Recommended by John Busser

Bertie's Mother (which, in typical Plumridge fashion, is actually Chris' Father) should be on a double bill with Stephen Wright. The absurdist jokes fly fast and free and this monologue is a hoot from start to finish. This is the type of piece I am envious of the author for not having written something like it myself. It's wonderfully bonkers in the best way, and can only hope that Chris finds similar old letters tucked away somewhere to delight us with.

JEEEEEEEZUS H! That was a descent into weirdness I wasn't expecting. I mean, I know Evan Baughfman is gonna give me some bang for my buck. I know he's the go-to guy for horror plays. I know he's going to provide some of the best twisted entertainment around.

But I wan't ready for Harry.

And I'm kinda glad I wasn't. Because while I know what Evan's capable of, I'm sure general audiences aren't. And boy, do I want to be there in the crowd when THIS play drops on them. Sick, bent and gruesome. Oh yeah.

Now I've got to look through all my dinosaur books (of which I have many) to find the elusive Thesaurus, the only dinosaur to have survived the Chicxulub Impact. I know this because I use one every so often. Thanks to Evan Baughfman's delightful tale of language barriers and dumbing down the message, I now know the real story. And extra points for using my favorite dino, the Triceratops. Would love to see this staged if only to see what the costuming would be for this one.

What a horrifying scenario for ANYONE to go through. Deb Cole’s Dream House is anything but in this tale of a couple losing their home, their rights, and quite possibly their scruples. Being driven to ever escalating heights of desperation, we see in frustrating detail as the couple are preyed upon by a man who knows just how to manipulate the law for his own despicable behavior. The loss of personal power is maddening and Cole pulls no punches here. I was both thrilled and appalled to see their solution, but really, could you blame them? Riveting theater.

There's a necessity sometimes, to cut your ties and move on, and Cynthia isn't going to let anyone or anything stop her from doing so. Michele Clarke writes with a surety here, giving us characters who are full of regrets, as life has slowly erased their hopes and dreams, much like the mildew does to cherished memories. Except for Cynthia. As her final monologue tells us, she has had enough of life eating away at her. Time to put the past into the garage, where it belongs. Wonderfully evocative writing.

Awwwwwwww! That was delightful. See? Not every play has to have earth-shattering consequences. Sometimes they can just be a simple heart-warming tale of two friends, both of whom need a less nosy landlord. Or at least a working fire extinguisher. Jacquie Floyd has written 2 great roles for senior actors and if we're lucky any producing theater can sell cookies in the lobby at intermission. No tricks this time, just a great treat.

It's like if the Tell-Tale Heart had a gym membership... Chris Soucy has another winner on his hands with this weirdly hilarious sales pitch of a play. I mean, who WOULDN'T want a free gift like this? I meant the play, not the treadmill.

Well, that was satisfying! Paul Donnelly's character piece hooked me from the start and didn't let go. I was utterly charmed by this slowly developing friendship. It wasn't flashy or filled with world-shattering revelations. No, it had something much more relatable. Two men, finding their way through the darkness of old age and loneliness manage to pass each other and establish a small connection. One that builds throughout the play. And the audience gets to take the journey with them. Solid writing and characters to root for. What more can you ask?

When aliens should ever attack, it won't be their superior firepower that wins the day. It'll be their superior company manual and human resource policies. And in our overworked, underpaid workforce, that's gonna rack up some points. Greg Mandryk obviously has his finger on some alien management pulse with this hilarious Star Trek meets The Office mashup. (Mr. Scott meets Michael Scott, maybe?) It's funny as hell, the aliens are much more advanced (at least in their maternity leave policy) and it's a shame that Webb and Dalton won't get a chance to update their resumes. Mandryk always comes through.

Holy cow, do I want a sequel to this play. Deb Cole, you can't tease us with that opening salvo and then leave it to us to imagine what comes next. I couldn't possibly come up with anything like what I suppose you already planned out. This was terrifying and all-too-plausible in this day and age. Is there ANYTHING more horrifying to a homeowner than the words "squatters rights"? RIGHTS?!!?! How dare they? And yet, It's happened. Here though, we have a chance to see the squatters get what they deserve. Sequel, sequel, sequel...