Recommended by Paul Donnelly

The sense of menace grows slowly but inexorably in this tightly composed, eerie piece. The family dynamic depicted is real and engaging. The ghost depicted starts out a benign presence, but oh how things turn. The narrative is gripping throughout and the ending offers a real gut punch.

Meeting the parents is a right of passage in most relationships. Ken finds himself in an particularly discomfiting position regarding his beloved's father. The build to the first reveal is a comedic masterpiece. Ken's uncomfortable interview with the father forces him to make a major choice. The final image left me to wonder if the choice was enough. This play masterfully blends comedy and suspense and held me riveted throughout.

Fariq's obstinance makes life difficult indeed for Eesha. There is real texture to their exchange and a realistic unresolved ending.

What seems like an amusing character study becomes something much more menacing at the finale. I admired the solid comic build to the sinister ending.

Somehow I kept hearing rim shots throughout Dear Bertie. It's a fun collection of amusingly groaner dad jokes.

"Read. His. Poetry." Such a simple command, but one Charlie ignores in favor of his favorite pastime, drinking, There is much humor mined from Charlie, Will, and Em's failure to channel their namesake poets and in Charlie and Will's ultimate abandonment of their literary project. This is a most amusing alcohol-fueled spoof of academic pretensions meeting youthful folly.

Wonderfully atmospheric and often lyrical, this play seduced me into believing it was going in a sentimental direction but it turned out to have taken me in quite another. Brilliant misdirection made the conclusion all the more surprising. Well-drawn characters kept me engaged from the start. It was a pleasure to be on the train with Natty and the Kid.

How do we even recognize that we have entered the afterlife? The vivid fight between the Szubinski brothers offers the first startling clue. This play is filled with well-defined characters, most of whom have accommodated themselves to their new reality, and snappy, distinctive dialogue. David is fortunate to have met his demise on a Tuesday and we are fortunate to have this opportunity to explore it with him.

What seems like the touching story of a mother who won't accept that her missing child is dead suddenly becomes something darker and more horrifying in this artfully composed drama. Just as Alice seems to be healing we are hit with a gut punch of a conclusion. Clearly the work of a virtuoso of the craft!

Helena Domina makes an impressive case for her rights and role as a mother without apologizing for her very successful career as a sex performer. Helena's rage and her colorful vocabulary are riveting and her care for and knowledge of her child are authentic. I wish her the best in her battle for custody with her weasel ex-husband.