens April 29 and runs through May 15.

That patron saint of community theaters, Neil Simon, will be represented June 17 to 26 with one of his best comedies, "Plaza Suite." This show is divided into three situations, played out in the same room of New York's Plaza Hotel, which get progressively funnier and more farcical.

Playgoers will say "Hello, Dolly" to the Jerry Herman musical, planned for July 29 to Aug. 21. The matchmaker created by Thornton Wilder will spin her web for a Yonkers widower, and waiters will be falling all over themselves to salute our heroine in the title number.

The world premiere of the aforementioned "The Golden Dream" is next on the schedule, followed by the season closer "You Can't Take It With You." This venerable comedy, with its collection of assorted oddballs from George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, will be on stage from Oct. 28 to Nov. 13.

The playhouse's season also will include an as-yet-unannounced Shakespearean effort, staged in Huntington Beach's Central Park adjacent to the Library Theater, where the rest of the season will unfold.

Performances are given in three-weekend increments at the theater in the Huntington Beach Central Library, 7771 Talbert Ave. Information and reservations are available by calling the theater at (714) 375-0696.

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•  TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.