Recommended by Paul Donnelly

  • TARGET OF RIDICULE
    20 Sep. 2023
    A doctor who can't stop himself from making inappropriate jokes encounters a patient from his proctology practice at a dull cocktail party. The doctor's progressively more alarming revelations and the patient's growing discomfort make for a hilarious mix.
  • Everything They've Told You
    17 Sep. 2023
    This witty satire drips with delicious irony. The longer Johnny stays out of public view, the more the public becomes obsessed with him. We also get a taste of his rather complicated personal life. The narrative builds with dizzying intensity to the very funny final line.
  • Ain't the Biggest City
    14 Sep. 2023
    What a profound and gripping exploration of the idea of justice. What is justice? How is justice best served? What is the link between justice and vengeance? The stakes couldn't be higher for an EMT facing a moral quandary and the tension ratchets up with each twist and revelation. The final beat leaves us wondering how she finally resolves her dilemma, which is the best sort of suspense. This play received a well-acted and technically adroit production on Gather By the Ghost Light.
  • Bouquet of Violets
    14 Sep. 2023
    "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
    You get what you need." Berthe Morisot may not be able to get what she wants, but in marrying an honest man does she get what she needs? The yearning and desire, the ambition and the condescension shared among Berthe and the two Manet brothers is vividly rendered in this witty and absorbing play.
  • This Time Around
    14 Sep. 2023
    This is a thoroughly engaging and thought-provoking genre bending (sci-com? rom-fi?) exploration of the mystery of attraction and the impact of future knowledge on present lives. Time travel has unanticipated and quite moving consequences for Brady and Grayson as their differing expectations come to the fore. There is a unique vision at play in this wonderfully crafted narrative.
  • There Were No Homoerotic Undertones, But At Least There Was Cheese
    13 Sep. 2023
    A sweetly funny demonstration of a real friendship between two men as they make their halting way through a misbegotten cheese tasting. These men can even say, "I love you" without snark or homoerotic undertones.
  • The Ladies'
    12 Sep. 2023
    This is a compelling illustration of the ridiculousness of "Bathroom" laws and the real harm they create. If only everyone's humanity could be respected as Gia's comes to be.
  • And Frank Sinatra Singing in a Fig Tree
    12 Sep. 2023
    This is a deliciously witty holiday confection with a side of sweet sentiment. A unique holiday treat!
  • A Horse Called Home
    12 Sep. 2023
    Jim and Julie create fictional alter-egos who inhabit the Wild West as a way of coping with the pain of Jim's current life. Their struggle is poignant, but not without humor. Julie is the kind of good friend every child in crisis deserves. This is a well-crafted and moving exploration of the way children negotiate an unacceptable reality.
  • A WOMAN IN NEED
    12 Sep. 2023
    A hardboiled detective meets a truly fatal femme fatale to surprising effect, The noirish atmosphere, noirish characters, and noirish dialogue add up to a most engaging entertainment.

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