Recommended by Nick Malakhow

This play deftly weaves together ideas and themes from Shakespeare's truly bizarre "All's Well That Ends Well" with an engaging, contemporary, character-driven plot about consent and relationships and reevaluation of the past. Like that thematic thread of reevaluation, Keiko reexamines and contextualizes the original play. So many juicy moments and character decisions here and all of the characters manage to emerge both sympathetic yet shouldering blame and the consequences of their actions.

A gorgeously subtle, intimate, character-driven play full of beautifully realized humans. The scenes are tenderly observed, poignant, and funny. The connection we see between Tino and Bernadette is specific and organic. I loved the way the scenes at school were punctuated by Tino's visits to church, mirroring his quest to find connection and community. This is deserving of multitudinous productions!

Aaron is such a charming and relatable nucleus to this story of emerging queerness, awkward friendship, and coming of age. Ms. Jimenez is also smartly drawn and you understand where she is coming from even as she brushes up against and crosses boundaries and goes through her own journey with addiction, identity, self worth, and more. I loved the fluidity of time and space--this is a play that begs to be staged (with ALL of the glorious musical interludes), and the final scene is a poignant piece of punctuation to the narrative.

I can easily see why this funny and poignant comedy is getting so much love. It works beautifully as a farce--the setup is hilarious and the various gags and laughs throughout land beautifully. What is most impressive is how much all the humor so organically arises from the well-drawn characters and their competing/intersecting wants and needs. This is a very human meditation on loneliness that punches you in the heart as much as it does in the funny bone (which it does so repeatedly and effectively). Here's to many more productions of it in the future!

I just saw the Colt Coeur/WP Theater production of "Bite Me" and thoroughly enjoyed this tightly-written two-hander. I especially appreciated how all of the intricacies of Melody and Nathan's identities were subtly woven into the text...it was clear to me just exactly how who they were contributed to their life experiences without an abundance of/relying on "telling us" about their identities--subtext was key. Beyond that, I also appreciated the exploration of odd couple friendships, "safe havens" in hostile places, and the volatile, impactful, and potentially harmful relationships that can come from the combination of those things.

This is a play rich in character, clear and unique in its theatrical world and rules, and with vividly explored themes. I love how the text transitions between the lyrical and the mundane and how Xtina bends genre to explore the multitudinous ways women and girls are impacted by both misogynistic and patriarchal expectations and emotional and physical violence. The whole seance/possession/horror sequence plays extraordinarily with both rage and quietness. All of these characters are compelling and distinct. Lots of work with here for a creative production team!

What a tightly, cleanly structured play that zeroes in on a profoundly interesting constellation of people. Accuardi illustrates the interconnectedness of humanity and other major themes--upward mobility, identity, the ways people tie socio-economic class to self worth, definitions of home--in a series of well-observed and intricately detailed scenes. While the focus here is definitely on drawing vivid characters, forward momentum of narrative and theme (using the word "forward" is ironic with the backwards chronology, of course!) is never sacrificed. A play of real beauty and subtlety.

Complex, well-rendered characters, with a particularly delicious dynamic between Leslie and Andrew. The exploration of plagiarism vs. inspiration, cultural appropriation in storytelling, the creative process, and ambition is complex and fascinating. This is a briskly moving play with clever dialogue that always feels organic to the circumstances; Craig-Galvan's propulsive rhythms and humor always flow directly from dramatic action and character intention.

A beautiful, lyrical play that centers around the compelling Birdie and the way she must navigate her evolving, complex relationships with her fiancee and parents. The way Birdie's alienation from others and her autism are theatricalized is quite inventive and poignant and allows audiences a crystal clear window into her experiences and her past/present struggles with an emotionally abusive mom and a fiancee she's trying to communicate and share her whole self with. I really appreciated, especially, Birdie's difficulties of putting a name to/validating her own abuse in the context of knowing Lin's difficult past--a very real narrative.

A sneaky, slow-burn of a play that, at first read, is a superbly paced real time heist. On second, third, and fourth consideration, the ways that it explores the intersection of history, legacy, climate change, nature, and the human impact on the world unfurl like a uniquely beautiful flower of sorts. Three thoughtfully chosen and constructed characters come together and brush up against one another with their own urgent needs and circumstances. The comedy and intriguing speculative future setting serve to disarm and prime the audience to consider truths about the sustainability of our current way of life.