Recommended by Paul Donnelly

Smart, witty and flat-out hilarious. No literary touchstone goes unturned in this brisk and intellectually dazzling comedy.

As funny as you would expect a play about a stand-up comic to be. As poignant you would expect a play about the failure of a marriage to be. Hilary Bluestein-Lyons deftly mixes humor and heartbreak in this gripping, touching and at times hilarious story of the difficult choices facing a woman trying to succeed in stand up comedy in the 1950's.

A wistful comedy of a chance encounter and a lost opportunity. There are deft and witty touches in the use of the Waiter. This piece is very much shaped by its Hawai'ian locale. Kudos to Nora Louise Syran!

Poor abandoned Edith. Her dilemma isn't funny to her, but it sure amused me. This is a clever and sure character portrait of a character I wouldn't enjoy spending time with in life, but who is most engaging on the page.

This compelling drama soars like a rocket. I was propelled breathlessly from the opening beat to the closing image. Malone, a charismatic and unconventional physics teacher runs up against soulless and unfeeling bureaucracy. He refuses to cave at what might be a high personal cost. He and his supportive department chair face urgent personal hurdles as they make their moral choices. Malone's tragedy forces us to grapple with the idea of what teachers and schools really owe their students.

A touching and tender look at loss, grief and painful growth. A very unconventional memorial service is disrupted by the appearance of the deceased's father. I won't give away the surprise that follows, but suffice it to say I teared up while reading.

As an avid college basketball fan, I congratulate Lee R. Lawing on this compelling documentary. Actually, I do realize that this is a rip snorting comedy that parodies the over the top dedication of the rabid fan. This would be a real treat to watch and a real treat for comic actors to perform.

A gripping, harrowing, and at times unsettlingly comic exploration of recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. I was pulled along headlong by the currents of truth and pain that underlie every page. And celebrated the final journey to wholeness that concludes the play.

Ester is a complex and engaging woman, with her dignity intact, through even the most comic developments. And the comedy plays strongly until the wrenching ending. A powerful and touching tour de force for an older female actor.

Screamingly funny throughout, with perhaps an emphasis on screaming at the deliciously horrifying kicker.