Recommended by Richard Lyons Conlon

Incredible play! Here's my mini-review for NPX: "Just saw a Ubiquitous Players’ reading of this remarkable play. Brilliantly written and intellectually challenging (and stimulating), 1=0 pits reality against lies, and belief in the unbelievable against blind adherence to traditionally accepted fact. The beautiful thing about this science-infused work is how Fardon leads the audience into a relatable middle ground between large theory and quantum small, and keeps it all very human (Lauren Gunderson, anyone?). The characters and the action tiptoe on the edge of absurdity while always remaining grounded . . . and accessible. Quite an achievement."

A terrific thriller-drama-comedy -- ten minutes simply packed with emotion, conflict, and mystery. A seemingly ordinary older couple about to "lay-me-down-to-sleep" launch unexpectedly into a story-telling session that quickly becomes a high-stakes psychological game of cat-and-mouse. A fascinating story and two great roles for actors of a certain age. I saw this in a Naked Angels Tuesdays@9 reading and was riveted. I would love to see this fully produced!

Got to see this play in a zoom reading by the Ubiquitous Players and boy am I glad I did! Yes, it delves deeply into the weighty issues of life and purpose and God in ways that are quite thought-provoking, but it does it with such laugh-out-loud humor that I snort-laughed all over my keyboard! Several times! This play is beyond hilarious! And hey, you come out of it considering the stuff we’re supposed to be considering: life, love and the universe, etc. And great parts for several actors! Come on, what more do you want from a play?!

This extraordinary play crashes together four lifelong friends in a blistering crucible of repressed secrets, resentments and unrealistic demands.

Young's blade-sharp dialogue sculpts characters so well-defined they become your old friends, too — for better or worse.

"Hell is Empty" excels on myriad levels, from entertaining reunion drama to wrenching psychological test: What would you be willing to do for a friend after vowing to do . . . absolutely anything?

The answer is revelatory to at least one character and cause for self-examination in the audience.

This is a meaty, emotionally searing script that I can't wait to see.

Scott Sickles has given us a dark reflection of who we are and where we may be going as a nation and as human beings. It is hopeful and it is bleak; it is terrifying and it is humorous; it is the story of a world brought about by hate, yet it is filled with love.

You can't help becoming instantly invested in the characters, especially Teddy and Anzor, two remarkable 11-year-olds whose intelligence and sensitivity may be their undoing or salvation in a world we must avoid.

A remarkably timely, and human, piece of alternate history science fiction.

This is a rarity. A tense cold-war military-diplomatic tense situation in a tight ten-minute dramatic package. Fail Safe, A Few Good Men, and Missiles of October all distilled down to their dramatic essence. And best of all, it’s all based on a true “incident” in the Korean DMZ in 1976. Sickles has concocted a new military stand-off drama that feels old-fashioned in all the good ways. The fact that it deals with an absurd N. Korean regime of 40+ years ago only makes it frighteningly relevant for today. A mini-masterpiece.

I was lucky to see a reading of the new Scott Sickles comedy "Intellectuals". What a delightful update to the classic farce. Extremely witty, with nearly continuous laughs produced by the machinations of the lovably pompous characters as they work their way through a myriad of life, sexual, and societal changes. There are mix-ups, long-held secrets, and not-quite-mistaken identities (but close). There's telling commentary on society's mores and expectations, as well as on acceptance and intolerance, all laid out in elegant dialogue sometimes reminiscent of Noel Coward. Oh, and did I mention laughs? A delightful and satisfying evening of theatre.

What a delightfully nefarious concoction -- definitely not for the faint-of-heart. Or dog lovers. Or faint-of-heart dog lovers. This monologue by an seemingly all-is-well, disturbed gourmand begins in deceptive sweetness, then veers into some bitterly twisted Fatal Attraction "look away look away" shit. A terrific (oh-so) dark comic monologue for those with Charles Addams sensibilities.

One character. One act of desperation. Ten intense minutes. "Three Hours Until Departure" is a play of unceasingly mounting intensity as Luis prepares to smuggle a large cache of drugs into the U.S. from Columbia. But Luis is a novice to the smuggling game. This is his one-time attempt to escape crushing student debt. Luis reflects on his short innocent life thus far and the incredible risk he is taking in eloquently profane prose that underscores his innocence and his growing panic. An excellent monologue for a young actor willing to take on its emotional toll. Well-done, Mr. Gacinski!

Wow! One of the best-written plays I’ve seen in a long time. Sharply, laugh-out-loud funny, devastatingly poignant. I was lucky enough to catch Ean Miles Kessler’s brilliant dark comedy in Chicago Dramatists’ venerable Saturday Reading Series this afternoon. Not sure I ever said this to a playwright, but after the reading I told Kessler not to change one damn thing about it. It’s that good! (And when it’s produced, keep this same cast! Ty Perry, Anthony Hinderman, Anthony Young, and Shariba Rivers. OMG! So brilliant!) Can’t wait to see it in a full production.