Recommended by Scott Sickles

All politics is personal and Lucy Hale is taking her nation's politics very personally. This is a masterpiece of ironic invective told with painstaking accuracy and thoroughness from an intelligent adolescent's point of view. There is a bounty of ire here that acknowledges the powerless of her position as she takes the head of state to task. What we're left with is a portrait of a town like so many in a country that does not give a damn, and the intimate toll of a life kneecapped by stolen hope.

The morning after my mother died, 90% of my body shame vanished.

So to Alyssa, I say “SOLIDARITY!”

The bullshit fat, obese, overweight, curvy, round, husky people endure is endless! It’s especially intolerable from those to say they care about and “just want what’s best for” us.

KUDOS TO ALLI HARTLEY-KONG for detailing familial fatphobia with unflinching accuracy, and for demonstrating the strength and bravery required to resist that onslaught and embrace who we are.

I don’t know what to say because I don’t want to spoil anything. Nothing about the story elements or the characters and their journeys. Nothing about its influences. Not even about how it made me feel. I guess that leaves me with sheer admiration for the narrative build, the gentleness of how the story is told, and that regardless of how light or dark one might find aspects of this tale, there is great love and loss, and that is is deeply satisfying. I’ll go with that.

When literary analysis finally catches up with the semiotics of flatulence this merry tale must be included in the annals.

Though its broad style and groundlings humor give us a whiff that the play is meant to be light and airy, it pushes forth a robust message about shame, pride, and entertaining those who want nothing more than to point out the stench of others lest their own pungency be known.

A ten-minute gift for actors and especially costume, set, and makeup designers.

Despite its devotion to all kinds of malodorousness, PILLORIED leaves a pleasant and proud aroma.

Though it has an absudist, almost otherworldly feel at the top, it soon becomes clear that the play is grounded in reality. Two, in fact. The objective reality in which George takes care of Sally and the confusion of Sally's declining faculties. Swenson elegantly balances the dynamics of dealing with a loved one's dementia and what it might be like for the one who's declining. The repetition, sudden shifts in mood, sad slides into imagination, and the heartbreaking moments of lucidity – the play captures all of this with heart and grace.

This one comes out of the gate fast and keeps running! There’s a palpable sense of “what the hell is going on here” for the characters (well, three of the four of them) AND the audience! Donnelly keeps us all guessing while we laugh at the chaotic circumstances and the zingy dialogue. The mystery of what’s happening is sometimes as unsettling as the characters’ attitudes about who is and isn’t in their beds. A fabulous flight of fancy that perfectly sticks the landing!

This play had me at fondue.

To me, any objection to the purchase of cheese strikes me as shocking. But I do see how Jennifer could view Reynold’s grand romantic gesture as impractical.

But the ROMANCE of it!

Not just a fondue but This Fondue, the PERFECT Fondue…
One need only open one’s heart to see the joy of clogging one’s arteries… together!

Jolly guides us through the vividly realistic ebb and flow of martial discord, while providing history and context without stopping to feed us backstory. Instead, we feast on honesty, hard-won faith… and great cheese!

People get married for different reasons. For love. For business. For the confidence of not having to testify against one another in a court of law. (That’s why I want to do it!) And sometimes… by accident.

Sapio gives us rip-roaring verbal volleys as two actors try to debunk their nuptials which may or may not be real. Their stage manager does their best to keep them grounded in their circumstances as the clock ticks down closer to places!

A fun whirlwind of logic, confusion, and ill intentions!

OMG, SO MUCH HAPPENS!!!

And I will tell you about NONE OF IT!!!

Except to say in this installment, Plumridge sends up the airline disaster genre in fine fashion! The atmosphere is spot on as is the narrative escalation from ordinary to crisis! Then it becomes a thrill ride full of effervescent wit, beautifully terrible bear puns, shocking violence, and genuine edge of your seat excitement. I gasped and guffawed!

This plane ride comes with payoff after payoff! Keep your seatbelts fastened!

“Vaguely unsettling” is one of my favorite moods during a play.

The “vaguely” is temporary.

Characters-Only-One-Person-Can-See-or-Hear are inherently problematic: the timing of dialogue gets wonky, and the “who are you talking to” bits can be eye-rolling? Byham avoids all those traps! Lucy’s presence is openly acknowledged in a narratively skillful way. The timing will require some exciting rehearsal. Because this isn’t a comedy, it never descends into silliness.

I love an apocalypse. Especially one that’s inevitable. Lucy’s mission is clear: she’s not saving anyone in this life. May they all find peace in the next.