How to Write a New Book for the Bible checks all the boxes for what makes great art, in my opinion. It’s a well written and beautifully presented piece that will mean something different to everyone, largely dependent on perspective and life experience. Regardless of anyone’s ability to directly relate to the specific situation that plays out on stage, the way playwright Bill Cain addresses love, family, responsibility and religion is universally relevant. How to Write is more heavy than it is light, but it never feels dreary or depressing just for the sake of it. It’s a human tale of balance and the struggle for truth in an inconceivable world.

The Village Theatre production of The Fantasticks, under the direction of Adam Immerwahr, is proof positive the magic making it the world’s longest running musical is still there. Led by an enchanting cast and supported by a creative team that envelops the audience in it’s design elements, The Fantasticks speaks to the romantic part of us while at the same time engaging that dark and mysterious side that we all too often try to keep hidden. It’s the complete package.

The Seattle Shakespeare production of The Bed Trick is a show that excels at every level. It starts with Keiko Green’s writing, which is presented extremely well by Director Makaela Milburn and her creative team, and performed expertly by a small but extremely talented cast. All of these pieces come together to create a piece of art that is both hilarious and thought provoking, with so much energy that once it starts it doesn’t stop, and you don’t want it to. To see The Bed Trick is to see excellence, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we haven’t seen the last of it. This show has legs and is most certainly going places. Until that happens, though, we’ll just have to appreciate the fact that Seattle Shakespeare has the funniest and most entertaining play on its stage right now.

Stew, on stage at ACT’s Falls Theatre, is a layered play about family and the importance of open and honest communication. It’s also a study in coming to terms with one’s choices, actions, consequences, and life situations. Like a good stew, this work builds on itself, adding ingredient upon ingredient until it is ready and its point comes into focus. Extremely well produced and acted, Stew is a thinker of a show, that is much more than it advertises, and will be something that sticks with you for awhile after it has been taken in, like, well, a good stew.

Jersey Boys is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for any fan of The Four Seasons, or the music of their generation. From the streets of New Jersey, to the lights of Las Vegas and so many stops in between, Jersey Boys follows this quartet through all of it, the highs and the lows, the trouble, and the triumphs. The Tacoma Musical Playhouse production, under the direction of Managing Artistic Director Jon Douglas Rake, is a faithful and well done tribute to the band and their music. Music has a way of tapping into certain emotional parts of us as humans, and when a piece of art can present that music along with superb storytelling, it’s a magical thing. This production of Jersey Boys does all of that, and much more, it’s the best TMP show of the year.

Colder Than Here may be called a comedy, but given its subject matter and the way it is presented by As If Theatre, I’d rather it just be called “human”, a human story of family, love, sorrow, and joy. With a talented quartet of actors, led by Amy Gentry in an absolutely marvelous performance and under the direction of Cindy Giese French, Colder Than Here hits every human emotional note, and engages the audience like few other shows out there. You will laugh, you will probably cry, but more than anything, you’ll walk away having experienced something that will make you feel essentially human.

Anyone Can Whistle creatively captures the wonderful Sondheim magic that we’ve all come to know and love over the years, and definitely miss with his passing. The Reboot Theatre production features a talented cast with top flight performances and a production design that is fun and fanciful. A show like this proves that sometimes not doing the familiar, but rather doing something completely unexpected is the surprise that we all need.

Sanctuary City, Seattle Rep’s latest onstage production, depicts the struggle of a group of young adults known as “Dreamers” in the early 21st Century, trying to make their way in the shadow of 9/11 and without a clear plan for becoming a part of American society. This smartly designed play deploys some unique and creative ways of assembling the puzzle of a plot and relies on strong and agile acting to drive home the plight of its characters. The play is certainly a “thinker”, and while it delves into some pretty heavy stuff, it remains entertaining and enlightening.

The 5th Avenue Theatre’s latest production, Something’s Afoot, features a cast of Seattle veteran actors, under the direction of Director Bill Berry, who demonstrate what it means when talent comes together without ego to present work as an ensemble that is synergy at its core. For any fan of Agatha Christie, Clue, or the Family Guy episode “And Then There Were Fewer”, or if you just want to laugh and be entertained by a group of extremely gifted performers, Something’s Afoot is a show you’re not going to want to miss.

The latest collaboration between Tacoma Little Theatre and the University of Washington, Tacoma Theatre Department is currently on stage through March 31. Their co-production of Rent faithfully captures the heart of New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis. Creatively designed and skillfully performed, this production of Rent depicts the fear and struggle of the mid-1990s in the lives of a group of young artists, while also capturing their love and hope for a better life. Rent unpacks a lot, but this edition does it in a way that is engaging and quite frankly, beautiful.

The Book of Will is an historical play that is a loving tribute to theatre and storytelling as told through the eyes of Shakespeare’s friends trying to collect his works and publish them for public consumption. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s very well written, and it’s performed wonderfully by this BPA cast. The cast, under the direction of Kate Meyers truly has a love for this work and that shows in their onstage relationships, their delivery, and the absolute quality with which they deliver the material.

The Edmonds Driftwood Players are kicking off Women’s History Month with a science lesson, shining a light on Ada Lovelace, a much overlooked figure in the history of computational science. In a production designed with a minimalistic approach and a group of actors that do wonderfully to portray these varied figures, this poetic love story wrapped in a tale of historical events is an excellent offering from this group.

There’s nothing altogether complex about the delivery of The Stinky Cheese Man, and it’s one of those rare shows these days that you don’t have to worry about bringing the family to. The show understands what it is and doesn’t try to do more than that, and as long as you don’t expect more than that, you’ll have a great time.

On its own, The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Oscar Wilde’s most enjoyable plays. It’s an absurd farce that has staying power due to its situational humor and well constructed and fast paced dialogue. The Original Theater Black Dog production of The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Susie Bradford, uses a simple, but elegant production design, and a stellar cast to not just bring Wilde’s story to life, but raise it to a level of absolute enjoyment that serves as proof that great theatre isn’t limited to just the large houses in Seattle, but can also be found in a 135 year old train depot.

Trouble in Mind is a layered piece that tackles so much more than you’d think possible in just short of two and a half hours. It’s a show of contrasts, age, race, economics, and time. The play is very well written and even better performed by a remarkable cast under the direction of Jasmine Lomax and is the perfect way to close out Black History Month.

Lip Service, written by John Misto, and currently onstage at Theatre33 in Bellevue in a production directed by Marianna Chebotaryova, is a new and personal take on the story of Helena Rubenstein, leader of the cosmetic revolution in the United States. Era Pogosova stars as “Madame” in a performance that is stellar and truly reminiscent of the magnate herself, definitely worth seeing if you have the opportunity.

Plaza Suite, on stage at Renton Civic Theatre through March 2, is everything we’ve come to expect from a Neil Simon play, and then some. His works are marked by humor and compassion, but more than that they take a real, and yes, sometimes hard look at relationships. Directed by Misty Doty, Plaza Suite stars Meagan Castillo and Eric Hartley in three stories of love, heartbreak, family, and persistence, each building in a crescendo to a finale that is worth all of the emotional heavy lifting that the beginning of the show requires.

The latest play to hit the stage at Lakewood Playhouse is The Giver, based on the popular 1993 young adult novel of the same name. Despite reducing the book into a mere 70 minutes, and the small space that is Lakewood Playhouse, director Brittany D. Henderson has produced a play that captures the essence of the dystopian world in which sameness is prioritized over individuality.

A Case for the Existence of God is a play that runs the gamut. It’s funny, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking. Conner Neddersen and Nathaniel Tenenbaum bring Samuel D. Hunter’s work to life through performances that feel genuine and true. Director John Langs has put together a team of storytellers that present this “case” uniquely and creatively. Altogether, it’s a show that will have you wondering what it’s really about, and at the end, when you see the point, you’ll realize that you won’t have seen it coming.

The Addams Family, A New Musical is a real achievement. It takes an award winning musical, with a cast that seems like it should be too big for the space and makes it feel large but never crowded, has a cast that captures these familiar characters with humor and authenticity, and presents a show that hits all of its marks musically. Directed by Gwen Adams, there is not a more entertaining show onstage in Kitsap currently.