In Alyssa, Palladino has given us a rich, fascinating character of a young woman grappling with sexual harassment at work and turmoil in her personal life. While the play’s conversations on science, attraction, politics, and art are compelling and often downright fun, it was the three complex characters at its core that really had me hooked. Witty dialogue and palpable tension drive the story forward with both urgency and ease.

What does it mean to know yourself in the age of meticulous self-awareness? And what does it mean to love someone? Hallie Palladino explores both questions with courage and hilarity in Infatuation. I especially enjoy the fact that so full a story is told through scenes among just three characters, the members of a love triangle (one of whom is unwitting). It always simmers, but comes close to a delightful boil whenever all three are in the room together.

This play exists inside the complexities of relationships on the verge, but this is certainly not simply a play about relationships. "Infatuation" is about sexual harassment, male dominance in academia, art, love, and.... infatuation. There are no heroes or villains, there are simply humans with plenty of warts, and just as much love. Of the many quotable moments, I loved this the most: "What do we do with all these feelings?" "We feel them."