Recommended by Paul Donnelly

What a powerful examination of the personal cost of isolation. This play incisively captures the zeitgeist of our recent past through two compelling characters facing a difficult situation and a vital choice.

Leslie certainly doesn't know she needs a chorus at the start of this delightful two-hander. Jordan thinks having a chorus providing florid narration is always good for what ails ya. Their journey to equilibrium is filled with witty misunderstandings and dialogue at cross purposes.

Suspicious and jealous Evan thinks he's going to catch his wife in an affair. Or is he hoping to? Does Evan want the marriage or the freedom to carry on like his divorced friend, Dave? Evan's misconduct and his wife's forbearance are funny enough, but the ending(s) take things to another level. (I vote for ending 1.)

Poor Joe can't catch a break. One innocent fib on a first date sets off a cascade of events that bring him to the surface of the moon. A place he has no desire to be. How he gets there and how the astronauts he travels with handle his reservations and revelation make for a delightful comic gem.

A witty and tart one-minute delight. Beth, in some ways, gets her just desserts.

Brilliant, just brilliant. Artfully follows the structure of Hamlet, only to subvert every scene and to wreak havoc with the politics of gender. The dialogue is hilarious, mixing verse, anachronisms, and meta commentary. I honestly can't count the number of times I laughed out loud. This would be a joy to see staged.

Two characters are vividly realized and their journey vividly illustrated without their speaking a word.

The perfect blend of snarky and sweet. This Red is quite the pistol and the references to other fairy tales are hysterical. Her bursts of compassion for the Wolf and the surprise reveal deepen and enrich the play and enter the realm of real emotion.

A powerful meditation on guilt and the awful cost unresolved guilt can extract. The details of a particular life are so specific and fully realized that the suffering the speaker experiences resonates as universal. It is a great pity that the notion of self-forgiveness comes too late to save their friend.

A droll and insightful exploration of the nature of ambition and collaboration. The characters are rich and compelling and the dialogue crisp and witty. The depression era setting adds color and urgency and the world of the studio is vividly rendered. The well-crafted pieces add up to a powerful whole.