Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

What fun this is, and done to a perfect turn. Greg Hatfield nails the timeless machinations of overblown egos masking quivering insecurity that dwells in the heart and soul of actors who know that they have to be proving themselves to the world -- and to themselves.

With a nod to Abbott and Costello, John Kelly has fun with wordplay and a pressing need. Good fun!

This gentle yet surprisingly powerful short play does it exactly right by drawing us in for this afternoon of shopping with mother and daughter until we know why they're looking at wedding gowns. Robert Weibezahl's natural dialogue and genuine affection for these people makes it all the more meaningful to the very end.

This is something that goes beyond a monologue. It goes beyond the stage. It is an affirmation of life, a prayer, a declaration of hope, of promises that will be kept as sure as the world turns, as hope conquers fear and loss. We all need this no matter where we are or how we feel at a moment. It is the eternal engine that may falter but never gives up.

Thank you, Franky.

I saw this play as part of the City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting series. As always, Marj O'Neill-Butler's deft touch and gentle humor come through as Doris learns how to enter the new world behind the keyboard. I know a lot of people who have been in this situation (and their patient teachers who have guided them), and the moments of trepidation giving way to discovery are charming and touching.

I saw the stage version of this gem at City Theatre. It was hilarious then, and the radio version loses nothing in the transition; in fact, the imagination sparkles like the shiniest star on the highest bough. Mark Harvey Levine's talent for quips that make the play magical are on full display -- or within hearing. Mazel tov!

Better late than never? No, this was worth waiting for. It's funny, touching, hilarious, quirky, and totally Matthew Weaver-ish to read through these tributes to a generous and beer-bread-baker and prolific playwright. (But will he marry me?)

This is a great example of absurdism done exactly as it should be: deadly serious and hilariously funny because it's taken deadly seriously. Applying the Kafkaesque formula of metamorphosis to the inane bickering of two employees at a Krispy Kreme where even in human form they may have felt like cockroaches is exactly right. And since I live in a place (Florida) where cockroaches (known by the politically-correct term "palmetto bugs") are rampant, it skates very close to reality and their aspiration to being in a higher position of authority.

A poetic faerie-tale about the relationships between mother and daughter, real and imaged connections and the loss and rediscovering of love and the burden ordinary life brings with it.

It's like Bram Stoker and Charles Dickens met up at a bar, knocked off a bottle of dark red, and came up with a very original yet classic tale of the true meaning of Christmas... I mean, Xmas. Kudos to Duncan Pflaster for giving us a tale that has a moral, good humor, fun parts for actors, and a twist that wraps it up very nicely.