Recommended by Paul Donnelly

This gentle play and its two well-drawn and thoroughly engaging characters really packs a wallop. The easy banter between this couple gives way to a crushing reality, but the love that undergirds the banter sees them through the crushing reality. This is a deeply moving and unforgettable story.

Two recognizable and distinctly drawn teen girls turn out to have very different reasons for joining the debate team. One regrets her decision, the other decides to forge ahead. How they both come to remain on the team and how they address their assigned topic is the very funny core of this very funny play.

As the song goes, "Let me entertain you. Let me make you smile." Murder at the Orient Burlesque does both. From its vividly drawn cast of burlesque archetypes through its multiple murder suspects, this play delivers the laughs right up to the final moment.

Ah, the birth of a podcast! And what a labor it is as playwright Lucy learns that she is not the only one traumatized by rejection. This is a wildly funny meta reflection on the creative process.

What a gloriously fractured fairy tale! Gretel and Hansel scouts are but one of the clever conceits running through this most entertaining script. It is filled with laugh-out-loud moments and still makes real points about gender stereotypes and body image. There are four delicious (see what I did there) characters who are a delight to encounter. Any audience for this play will live happily ever after.

What a touching meditation on the power and the fragility of memories. Helen is the delicate link between her late grandmother and her granddaughter. The connection among these women is real and heartfelt and the dialogue is powerfully engaging. May the craving for pistachio ice cream never abate!

What a hoot! The animals guiding Nora and Patrick are full of pragmatic, if somewhat lewd, advice. These are not your typical saccharine fairy tale woodland creatures which is what makes this play so riotously funny. A treat for actors, designers, and audiences alike.

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.