Recommended by Paul Donnelly

TEACH offers a riveting examination of gender and power dynamics between a teacher and student as issues of attraction and nurturing, responsibility and manipulation come to the fore. Hoke's exploration of gender in having a male and female teacher figure and a male and female student figure interact in varied configurations is far, far more than a theatrical device, although it is also spectacularly effective as a device. The cautionary figure of the principal who never gets beyond manipulation and self-absorption provides a compelling foil and effectively represents systemic shortcomings. All in all, a work that demands to be staged.

What a lovely and captivating mix of explosive lust, gentle hesitation and tender lyricism. And how refreshing to see a reverse chronology that doesn't begin in failure or bitterness or recrimination. We see quite unmistakable passion and then we see how that passion credibly developed. Hernandez certainly knows how to build both a fully engaging story and compelling characters.

A surprisingly complex, while still richly comic exploration of the ways the stories we tell about our lives and tell ourselves about our lives shape those lives. The play looks carefully at the need to be true to one's artistic vision while also being honest about the cost that has for others in our lives. There are comic heights in the depiction of the writing process and, perhaps most compellingly, there are issues and aspects of character left unresolved.

A searing portrayal of how far we haven't come, how dignity often takes a backseat to survival, and the damage clueless white people can do.

As Mr. Sondheim wrote, "Smart, tart, dry as a martini ... ah but underneath..." only in the case of Goodby to Hollywood, what's underneath is also smart, tart, and dry as a martini. Tony and Angel are funny as types, but Bonafede also provides them with credible surprises and reveals. Although I think the Narrator should thank his lucky stars that he didn't end up floating in the pool.

The unseen men who invent Canadian Girlfriends give a poignancy to the set up that adds real weight and heft to this delicious comedy. The comedy is brisk and constant. In context, "That's why you're such a good typist" is a dizzying punchline. And the revelation that there are and will be fewer Canadian Girlfriends as men go directly to authentic lives is real cause for celebration.

Among the many delights of this truly giddy holiday treat is hearing the 30-year old Jeffery's incredulous rejection of the idea that Santa could be a conspiracy perpetrated by millions of parents. This revelation starts a cascade of witty disillusionment that circles back to an affirmation of the spirit of the holiday. A most enjoyable confection!

An exhilarating mix of trenchant social satire and tender affirmation. The affirmation is all the more effective because of the doubt and tension that precede it.

The metaphorical possibilities of a job training conducted entirely in the dark are rich enough, but the reveal that the job is releasing snakes from a bag only to turn around and recapture them carries this two-hander to dizzying comic heights. The dialogue is wry and delineates character (smug manager, eager bordering on desperate new hire) clearly even though they remain unseen.

I swear to God that I had to read this play twice to be sure that was possible to be so consistently uproariously funny page after page. It clearly is if you're Rachael Carnes. Her trenchantly observed dialogue would be awfully funny between two humans in a stalled relationship, but having one half of the couple be a sock monkey allows for delirious absurdity to reign. This is my my first exposure to her work, but it won't be my last.