Recommended by Scott Sickles

As a chubby guy, I have been Zack. I have lived on other planets, and my thoughts and affections have been lost in translation with earthlings of more acceptable sizes. I know the creak of that bench.

Roberts gorgeously mingles direct address with dialogue, bringing Zack's lifelong and immediate struggles into sharp relief. He is socially awkward (how could he learn graces when others are so graceless to him?); infatuated with someone beautiful, cruel, and not above using him; yet still has a hapless dignity and hope.

Yes, I too am a citizen of Jupiter. All hail, Zack!

BEEN THERE! Terrified of being there again...

Dzubak perfectly captures the emotional and spiritual repetitive stress injury that is the job search: the putting your most personal, individual self forward to impress or be spurned by a faceless soulless corporate structure.

There’s a sad sense of competition between these candidates as we see why each deserves to succeed. Dzubak pays special attention to Erin, the mom returning to the work force: her transferable skills that will likely be dismissed out of prejudice. It’s a terrific theatrical indictment of the state of the labor market.

Oh the groaners!!! The bad/dad jokes remind me of a surrogate father of mine. Even awful humor can bridge a gap, especially if it’s top-tier terrible! Cole has given us a simple moment of connection, elevated it with excellent character choices, and takes us exactly where we need to go: toward pancakes with a pal!

Understated yet powerful, this is an unsentimental meditation on grief and a beautifully observed look at how the military handles death and family.

The two lead roles are uncompromising in that Swenson doesn’t force us to like or sympathize with them. Rather, he trusts both his characters and his audience to go along the journey with them. The smaller roles have substance as well, leading gravity to an emotional crisis in the air.

Moving, cathartic, and surprising.

I hope Bob Woodward reads this.

And I hope I get to see it, with the pauses

fully

honored.

In one page, Richter joyously skewers the state of The Fourth Estate. A stinger and a zinger that would do any one-minute play festival proud!

Laugh out loud funny send up of Death (the summoner), doubt (who has brought friends), and pseudo-suburbia! The banter is beautifully strategic, Colleen is just the right kind of plucky, and the demons, outer and inner, are wonderfully colorful creations! (One demon in particular is especially unforgettable!) A delectable confection, perfect for Halloween but good year round!

Content warning: PUPPETS!

Shame on you, Monica Cross! SHAME! (Clang!) SHAME! (Clang!) SHAME!

First, you trigger me with desperate dieting trickery and food pushing and taunting and THEN…

Well…

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!

I encourage everyone to give this a read and bear witness to Monica’s wickedness!!! And not just HER wickedness but also…

I’ve said too much.

Just look! LOOK!!! LOOOOOK!!!!!

(You might want to read this AFTER you’ve eaten. It helps to be full.)

It’s as though Alfred Hitchcock wrote a children’s story, though the “she” in question is not a little one (though I think it would still work). Plumridge has fashioned a pitch black suspense comedy pushing the boundaries of his thief’s patience and his hostage’s vocal chords. Any potential Scream Queen itching to show off her funny chops should love this! The thief is also a treat (I couldn’t help but picture Michael Caine or by contrast James Mason) as his strategies and manners work against him. Deliciously sinister and an utter delight!

Good investigative journalism requires integrity, solid leads, reliable sources, and a budget.

This play is not about good investigative journalism.

It's about reality television, dissecting the supernatural, staging the supernatural unconvincingly and fixing it in post, questionable online information, deeply wrongheaded assumptions, and coffee. For the characters, it's a mess! For the audience, it's a frothy, creamy, high-octane cappuccino that's just the right amount of bitter and the perfect touch of sweet!

Drink it in and enjoy the rush!

We’ve all been parts of or ALL of this conversation, which is less of a discussion and more of a cacophony! This perfectly rendered maelstrom of umbrage demonstrates everything wrong with liberal disunity. Unless someone advocates for EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME, then SOMEONE’S got to bitch about the gaps in their activism. Rather, EVERYONE has to bitch about EVERYONE ELSE’S LACK OF ACTIVISM! It’s exhausting! Fortunately, the play is invigorating, sharp, and thorough! (If it wasn’t, the characters would break the fourth wall to complain.) And it totally sticks the landing!