Recommended by Elizabeth A. M. Keel

  • Secret Menu

    by Brendan Bourque-Sheil and Alicia Margarita Olivo

    Swift, self-assured, and delicious as roasted strawberries! Secret Menu serves up course after course of site-specific history that is well-spiced with both truth and imagination. The plays humanizes the rewarding work of sifting through our messy, imperfect, and hopeful inheritances, all while generating something of our own.

    Swift, self-assured, and delicious as roasted strawberries! Secret Menu serves up course after course of site-specific history that is well-spiced with both truth and imagination. The plays humanizes the rewarding work of sifting through our messy, imperfect, and hopeful inheritances, all while generating something of our own.

  •

    So thrilled this play came to Houston with The Catastrophic Theatre. What a sparkling experience! The dialogue soars on so many arching thermals. Achingly funny, darkly alive, and imbued with words for all the clouds I didn’t realize had gathered around me. Hats off!

    So thrilled this play came to Houston with The Catastrophic Theatre. What a sparkling experience! The dialogue soars on so many arching thermals. Achingly funny, darkly alive, and imbued with words for all the clouds I didn’t realize had gathered around me. Hats off!

  •

    This "flood play" is a family play at heart. Aniyah offers an absolute symphony on Motherhood, spanning from fully fortissimo operatic thunder, down to the quietest, private little melody. On the outskirts of her cozy family home, big thematic monsters cast their shadow against the house: gentrification, natural disaster, crime, the prison system. But at the same time, the neighborhood (and library!) provide hope, light, and relief. What a treasure trove of roles for strong actors!

    This "flood play" is a family play at heart. Aniyah offers an absolute symphony on Motherhood, spanning from fully fortissimo operatic thunder, down to the quietest, private little melody. On the outskirts of her cozy family home, big thematic monsters cast their shadow against the house: gentrification, natural disaster, crime, the prison system. But at the same time, the neighborhood (and library!) provide hope, light, and relief. What a treasure trove of roles for strong actors!

  •

    This was akin to the pop culture sensation of watching Jenny Ortega house the hottest of hot wings without batting an eye. This play is here to throw haymakers. I loved the female characters, particularly resigned Claire and gloriously bitter Abby. The writing is extremely relevant as we watch billionaires demolish the country. The science fiction is crispy and box fresh. And that ending… truly haunting stuff.

    This was akin to the pop culture sensation of watching Jenny Ortega house the hottest of hot wings without batting an eye. This play is here to throw haymakers. I loved the female characters, particularly resigned Claire and gloriously bitter Abby. The writing is extremely relevant as we watch billionaires demolish the country. The science fiction is crispy and box fresh. And that ending… truly haunting stuff.

  •

    The Innkeepers is psychologically gnarly and deliciously theatrical. I adored its thoughtful use of doubling tracks, and the inescapable pressure cooker of the "cozy" setting. The dialogue has a terrific, natural tempo, as the hostages - and their flashbacks - jostle up against each other to find the final truth. Spice up your season with this clever, memorable horror.

    The Innkeepers is psychologically gnarly and deliciously theatrical. I adored its thoughtful use of doubling tracks, and the inescapable pressure cooker of the "cozy" setting. The dialogue has a terrific, natural tempo, as the hostages - and their flashbacks - jostle up against each other to find the final truth. Spice up your season with this clever, memorable horror.

  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: Beautiful Blessed Child by Daria Miyeko Marinelli
    “

    Nothing like a road trip to engender a metamorphosis. This gorgeous play takes the titanic themes of motherhood, childhood, culture, time, and mortality, and distills it into lovely, gentle poetry that dares to ask: despite all the dangers of the desert, will you still walk along with me?

    Nothing like a road trip to engender a metamorphosis. This gorgeous play takes the titanic themes of motherhood, childhood, culture, time, and mortality, and distills it into lovely, gentle poetry that dares to ask: despite all the dangers of the desert, will you still walk along with me?

    ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: three girls never learnt the way home by Matthew Paul Olmos
    “

    Part fable, part ethereal attempt to nail down the bright red Jello of teenaged girlhood onto the surface of reality. Four fantastic, phantasmagoric roles for actresses. This play unfurls like a dream you have already had, and can only suddenly remember.

    Part fable, part ethereal attempt to nail down the bright red Jello of teenaged girlhood onto the surface of reality. Four fantastic, phantasmagoric roles for actresses. This play unfurls like a dream you have already had, and can only suddenly remember.

    ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: BROKEN FENCES by Steven Simoncic
    “

    I admired the nuance and growth of each the characters, as their forced proximity as neighbors demands that they consider - and reconsider - the folks on the other side of the fence. Gentrification and the rising costs of living are having real, palpable effects of everyone, and not only financially. Minor chords of unrest underscore the entire show. I laughed extremely hard at the way in which Esto quits Red Lobster (no spoilers, it’s too good!) This is balanced, contemporary, accessible drama.

    I admired the nuance and growth of each the characters, as their forced proximity as neighbors demands that they consider - and reconsider - the folks on the other side of the fence. Gentrification and the rising costs of living are having real, palpable effects of everyone, and not only financially. Minor chords of unrest underscore the entire show. I laughed extremely hard at the way in which Esto quits Red Lobster (no spoilers, it’s too good!) This is balanced, contemporary, accessible drama.

    ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: Choreomania 1518 by Malena Pennycook
    “

    Golly, I love when plays send me on research rabbit holes. I loved reading and learning from CHOREOMANIAC 1518. The madness of the dance will be oh so spectacular on stage. It delivers such fresh attitude and meaty ensemble roles, reminiscent of recent TV adaptations for Lady Jane, Rosalind, and Catherine Called Birdy. Pissed off peasant girls are IN.

    Golly, I love when plays send me on research rabbit holes. I loved reading and learning from CHOREOMANIAC 1518. The madness of the dance will be oh so spectacular on stage. It delivers such fresh attitude and meaty ensemble roles, reminiscent of recent TV adaptations for Lady Jane, Rosalind, and Catherine Called Birdy. Pissed off peasant girls are IN.

    ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel: LEMURIA by Bonnie Antosh
    “

    LEMURIA is charming and fulfilling. I loved the research and specificity that illuminates the entire story. Even though we may not be lemur experts, the script trusts us to learn as we go, quickly and cleverly establishing the lab’s hierarchy of characters, and their various hearts’ desires. Delicious, educational, and unapologetically sexy.

    LEMURIA is charming and fulfilling. I loved the research and specificity that illuminates the entire story. Even though we may not be lemur experts, the script trusts us to learn as we go, quickly and cleverly establishing the lab’s hierarchy of characters, and their various hearts’ desires. Delicious, educational, and unapologetically sexy.

    ”