Recommended by Paul Donnelly

  • Tesseract
    2 Jun. 2023
    This is a simply and utterly devastating play. And I mean that as a salute to its power, its craft, its gripping narrative. The harrowing loss of a child is made all the more horrific by the discovery that the child's identity and their physical person have been violated. What is also devastating is the way that this play functions as a cautionary tale. The seizure of power by religious extremists and the erasure of trans people seems entirely possible in our current political climate. I say this as one who lives in Florida.
  • OvEn (an ode to Shakespeare)
    2 Jun. 2023
    Don't mess with Rosencrantz girls! This play has a wacky set-up that pays off beautifully thanks to the clever use of Shakespearian quotes and the anachronistic setting. And then there's Biff Bottom ...
  • Neighbor! Neighbor!
    2 Jun. 2023
    There's more to this neighborly feud than meets the eye. The twist ending is a delightful surprise. This play offers a field day to actors and audiences alike.
  • Slapjack Saturday
    2 Jun. 2023
    Kniess pulls off the creative high wire act of a comedy about grief. The grief is as authentic as the laughs (of which there are plenty) and the racoon is hysterical while also serving as a talisman of a widow's loneliness. This is a play of great warmth and humor.
  • How Much Do You Love Me?
    1 Jun. 2023
    What does it mean to choose love? Is it all ethereal hearts and flowers or is it something grittier and more difficult? Is fighting the system a matter of grand gestures or hard incremental progress? Simon and Maggie are forced to confront these questions and more as they uncover their differing motivations for a planned act of violence.
  • The Wedding Party
    31 May. 2023
    Flirty and funny, this play features engaging characters indulging in quick-witted back and forth dialogue. The ultimate outcome feels inevitable, but it is such fun getting there. This is really the best sort of rom-com.
  • The Great Latke Showdown of 20 Aught 9
    31 May. 2023
    The battles fought over holiday traditions leave families scarred for life. A father recounts to his son one such epic battle and its vivid outcome. It turns out he has a motivation beyond simply passing down a family legend. This very funny narrative leads to moment of surprising acceptance.
  • Something Borrowed...
    31 May. 2023
    There's more than one way to regain possession of a thing you've lost. Sandra and Rachel are amusing portraits of bickering siblings which grow quite dark as we learn what Sandra has planted in her garden. In Something Borrowed revenge is a gift that is served cold, indeed.
  • Melt
    31 May. 2023
    Well I sure didn't see that coming. Stacy's choice between David and her family's ice cream truck certainly has unexpected dimensions. This cold dark comedy is a frozen treat.
  • Tennessee Wet Rub
    30 May. 2023
    This play is just gorgeous. It has a suspenseful narrative that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. It also contains five richly developed and complex characters and spot on social commentary. But there is an artistic alchemy at work here that melds all these compelling parts into a richer, more moving whole.

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