Recommended by Paul Donnelly

Chilling and funny, but ultimately really disturbing. A playwright is so hungry for production that he sells out his vision and his people. The journey is filled with deft satire, but Arny's choice is disheartening, as it should be. The play gains it's undeniable power from that juxtaposition of wit and moral imperative.

One woman finds herself while another loses herself in this extraordinary and engrossing play. From its erudite exploration of academic ambition to its clear-eyed depiction of the cost and the fear of early onset Alzheimer's, the narrative never ceases to engage and to move beyond facile resolutions. I am in awe of the craft and the insight that inform every page.

What a profound and powerfully theatrical play. The form and structure reinforce the resonance of the disturbing narrative. Questions of guilt and innocence and moral culpability emerge with thunderous impact. The accumulation of small, telling details (even the judge's name has biblical implications) raises questions that remain for the reader and audience to unravel.

This is a moving and surprising meditation on grief and loss and enduring love. Neil and Molly are clearly drawn and deeply engaging characters and the memories they share are exceptional.

This is a clever, layered, very meta exploration of the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and creativity. Any writer would empathize with MIchele's dilemma. ("Struggling? Who said anything about struggling?") AI seems to be too eerily encroaching to be the answer, but is it inevitable? All the Micheles wisely raise the question without providing a facile answer.

Danny and Eddie are complex characters who find themselves in increasingly more desperate circumstances. Their relationship is full of humor as well as trust and conflict. The specter of homophobia (especially internalized) hovers over both scenes. The presence of HIV/AIDS raises the stakes in the second scene. This is a powerful play that captures the dynamics of a friendship and the nature of their times with great insight and humanity.

Gwyneth Paltrow's head, indeed. Following a seemingly inexplicable breakup, Ben turns to his best friend Todd for comfort. There is much humor and suspense in their efforts to determine the contents of a mystery box which the recently ex-girlfriend instructs Ben not to open until 6 p.m. The contents turn out to explain the breakup, but then a second box appears and the mystery deepens. Or does it?

This is an extremely witty depiction of the lengths to which one man will go to sustain a relationship. And how those lengths fail him. The reversal in the final scene is especially funny and leaves us with a little hope that Sean might learn to just be himself. I have to say the humor in this play is off the charts on my personal Likert Scale.

This darkly funny satire turns the concept of "helicopter" parenting on its head. Mark's effort to sabotage his daughter's pretty much guaranteed college admission neatly parodies the desperate lengths to which some parents will go to gain their offspring admission.

A beautiful and unique look at forming human connections in an inhumane environment that encompasses matters of real life and death, of loss and betrayal, of mercy and decency. Alan and Kate are rich and complex characters and it is heartening to watch their relationship evolve. Even Justin, the slimeball CEO who is truly only out for himself, is vividly drawn. The commentary on corporate culture inherent in the narrative is trenchant and biting. This is a rich script working successfully on so many levels.