Recommended by John Busser

A reminder that, straight or gay, we're all capable and deserving of tenderness, understanding for the state of being of others and to never be averse to the unexpected. Scott Sickles, as always, serves up a big helping of compassion here. His characters (even the silent companion of our speaker here) tell a story just be being who they are in this moment. A terrific monologue.

Morey Norkin and Chris Plumridge, the men responsible (although really, more like, the men to blame) for the continuing adventures of P.I. John Pie, as quick with a quip and a gun as he is with an unsung song lyric, try to make it up to you with this insanely funny second helping of Pie. With a nuttier cast of screwball characters and enough dad jokes to fill a den on Father's Day, the plot is seven shades of crazy and we'd do well to just sit back and let these 2 do what they do best; Entertain us all.

Morey Norkin and Chris Plumridge, the men responsible (although really, more like, the men to blame) for the continuing adventures of P.I. John Pie, as quick with a quip and a gun as he is with an unsung song lyric, try to make it up to you with this insanely funny second helping of Pie. With a nuttier cast of screwball characters and enough dad jokes to fill a den on Father's Day, the plot is seven shades of crazy and we'd do well to just sit back and let these 2 do what they do best; Entertain us all.

All good robberies need a plan. All badly hilarious robberies need Gene and Billy. Thanks to Lisa Dellagirino Feriend, we got the latter. And the audience will be all the richer for it. This is genuinely funny stuff, from their "give and take" attitudes to the banter which comes across almost vaudevillian in nature, we are constantly entertained by this piece. Someone needs to stage this now. It would be criminal not to.

Who doesn't love mixed drinks? Apparently, they themselves don't mix as easily as you'd think. At least that's what we learn from Rachel Feeny-Williams' brilliant take on why liquor and relationships can be a rough ride. Perfectly capturing social dynamics and the quick-pace change of pecking orders, we also get to see this displayed in such a fun way, with anthropomorphized bottles of various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages all vying for their turn in the glass. This would be wonderful for an audience to see staged. You could enjoy these drinks and still drive home afterward.

Another winning play from Greg Mandryk sees an organization we've probably ALL been victim to at one point of another being pushed into the light when one victim pushes back. Or ARE they? You see, they seem to have all the bases covered in this darkly funny spin on conspiracies made manifest. David was just too smart for his own good, and now, when you leave the theater tonight, chances are you'll have to wait your turn out of the parking lot, while Greg's play jams up the exit and forces you to pay an extra hour for the babysitter.

There's a creep factor of 11 here brought out by Greg Mandryk's writing that is palpable. A lot of folks are afraid of the dark to some degree. But afraid of SOUNDS in the dark is even worse. And here, even the simple sound of someTHING keeping pace with us is terrifying. But there's something I'd like to make note of beyond the writing itself. The staging is brilliant. Usually the audience is privy to things the characters aren't. Here, the way Greg stages things, the audience is just as much in the dark and THAT is scary as Hell.

Usually you don't want to start your outrageous play on a highly ridiculous note as it gives you very little room to grow. Not so here, as Kate Danley starts high and still manages to soar to ever-greater heights of ridiculousness. From the disappearing Squatch (while being in plain sight), to using a mister like a cat-deterrent, this play just keeps escalating into new hilarious areas. I loved it.

An unwelcome guest indeed. One that shows up, never pays for the room it invades, yet somehow makes YOU pay for it being there. Chris Plumridge hits a very relatable nerve that we all work so hard NOT to relate to. I hope anyone reading, hearing, watching and/or performing this monologue understands how monstrous this “guest” really is. I love Chris’s writing here even if the reason for this writing is a hard one to endure.

I was impressed by Aunt Nellie's more practical take on the inevitability of progeny never taking the path that is expected by parents. Preserving a way of life becomes the primary goal for some parents, whether the children want it or not. Flo is afraid that way of life is going by the wayside and isn't prepared to let her son do that to her. But thank God Aunt Nellie is there to provide some much needed perspective on the matter. A smart, charming bit of country wisdom by Don Baker goes down as smoothly as Sugar Cream Pie does.