Recommended by Philip Middleton Williams

What fun, and at Warp 9. We all know that space opera is ripe for parody because we all know the constructs, and Adam Szymkowicz has as much fun as the warp core can stand. Even if you're not a Trekker, you'll love it.

My father read me the Winnie-the-Pooh stories when I was a child, much like his father did for him, and that was long before Disney got their greedy and treacle-sticky fingers on the beloved stories of A.A. Milne. David Elendune has rescued the beloved inhabitants of the Hundred-Acre Wood from crass commercialism and given them new life in a setting that children of a certain time would connect with and provide comfort. He does it with a gentle nudge to the parents who bring their family to the enchantment, and long may they reside in our hearts.

The tenderness and achingly beautiful way Parker Miller greets the end of his life is a lesson both in the art of fine writing but also life. Hearing this monologue will make you forget you're seeing a performance but being there to hold his hand as he willingly lets this life go so he can be reunited with the true life and love he once had. In the hands of an older actor it would be a wonder to behold, but it honestly speaks to all of us at every stage of life.

The premise of a reunion between captors and hostages sounds crazy, but leave it to the skill of Maximillian Gill to make it both funny and intense, with strong characters and their own issues to bring to the party. One wonders who is the hostage and who is the captor in this Albee-like dance of wits and guile. Yes, there are moments of humor, but the way it is written makes the underlying continuo of tension even more powerful.

The absurdity of this play makes it even more powerful. The idea of humanity surrendering to a lumbering herd of hippopotami is reminiscent of Eugene Ionesco's "Rhinoceros," but with the unique and deeply incisive viewpoint that Franky Gonzalez brings to every story he weaves. The laugh-out-loud comedy in both the dialogue and stage directions takes us from laughter to tears in the moment, and the Brooksian slapstick of the townspeople as they confront the hippos and their own response is just one reason to bring this work to the stage. Oh, if only Zero Mostel was here...

While social distancing and Zoom may have changed our lives, it doesn't change the family dynamic. (I think Robert zoom-bombed my last family get-together.) "Recipe" has all the back-and-forth you'd expect to hear at a family dinner, so even a dance of electrons and pixels doesn't change it. Well-written with likeable and relatable characters, and a touch of nostalgia for the way things used to be, but going into the brave new isolated world.

"Intellectuals" is a 21st century version of one of my favorite forms of theatre, the comedy of manners. In the same way that Richard Brinsley Sheridan skewered the social norms and used wit and charm to poke fun and reveal the true nature of human relations of 18th century England, Scott Sickles does it with wit, charm, and totally lovable characters. There's not a missed beat in the volley and the follies of the couples and the newcomers to their lives, and even if you suspect you know where it's going, you'll love the trip.

This was presented as a reading at the William Inge Theatre Festival and is an intricate and absorbing play about a hidden figure in the Industrial Revolution. Ada Byron Lovelace's story is told with passion, and the characters are fully developed and compelling. It would be mesmerizing on the stage.

I saw this at City Theatre in Miami and loved it. It's funny, truthful, and wacky enough to really get you laughing and loving the moments.

Having just spent a tidy -- but worth it -- sum on repairs of a beloved companion, this little gem had me smiling all the way.