Recommended by Paul Donnelly

Glen's career disappointment and feeling that he has let down his family threaten to derail his Christmas. A simple act of decency is rewarded in an unexpected way. Indeed, the conclusion of this story is filled with delightful surprises that truly reflect the spirit of the holiday.

Vulture girl has certainly put some thought into her costume selection. What it represents to her is as important as what it rejects. There is a manic edge to her embrace of vulture behavior that speaks to the difficulty of establishing an independent identity at her age. She wheedles and negotiates to be allowed her choice of costume, but ultimately she just is vulture girl incarnate.

Train travel can be treacherous, indeed. Especially with Hilda on board. What seems like a slightly over the top rom com set up evolves into something much darker and funnier. Brandon covers a lot of comic ground in just two pages.

This monologue is dark and gripping and very much of our present moment. It chillingly reveals the mindset that allows horrors to be perpetrated on the innocent. It is sad that the speaker rings so true and that nothing he spews feels like an exaggeration.

A chance encounter comically opens old wounds and seems to offer an opportunity for healing. But the witty kicker undoes all the good that came before. Great brisk fun!

Cerebral, creepy, and funny all at once, this play is eerily compelling. The undercurrent of attraction between Jane and Isadora adds another layer of significance to the narrative. These characters may be caught in an endless loop, but it is a real pleasure to take the journey with them.

I am all in for Wayne and his desire to wreak vengeance on Barry for his scathing review. But oh how Wayne's attempts go comically awry. The humor is boosted exponentially by the arrival of a clueless and self-absorbed family who fail to notice Barry's dire straits. The ever-escalating comedy rises to a surprising reveal and a final witty kicker. This play is such fun that even the title is witty.

Divorce can be hellish under the best of circumstances but throw in a bit of the supernatural and the hellishness only darkens and deepens. The horror here is leavened by Busser's signature wit. The delicious mix of humor and horror propels this play headlong toward its surprising and satisfying conclusion.

You know things are going to get serious when two writers who live by their pen names reveal their real names. And what names they are! Their seeming disregard for each other's genres melts away when they make a different sort of connection. Through its twists and turns this play is engaging and very funny throughout.

The impending end of the world gives urgency to this sweetly melancholy story. The need to preserve a sense of normalcy and decency informs the funny and touching interaction between Evan and Lena. There is a wistful sense of what might have been that makes the conclusion of this play especially powerful.