Recommended by Claudia Haas

This is a wicked ditty about profiteering off of the news no matter how horrific the news may be. MacLean gives us the cynical and clever as she “disses” Ringo while jumping on conspiracy theories for the Beatles lyrics. A play sure to be appreciated by lawyers, it’s highlights may appall you. But you’ll laugh anyway.

Physical humor, snappy dialogue, and oh yeah - surprise! Fun for all and again - surprise! MH Levine keeps the surprises coming - don’t try to be psychic - just enjoy the ride.

I am a sucker for time travel but I must say Lam takes it even further and I want the next act. And the next. And the next. Decisions have consequences and Lam spells them out. And finally, Interventions shows us that decisions also have consequences. Clever, sweet, and beautifully theatrical,

Mahoney hands us the joys, fears, and sorrows of parenthood and it’s - complicated. With little sentiment and a lot of love, the play gives us what we wish for, be careful what you wish for and wishful thinking in a scant ten minutes. Thoughtful, moving, and a home run in exploring some truths.

The play grabs you on the very first page and never loses its grip. Mahoney’s rich dialogue vacillates between purrs and a fiery crackle. Even when harsh, there is an under current of gentleness. You feel for these characters. You bleed for them. Fata Morgana leads you to a myriad of destinations and even when it tears your heart out, you follow in hope. The running theme of the birds and the crow is a magical pulse that drives this play into a new realm where hope and despair live. Highly recommended.

Oh this is a fun, maybe scary, could be scary, well yeah, is scary, possibly very scary play. Can you scare yourself? Yes. What is emotion and what is truth? Is scariness in the eye of the beholder? Guess and guess again. Hamilton-Schmidt leads you up a garden path and where you stop is up to you. Theatrical with a lot weighing on imagination.

Hamlet meets film noir and Shakespeare is jumping up and down saying, “Yes! This is what I was trying to write but there was no Los Angeles yet.” Minigan is scarily clever with the Bard and if you’re not a Hamlet scholar, you will still have too much fun trying to make sense of this murder mystery where the ending cannot be more unpredictable. Whether you like your murder “neat,” or “on the rocks,” you will find this goes down smoothly with a sweet, small burn. Enjoy! And hope it comes to a theatre near you.

Something Blue offers a poignant reconciliation between father and daughter - moments before the daughter is to be married. Reyes creates a rich meeting of an estranged father and daughter with no villains and no cliches. Instead she gives us a broken past, honest dialogue and hope for the future. With nuanced characters, Reyes offers actors and audiences a piece of theatre that explores the human heart.

It’s Frankenstein. No. It’s Beauty and the Beast or rather Beauty and the Even More Beautiful. DePiano turns fairy takes upside down and brings us a fable of silly, of beauty, and of female power. With wit, farcical sight gags, the fun never stops as Arm Candy piles on nonsense with sense and fairy-tale “tests” with unpredictable answers. In these days of Instagram and the perfect-life scenario, DePiano skewers all. She even manages to have the dim-witted, arm-candy man grow. Fun for all with a lot of (sweet) food for thought.

Bavoso turns Prometheus Unbound into a tale of friendship and anti-heroes. And it all makes sense. Who doesn’t love routine even if it means getting your liver eaten daily? I am hoping Bavoso rewrites all of Greek mythology. If it is in the vein of Prometheus Shrugs, future students of Greek mythology will thank him.