Recommended by John Busser

Ah, it wouldn't be Christmas without the age-old question, IS Die hard a Christmas movie? And Rachel Feeny-Williams provides a comical take on trying to find that out, with Maggie and Jeff having a delightfully batty debate on the merits of a multitude of cinematic Christmas films. I always like Rachel's dialogue as it rings so true, yet never sounds run of the mill. And I think practically every audience member would find their argument eminently relatable. Funny, frothy and feisty. And for the record... OF COURSE IT'S A CHRISTMAS MOVIE. Hans Gruber even says so in the movie dialogue.

My takeaways from this are: Whatever theater puts on this wickedly funny play, needs to keep a fully stocked snack area open for the entire evening (including after the show). You'll make a small fortune. The other thing is, try this as a drinking game. Every time Kirsten samples some food, take a drink. Then get someone to fill you in on the last few minutes of the play as you will undoubtedly pass out ahead of time.
This would be a terrific role for an actress with an appetite for comedy.

I was NOT expecting that ending, that's for damned sure (see what I did there?). Lee Lawing not only gives a hell of a title (and there too), but he writes a hilariously devilish (okay, these are coming too easily) play to go with it. A breakup is NEVER easy on either party, but we, as the audience get to rubberneck the carnage with delight. Lee writes with heart too though. His characters aren't just punchlines. There's some real hurt here on display. He makes us invest in these 2 men, which makes that twist all the more... well, hellish.

Who hasn't found themselves in the Darkness from time to time? A human condition, unfortunately that isn't always easy to get out of. But luckily for us, we've got Jacquie Floyd-Priskorn as a guide here to shed some twisted and funny light on the situation. Despite the heavy burden Olivia is carrying into the shop with her, she gets some much needed perspective (and a throw pillow, so, win-win) from Flurk and Ramiform, two goofy denizens of this weird shopping district. Jacquie puts enough love and humor into the play to make this a worthwhile shopping excursion.

Good writing brings the words to life to a reader. Great writing brings the characters to life, and in THIS case, they ain't going back to the page. Rachel Feeny-Williams is always up to giving her audience that extra oomph! when it comes to her plays. A terrific romp through the creative process and how characters can take on their own agendas if given half a chance. I'd love to see this staged, but make sure the characters don't get carried away (literally in Jenna-may's case) and come back for the curtain call.

Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend found the loophole in that Disney Classic and ran with it for all it's worth. He DIDN'T learn his lesson, did he? Well, thanks to Lisa, he has another incredibly funny chance to do so. And this Beast/Old Woman banter is terrific. Who needs a candlestick or teapot for comic relief? And the optional casting choices for the 3 versions of the Adam-Beast character could be a hell of a lot of fun to play with. Would love to see this staged.

Everybody could use a support system, am I right? Greg Burdick must think so. He certainly shows the importance of one as we go down the chain (The last 2 characters are my favorites). A costumers dream (or nightmare depending on how elaborate you want to get), I think this would be a howl to stage. Literally. And with it, hopefully, comes a little understanding of the burdens we all carry and how help from some unusual places isn't such a bad thing.

It's at the end when you'd expect the Crypt-Keeper or some other ghoulish horror host to pop in, say something like "Mandy thought she could perfectly justify her non-guilty feelings, but SCRATCH THAT!" and end with some high-pitched laughter. Robin Rice gives us a wonderful monologue about guilt, betrayal and a nagging itch that just won't go away. Well, unless you dig for it...

Darkly humorous, Irish as the day is long, and twisted in only the best ways, this short piece sheds some light on how quickly fortunes can change and it does it with style, a devilish twist and just plain old fun-to-listen-to Irish wit. Almost coming across like a joke you'd hear tell at a bar, I think an audience would fall under Kevin O'Brien's storytelling spell in a heartbeat.

Jacquie Floyd has a way of pulling at your heartstrings like nobody's business. Reading the interaction between Bernie and Leif, watching them compromise on the location of a birdbath that would be aesthetically pleasing, yet serve as a way to honor a beloved late pet cat, is just wonderful. So many homeless people feel as though they are invisible to society. And Leif making the attempt to not only respect Bernie's wishes, but make sure that he respects his original intent to help his friend Em. Leif is a special character we're all lucky to know.