Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

Okay, full disclosure: I have a soft spot for dogs, and this romp with Archibald and his new acquaintance had me from the first. The dialogue is spot-on, the action and moments are truly engaging, and the real kicker is that you know each one of them so well... maybe you even have Archibald or Lucy sharing their lives with you. A must for any show, canine or otherwise.

For a lot of people, a high school reunion is a great time to catch up with friends from the past and remember good times. For some, you wonder why they go at all; bringing back painful and scarred times, rivalries, and the inevitable regression to their teenage behavior and angst. In this bittersweet and often sardonically humorous play, Alan Safier brings together old acquaintances who may be in their 60's but still carry those old schoolbooks. Echoes of "That Championship Season" and "The Big Chill" come through with characters that you know and times you think you remember.

You know what I hate about all these self-indulgent Matthew Weaver plays? Nothing. They are all fun, different, ingenious, genuine, and this gem is definitely not terrible. So, go read this one, and while you're at it, write one.

I loved seeing this little piece done in a Zoom get-together. Monica Cross has fun with two characters being stuck at home to the point that it really grows on at least one of them... The fun was seeing the good-natured way these two lovebirds take on the challenge of being apart and sharing their innermost feelings for each other while confronting the obstacle that separates them. A peach of a story.

I shared a reading of this wonderfully contemplative piece. It is dreamily meditative and thought-provoking. Austin Hendricks' atmosphere and shared world of two brothers draws you in with their shared moments and silences.

Between these two geniuses Noah and Andy, the mouse has the best part in this fun little caper. And trust me, having had unwelcome house-guests of my own, their solution is not that far off the mark. I just would rather they not offer their services to get the squirrel out of my attic. But audiences will love it.

The idea of a writer writing about writing is not new (and I know that all too well), but in the hands of Alan Safier, it takes on a level of self-examination that is touching, introspective, funny, and brutally honest. In the vein of Billy Crystal's "700 Sundays," Pete Gellman takes us through his life as he searches for the real Pete and the people to populate his story and bring some self-awareness and sense to his life. As any writer will tell you, it's both a trip and a journey.

The course of true love -- or the search for it -- or just finding a friend -- never did run smooth. Maybe in circles? Alan Safier has put together eight short scenes with a hand-off from one to the next with a link between them all that follows many aspects of relationships between men and men, men and women, friends and family, all at a snappy quick pace that keeps the energy going. The characters are relatable, the situations very real, and you will end up wanting to know each of them in one way or the other.

There's a moment in this play when I had to stop and send a note to the playwright, Alan Safier, and tell him "My God, you have just told the story about me and my first cars!" That is how connected the characters are in this five-man tour-de-force of honesty, bravado, confessional, and heartwarming/heartbreaking moments. Every man is fully dimensional to the point that you either know them, dated them, or are them, and the wit and insight is never forced or false. This is a wonderful journey of discovery and memory.

Nothing is ever simple in a Scott Sickles play, even if it is written in a spare manner with a simple setting and seemingly obvious circumstances. That apparent simplicity, however, gives us, the reader and observer, much room to think, to speculate, to wonder, and perhaps even guess what lies behind and beyond the story we're seeing. This is a mystery... but that's what makes it compelling.