Recommended by Nora Louise Syran

An important reminder to free oneself, forgive and move forward. A tender short play for a male and an older female.

"Nostalgia is a helluva drug"-- it most certainly is and Murphy captures it perfectly in this super short play sure to spark memories for anyone who ever owned a Cabbage Patch Doll, was jealous of the neighbor girl who had an Easy Bake Oven or really really wanted a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. Love the premise of this "Thrift store land of Misfit Toys" hoping for a second (or first!) chance. Adorable premise and delivery on all the good holiday feels!

I literally applauded at the end of Cinda's closing monologue, tears welling up in my eyes. Lovely, DC Cathro, just lovely. A short play that truly captures the spirit of the holidays, or at least what that spirit should be and balances it beautifully with a female spouse who has given enough to her unappreciative spouse but still needs to give. Proud of her.

Great roles for young actors, fun for costumers and fight choreographers. Lots of highschool comedy and superhero tropes turned upside down with delightful results.

Ah, the holidays. Prillaman invites us, alongside his guest, Willa Wrathburn, to join in Evangeline Worth's reading of a will before a roaring fireplace decorated, as befitting the season, with the family wreath. But soon the whiskey offered will turn to curses involving wolves and walruses and...oh, just read it! And see Prillaman work wonders with the wraith's wreath.

I lost it with: "I ran through a dew storm to get here"! If any play will teach directors not to disregard the stage directions, this is it! Hilarious, good fun; the perfect way to escape talking politics at Thanksgiving.

Great characters full of idiosyncrasies having conversations about death while wielding knives and uttering murderous threats over sauce, cannoli, biscotti...but what is normal, anyway? "Normal is simmering. Adjusting. Creating." This play is like an Italian-American Babette's Feast. Great fun and poignant at just the right places. Brava, Claudia Haas, brava!

Love the jabs (sorry) about the stuffing, the knife cutting skills, the Casablanca allusion which instantly sets the tone ...and how weird is that!? I was just saying the other day that in the case of an emergency (ie my death) just hold the phone up to my face... and yes, it's flippant, it's poignant and it's funny. A howlingly good holiday short.

Deceptively simple, elegant, funny, charming, heartwarming and full of wisdom. Carpe diem. The image (and scent?!) of the candle, the all-at-once comic and dramatic staging and the title itself will linger on in your mind long after the curtain has closed. Bravo.

As usual, Chris Soucy serves up (pun intended) so many quotable lines, two lovable characters and a some great takeaways: sometimes we need someone to actually check in on us in person, sit next to us and take the time to listen to us "wallow" and sometimes we just need to say "meh"!