Recommended by Paul Donnelly

  • Paul Donnelly: El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom

    This very funny and quite moving play uses superhero tropes to explore serious issues of identity, authenticity, and cultural appropriation. It is richly layered and quite engaging. The only thing better than reading it would be to see it in production.

    This very funny and quite moving play uses superhero tropes to explore serious issues of identity, authenticity, and cultural appropriation. It is richly layered and quite engaging. The only thing better than reading it would be to see it in production.

  • Paul Donnelly: Muted.

    Gripping and mysterious, chilling in the best possible way. This is a human and humane ghost story, most discomforting at its most mundane. I'm not sure I can convey the depth of my enthusiasm and admiration for this piece without resorting to spoilers so I'll stop here, except to say that it also has moments of breathtaking theatricality and surprise.

    Gripping and mysterious, chilling in the best possible way. This is a human and humane ghost story, most discomforting at its most mundane. I'm not sure I can convey the depth of my enthusiasm and admiration for this piece without resorting to spoilers so I'll stop here, except to say that it also has moments of breathtaking theatricality and surprise.

  • Paul Donnelly: New Kid Next Door

    Turns out the odd new family next door aren't Amish as Kevin guesses. The air of menace throughout is laced with humor and real pre-adolescent behavior and attitudes. And the pay-off is as deliciously horrifying as you could hope.

    Turns out the odd new family next door aren't Amish as Kevin guesses. The air of menace throughout is laced with humor and real pre-adolescent behavior and attitudes. And the pay-off is as deliciously horrifying as you could hope.

  • Paul Donnelly: Are We Doing Christmas?

    A wonderful take on parenting, Christmas traditions, and the possibility of taking both a tad too seriously.

    A wonderful take on parenting, Christmas traditions, and the possibility of taking both a tad too seriously.

  • Paul Donnelly: Something Real

    A funny look at the lengths to which people will go to not be their real selves on a first date.

    A funny look at the lengths to which people will go to not be their real selves on a first date.

  • Paul Donnelly: Teen Dad

    A darkly comic vision of a family moving toward healing. Hurtling actually. From the tense and racially charged opening through an explosion of violence to the revelation of painful histories, this play grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go.

    A darkly comic vision of a family moving toward healing. Hurtling actually. From the tense and racially charged opening through an explosion of violence to the revelation of painful histories, this play grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go.

  • Paul Donnelly: Universal Language

    A charming and witty look at the downside of intergalactic commerce and the universal experience of job tedium, mixed with a sweet and tender reconciliation between a human and an alien. Or is that between an alien and a native of an invaded galaxy? For all its silliness, this piece is surprisingly thoughtful and thought-provoking.

    A charming and witty look at the downside of intergalactic commerce and the universal experience of job tedium, mixed with a sweet and tender reconciliation between a human and an alien. Or is that between an alien and a native of an invaded galaxy? For all its silliness, this piece is surprisingly thoughtful and thought-provoking.

  • Paul Donnelly: Boldly Go

    What a witty take on the conventions of the "space, the final frontier" school of sci-fi! The mixture of romantic and professional tension plays out to a very satisfying, dare I say moving, conclusion.

    What a witty take on the conventions of the "space, the final frontier" school of sci-fi! The mixture of romantic and professional tension plays out to a very satisfying, dare I say moving, conclusion.

  • Paul Donnelly: Mom

    A very funny portrait of a Mom who just can't catch a break. Between her football obsessed husband and her two amusingly self-absorbed adult children, it's a wonder this poor mom can even remember she exists. Family satire at its richest and most amusing!

    A very funny portrait of a Mom who just can't catch a break. Between her football obsessed husband and her two amusingly self-absorbed adult children, it's a wonder this poor mom can even remember she exists. Family satire at its richest and most amusing!

  • Paul Donnelly: Where the Fireworks Come From

    Tony and Gabe don't feel for a minute like characters in a play. They are real, complex, flesh and blood teenage boys dealing haltingly and movingly with their different reactions to the same truth. This subtle and ultimately deeply moving piece deserves numerous productions!

    Tony and Gabe don't feel for a minute like characters in a play. They are real, complex, flesh and blood teenage boys dealing haltingly and movingly with their different reactions to the same truth. This subtle and ultimately deeply moving piece deserves numerous productions!