Recommended by John Busser

That was chilling. To watch the younger Stu slowly fall under Vince's spell. No violence, no physical force, just the underlying threat and the implications of it, simply stated. Ken Love has written some devastating dialogue here, and the characters are both instantly relatable. Vince may not be the "real" Devil, but he sure knows how to deal like one.

Sometimes the closest ties are strung between the widest gaps. And in today's charged society, those ties and those gaps are being stretched further apart. The three women depicted here in Nora Louise Syran's gathering are anything but on the same page. So when Charlotte has had quite enough of it and lays it all out about the amount of bullshit people are throwing at one another, I was so onboard with her. A satisfying conclusion to be sure. Corn should be the ONLY thing these women are shucking towards each other.

Okay, this did indeed make me laugh. My two favorite lines? "it’s a clown car." (Great punchline!) And "You can’t just fling off your bra in the middle of the international house of pancakes! Somebody might
see, internationally!". Claire Dettloff has written some great roles for younger actors here. I think this would be great to see staged for the physical comedy alone.

Is it satire? Not sure, especially in today's political climate. Is it dark? In some ways I suppose. Is it entertaining? Oh Hell, yes! Brian Cern has hit upon a sure-fire way top get yourself through the BS of what our political grindhouse has become these days. The four characters here have what can best be described as "political dis-gorge" at the state of elections. We're starting to get vending machines in grocery stores selling ammunition (I know, it's insane), so maybe having liquor and vomit bags at voting centers isn't far behind.

I am so glad I didn't look at the description ahead of time. I thought this would be an enjoyably ordinary interaction between travelers and a friendly denizen of the area. Scott Sickles doesn't have time for the ordinary though. Oh no. I'm not going to give it away though. Read this one knowing nothing, and you'll see a writer who knows how to engage you in ways you didn't see coming.

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.