Recommended by Doug DeVita

Complex in its structure, ambitious in its scope, and altogether heartbreaking in its depiction of what might, and what never, could have been, Goldman-Sherman's "Zen & the Art of Mourning a Mother" hits several bullseyes all at once. And in a stroke of genius, each of her five characters represents a stage of grief, and it is a spectacular conceit, spectacularly achieved; each character is so clearly delineated, yet the seams never show. Beautifully done, all the way through.

Light, tight short in which the Freudian slips are racy and lacy, and more like hilarious Freudian face-plants. About the most fun making amends in a laundry room can possibly be.

What a gorgeous play, easily the most elegant, and passionate, of Scott Sickles' oeuvre. Simmering with a delicious sexual tension that never boils over into melodrama, this is a delicate but frank look at the mores of a different time, when "the love that dare not speak its name" spoke in many hidden ways, most of them unfulfilling to those speaking them, and the emotional toll it cost was devastating. As is "Nonsense and Beauty." Devastating, and achingly beautiful.

The '60s style sex comedy is alive and well and more hilarious than ever in Arthur M. Jolly's "A Very Modern Marriage," a very modern, very funny take on the grand boulevard comedies of yore, and as welcome as a long cool drink in an arid desert. The one-liners don't stop, the situations become ever more ludicrous, and the desperation mounts like clockwork, all to wonderfully amusing effect, and all rooted in Jolly's absolute belief in his characters and their journey together, a belief and a journey we share happily, and with laugh out loud glee.

I was already enjoying "Tightrope," Emma Goldman-Sherman's play about falling, when about midway through, BAM!, one line made me fall head-over-heels in love with it: "You keep a knife in your cleavage?" This short play is a high-wire tension act of marvelous depth, speed, and dark humor, with terrific roles for women. Magical, wonderful, and smart; I'd love to see it staged. So many creative possibilities.

All the primal fears of childhood concerning the truth about parents and family situations permeate Lee R. Lawing's surreal, often frightening, and always fascinating "Rooster Poker." The sibling relationships are clearly drawn, the parents are as beautifully confusing as parents often are to their children, and the tension (as well as quite a few laughs) rises steadily to the kicker final scene, with another neat twist at the end.

“You’re Not The Type” is Julie Weinberg doing what she does best: mining insecurity for comic gold, and in Vivian Lande she has created one of the most outlandish, outrageous, and obtusely hilarious divas in her canon. That she makes her sympathetically vulnerable is also a Weinbergian strength, and the contrast is delicious. And funny.

I love this play; Weinberg dissects family dysfunction with expert precision, and there is so much comedic truth in every line one can’t help but both gasp from the shock of recognition, and howl with laughter at how brilliantly she nailed it.

A disparate group of delayed travelers, whose travel from JFK to London Heathrow has been delayed due to inclement weather, pass the time by bonding and enacting 6 "Canterbury Tales" in this delightfully modern riff on Chaucer. As I said in my recommendation of one of them ("The Fable of January and May"), Rinkel's funny, saucy rhyme schemes surprise with disarming and charming twists, and are perfectly suited to modern ears and mores. Wonderful work.

Gorgeous. That's all. Just... Gorgeous. <3