Recommended by Morey Norkin

What a clever, original, and riotously funny look at today’s dating scene, which I’m so glad not to be part of. The image of these three women performing a scene like something out of Top Gun to show the perils of dating is something I would love to witness. Here’s hoping there will be plenty of opportunities to do that.

So many life lessons to be learned from this delightful tale of a refrigerator in need of repair. The frustration of the woman who owns the fridge is something we’ve all either directed at someone who wasn’t meeting expectations or had directed at us for the same reason. But for refrigerators and humans, no matter how hard we try, some things are beyond our control. Clearly, this play speaks to something we can all relate to. Excellent!

When Mary, who is trying to advise a bride with cold feet, announces that she “has questions” (twice), I laughed out loud and wanted to raise my hand and say “me too!” The more you hear of bride Brittany’s story, the more you wonder why she’s at the chapel in the first place. A very funny and original take on being left at the altar. So many laughs, but my favorite was a reference to “Three’s Company.”

To anyone reading this recommendation, Brian CERN’s A BAD PLAY is as much a documentary as it is an absurd satire on the state of new play development. The situation presented here is so funny because it’s so true. Sadly. Submission fees, bizarre festival themes, and the privilege of paying a production fee if selected! I imagine quite a few playwrights would be happy to put their butts in seats to see this!

Rich Rubin has crafted a moving family story centered around Joe, an ex-Marine Vietnam veteran in his late sixties who is recovering from a stroke. Are Joe’s racist outbursts a lingering symptom of the stroke or an unfiltered display of his true feelings? An uncovered war “trophy” may hold an answer. Yet even as Joe’s racism is treated seriously, as he progresses through his therapy, there is a personal growth and hope for family reconciliation. Rubin’s script is fast-paced and nicely balances Joe’s harshness against the efforts of those providing support. Bravo!

This play oozes with atmosphere, sensuality, and heartache. Forbidden relationships drive choices and outcomes. And in the early 1960s, when the action is set, race particularly influences outcomes as well. Ken Love’s dialogue is raw and gripping. A powerful story ready for stage or screen.

A truly authentic monologue about how popular music has changed over decades for better or worse. The perspective of an aging DJ makes a strong case for the way things once were. As someone whose musical taste is mostly from the 1980s and earlier, I can easily identify with this perspective. Bob LeBlanc has created a great character and given audiences a chance to debate the current music scene.

I love puns, but a funeral home setting is probably the last place I would have expected to find so many. And I enjoyed every one! That’s not to say this short piece is all fun and games. Anastasia Wild does an expert job of balancing the humor with what is at heart a story of grief and family conflict. But the puns!

Three dogs in a bar doing what dogs do. Having drinks, chowing down, and discussing their fear of upcoming fireworks. Their friend, Roger, could probably help, but like Godot, he’s a no-show. There is, of course, a strong visual element to this charming play, and it’s fun to imagine all the possibilities for costumes and stage business as actors assume these roles. WAITING FOR ROGER is sure to be a festival favorite.

You will be hard pressed to find a more original, absurd, and wacky play than this. And through all the zaniness and blood it actually is an interesting commentary on women’s roles as caregivers. Or maybe not. I’m not sure. I just know this really appealed to me and I would love to see it live!