★★★★★ Taibi Magar directs a versatile five-member cast in a harsh look at racism then and now
Mrs. Warren’s Profession: Shaw’s Steadfast Feminism Tidily Displayed
★★★★☆ Gingold Theatrical Group’s David Staller capably directs a Shavian cast, featuring Karen Ziemba and Robert Cuccioli
Dana H.: Deirdre O’Connell Brilliant in Lucas Hnath’s Portrait of His Mother
★★★★☆ A lip-synched verbatim account on the five-month-long kidnapping of the playwright’s mother.
Thoughts of a Colored Man: Seven Men Splendidly Declare Who/Why They Are
★★★★★ Keenan Scott II’s new play delves into the complex and cogent subject of Black men’s lives mattering
Letters of Suresh: The Importance of Letter-Writing Admirably Proclaimed
★★★★☆ Rajiv Joseph’s spiritual play with completely in-tune director May Adrales and cast, featuring Ramiz Monsef
Is This A Room: Chilling Verbatim FBI Investigation Into Government Whistleblower
★★★★☆ Conceiver-director Tina Satter’s careful replication of shocking case, with Emily Davis as suspect Reality Winner
Chicken & Biscuits: Dysfunctional Family Becomes Beautifully Functional
★★★★☆ Douglas Lyons’s dramedy brought to pulsing life by director Zhailon Levingston and top-notch cast
Lackawanna Blues: Ruben Santiago-Hudson Brillliantly Tour de Forcing
★★★★★ The actor-director lovingly revives a one-man work about his childhood and the woman who influenced it most
Persuasion: Jane Austen’s Last Novel Takes the Stage Running
★★☆☆☆ Bedlam’s Eric Tucker and adapter Sarah Rose Kearns turn a classic into a romp, obliviously
A Commercial Jingle for Regina Comet: Two Songwriters Go for That Top 40 Hit
★★★☆☆ The 80-minuter asks the musical question about where chart-topping songs can start their climb