Recommended by DC Cathro

An engaging and unexpected account of the early life of Louisa May Alcott, well before the success of “Little Women.” Fascinating characters thrust into difficult circumstances, all told through the eyes of a wild child who becomes the celebrated author. Plus, it’s based on actual people and events! Greatly theatrical with an almost cinematic feel. Delightful, and a great read for fans of Louisa May Alcott or the uninitiated.

After reading this play, I was excited to attend a full production, to see if it played as good as it read. It did not disappoint. Chilling, deadly serious, and at times hilarious. It’s been a couple weeks since I saw it, and it’s still in my head. Great multicultural roles, fantastic acting challenges, yet easy to stage. I can’t recommend it enough. It will leave an impact. Read it. I repeat, I cannot recommend it enough. Read it.

What a spectacular exploration of love, sex, consent, boundaries, and the myriad forms of desire and yearning. It’s brutally forthright and in-your-face, hard hitting yet hysterical, a true rollercoaster of a short play that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Powerful messages, delightful dialogue, and great roles. Brilliant.

A skillfully told tale of a relationship beginning, and the beginning of the end? Murphy deftly handles the intricacies of courting and conflict in a piece that pulls you in with natural dialogue and relatable circumstances. Casting and directing this show would also be incredibly fun, definitely take a look.

What a lovely and heartbreaking piece, told in a wonderfully theatrical way. Beautiful and sad and brilliant in structure and storytelling. Powerful.

Unsettling, funny, sweet, painful, and an intimate glimpse into friendship and young love gone wrong. The story is well told in non-linear fashion, giving the reader both history and foreshadowing as they weave the full story together. Great roles for two actors. Beautiful work.

Fast and funny, this short piece barrels along with poor Theodore being run ragged. Relatable and quippy with great roles for all four actors. In a perfect world, Steve Martin (the SNL alum) playing Theodore would make for a brilliantly twisted and meta theatre experience! How can we make this happen?! AND NPX playwright Steve Martin as Aaron?! The mind reels!

Just when you think you know how things are going, progressing, Sickles pulls the rug out, sending you crashing to the ground. And you shouldn’t be surprised, but you are. A rich, powerful piece in just a couple pages.

As someone with definite hoarder-like tendencies, there was a lot I could relate to in this piece. Dealing with aging parents is never easy, for either the parents or children, and Hall captures the love, care, and frustration of this stressful time with clarity and compassion. Sweet, funny, and heartfelt.

Emotions run deep with Don, so deep you almost can’t see them, which is something Martin captures beautifully in this short piece. It’s about theatre, but not. This man, with all of his subtleties, is captured so brilliantly in just a few pages, and we see his well hidden emotions through the cracks so vividly. Lovely, lovely work.