Recommended by Scott Sickles

What a beautiful eulogy.
Time capsule.
Memoir.
Love letter.

I generally dislike plays that tell us they are plays. The stakes and my interest plummet unless the piece immediately convinces me this device is necessary. Fortunately, Williams does that and never relents. The memories are urgent, important steps on a difficult journey! The air must be cleared now!

This play is goodbye. A once-and-for-all final goodbye to the love of his life. As final as it can be. By the end, Philip, the character and author, has bid farewell to Allen's life while lovingly embracing his memory. Heartbreaking.

There's nothing quite like someone who has never understood oppression reminding you that you're a second-class citizen, that their life the standard-bearer and because yours is not, then it doesn't count. Williams examines this conflict with a light touch, great humor, and a superhuman amount of grace. Those who feed off making others feel inferior often do so to deflect from their own insecurities. Williams builds this comic conflict with great subtlety leading to a terrific payoff!

Always leave 'em wanting more! Weaver achieves that in this heartbreakingly mature work about friendships that may or may not be worth keeping, romance that may or may not be worth pursuing, and past wounds that may or may not have healed. The play is especially astute about interpersonal power imbalances, and how confidence, attractiveness, and insecurity create a vortex that keeps people revolving around one another even though the status of things is never still. It's a slice of life scene that feels like you've eavesdropped, and you're dying to see what happens next!

There's a little something extra that I loved about this piece that was hiding right under my nose: its subgenre - Lovers in Flight. It gives a simple trip to the coffee shop an added urgency that's effortlessly sustained throughout. The story itself unfolds with subtle surprises, not only in the characters' histories and circumstances, but also their evolving relationships. What's especially great is the drama comes out of how civilized everybody is (which is not to say they aren't a little naughty...). There's tremendous emotion underneath, a quiet devastation giving the simplicity a deep and abiding power.

DELICIOUS! Read it aloud with as much sublime grandeur as you can muster because Myra, our intrepid narrator, deserves it! Lermond has created a wonderfully entertaining snob. Her words, expressions, and descriptions cascade taking the reader and the listener on a delightful misadventure to the wrong restaurant with the wrong man, and we are so glad Myra has made this mistake! We’ve all gone out with the wrong person, but rather than be bored or simply put out, Lermond and Myra give us a grand melodrama in two thrilling minutes! Damn, I’m hungry now!

A hilarious international romp reminiscent of films in the 60s like CHARADE, with its predeliction for style and cattiness. What starts out as a story of friendship frustrated by unrequited love is quickly transformed into a high-fashion HGTV Homo Noir that takes bold turns to the truly twisted! It’s an unbridled trope-fest with meaty roles for a daring cast.

This little play is everything. And by everything, I mean it combines all manner of genres and tropes over the course of one video call to tell a story that is hilarious, horrific, extraordinarily relatable (I am both of these people), and incredibly powerful. The dialogue and family dynamics here are sharply observed, grounding the piece firmly in reality no matter how dark, macabre, funny or searingly real things become. The premise is spectacular and I’m furious I didn’t think of it myself. Gatton executes the story perfectly. Like I said: everything!

LOVELY play! Malakhow has created two fully formed human beings filled with awkwardness, insecurity, and the bravery required when all you have in your arsenal are an earnest need to connect, Iffy timing, and all the wrong words. The ebb and flow of the dialogue is so natural it could be a transcript. One can’t help but root for these men from the get-go, and each little misstep is alarming because you so want them to succeed. The play also provides sharp insight into gay bar dynamics, the community’s devotion to superficiality, and how we can prevail anyway.

A beautiful snapshot of life in a cruel time being combated by a lifetime of hope and healing. The economy of storytelling is elegant and dazzling. You feel these people's histories in roughly 30 seconds.

As a playwright who is a former house manager, this piece grabbed me from the start. While the laughs are present throughout, the play gets deeper and darker as it goes, woke remaining firmly anchored in a place of hope. It's a pragmatic hope that refuses to flinch at harsh realities both objective and inward, which is why it sometimes seems brutal. But there a great honesty here and, again, humor. I'd be more specific but yhe details are important and you should discover them yourself. Now. Right now.