Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

If you go to the supermarket, you can find something called "cheese food" in the dairy case. But if you buy this particular brand, you are in for a whole other kind of cheese food. But I can pretty much guarantee that it's not kosher.

Well, that settles that. But who gets to catch the bouquet?

In "Travels with Charley," John Steinbeck wrote, "I wonder why we think the emotions of animals are simple." Greg Burdick takes that idea and runs wild -- literally -- with it, doing what we humans have done since the first gray wolf wandered into a campfire of humans and sold their souls to us. Anyone who has ever had a fur-bearing companion will see the truth here, played out beyond measure in hilarity. Even more, he makes a solid and devastating statement about our own human frailties in ways even a peacock could understand.

What would happen if Samuel Beckett met up with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello on line somewhere? Morey Norkin lets his imagination off the leash and this little two-hander is a gem.

These two damaged souls -- for that is what they truly are -- are not so different than their exteriors and their pasts would have us believe. In this riveting two-hander, DC Cathro gives us a setting and situation that counts on the audience holding certain fixed beliefs about the characters, and then reveals their truths. They each find something in themselves and make a connection. The most impressive element is that there is such a powerful moment told in the most honest and brutal -- in a good way -- moments.

Having been recently reminded of how loneliness can overwhelm someone, finding companionship, even if it is a robot and their pre-prescribed programming, provides an element of solace. In this warm-hearted and heart-rending short play, Monica Cross shows how just a voice that can recite poetry does not replace a lost love, but instead reminds one of what that connection once was. A lovely and moving work.

Over a hundred years ago, the first robots appeared on stage, determined to take over the world. Lots of science fiction has imagined that outcome, but (fingers crossed) it hasn't happened. It's not just the monumental task of surpassing the human brain. It's more to do with the one thing a robot cannot do: feel and anticipate the needs of the human sitting next to it. The bad connection that Monica Cross so convincingly shows us isn't a software glitch. It is the simple inability to touch beyond the physical and it is that barrier that keeps us human.

There have been many versions of the Nativity story, adaptations for different cultures and environments. This short play by George Sapio blends takes it on a path straight outta "The Godfather" with a twist of Damon Runyon to make this entertaining even with the requisite violence that adds to the tale. One thing that is not lost over the ages is that Maria is very much the strong and independent character we have seen in every telling. It's a story you can't refuse.

You've heard of organized crime. Heck, they even made a spin-off of the "Law & Order" franchise for it and brought back Det. Stabler. Well, this could be the next one: "Law & Order: STU - Stupid Thieves Unit." This pair makes the Three Stooges look like a Mensa meeting at the home of Laurel & Hardy. No diamonds were harmed in the making of this play, but you may laugh too loud at work (like I did) when you read it.

At the end, you have to wonder how many of us are not that far off from Ted. Seriously. His attempts to hold on to his former life and former wife are not delusions; they're bargaining chips with the inevitable. And in many ways, the sentiments he feels about his life and what is important may seem silly, but in the pure light of his imagination, they bring him comfort as he transitions from one stage of life to another. Tom Moran shows great affection for his characters, so that when you laugh at them, you get them.