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.

If I were to summarize the Showtunes Theatre Company’s concert production of Sunset Boulevard, I’d have to say that it’s a fabulous, engaging, and superlative presentation of one of the great Broadway musicals. It is truly an example of something that is greater than the sum of its parts, and for any fan of theatre, musical or otherwise, it is one that demands to be experienced.

Gin Hammond’s new play Living IncogNegro, premiering at Key City Public Theatre, asks the question “What do you do when your physical identity is different from your cultural identity?”. What follows is a wonderfully constructed thesis that examines life as a veritable Venn diagram in a society that treats people differently depending on how they look versus what their cultural background is. Gin Hammond pulls on her own life experiences not to provide answers, but rather to give perspective on her experiences and to let the audience absorb this piece and take an introspective look at themselves in the context of culture, heritage, and race in American society.

Crimes of the Heart, currently onstage at Bremerton Community Theatre, tells the story of the Magrath sisters, who come together after being apart when they find out one of them has come across some trouble. The result of this is two days of confessions, old feelings coming back, and three sisters working together to resolve their pasts and learn to deal with the present. The story is one of family, love, and appreciating what you have and those moments that only happen every so often. The BCT production is very good creatively and it is wonderfully performed. Anyone who has ever had a family, or has been a part of one, is sure to find Crimes of the Heart relatable, heartfelt, and funny.

The Book of Will, onstage now at Taproot Theatre and directed by Karen Lund, is the perfect mix, of fact and fiction, as well as humor and heart. The show, which makes one think what a world without an accurate transcription of Shakespeare’s work would look like, is at its foundation a testament to the importance of theatre and story as salve and sanctuary. The Taproot production features a collection of standout performance as well as an ensemble that feels like a family. It’s funny. It’s touching. It’s very, very good.

A Doll’s House, Part 2, Lucas Hnath’s sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1789 play about a woman struggling against the patriarchy to find her own voice, is the latest production on the Tacoma Little Theatre stage. Part 2 takes Nora’s story to a new place, one that Ibsen might not have even thought of, but one that allows Hnath to ask the audience to consider an empathetic view on multiple perspectives of one event. It’s an actor’s play and director Marilyn Bennett lets the group she has assembled shine in this funny and thought provoking piece of theatre.

Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web is right behind Mousetrap as her second most popular play, and it’s clear to see why. It’s funny, engaging, and has all of the earmarks of a classic from The Queen of Crime. Add to this top to bottom excellence in direction, design, and performance, and the result is a whodunit that is extremely entertaining, well paced, and just fun. Centerstage Theatre in Federal Way is, perhaps, a little out of the way (pun intended), but don’t let that stop you. As one of the best Christie adaptations I’ve seen, it’s something should be on everyone’s calendar.

Quixote Nuevo is a creative reimagining of a classic story. Octavio Solis has created a piece that both pays homage to the Don Quixote of Cervantes, while at the same time tilts at some of the windmills of the 21st century. Under the direction of Lisa Portes and told by a cast of actors that are all in on the telling, Quixote Nuevo takes audiences on a journey of memory and introspection that will surely inform our lives and how we treat each other in the process.

Becoming Dr. Ruth does exactly what you’d hope a biographical piece would do. Performed wonderfully by Naomi Jacobson as the infamous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, this play is educational, enlightening, and certainly thought provoking. Audiences attending this production will learn more about the person Dr. Ruth than they knew coming in, but more than that, they’ll learn what drives her positivity and gratefulness, while at the same time receiving some perspective on their own lives.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore is classic Nora Ephron. The trials of life as a woman in America, and how wardrobe as a common thread through memory and experience, is told with humor, heart, and poignancy. Director Neicie Packer has assembled a wonderful group of storytellers who have come together to take the audience through the female experience, while making the story relatable to both women and men alike. Love, Loss, and What I Wore will make you laugh, cry, gasp, and sigh, but most importantly it will bring you into something more important than all of that, community.

Good Water takes audiences to a dystopian future that isn’t difficult to fathom. Local playwright Jessica Moreland has constructed an excellent story, built out relatable characters who challenge how redeemable humans are in the face of this grim fate, and presented a work of art that will challenge audiences to take an introspective look into their own lives and into society as a whole. It’s a play I can see becoming a more consistent part of the local theatre scene, especially as it continues to mature.

God of Carnage is a healthy mix of humor and levity, serious conversations about a real situation that seem to go sideways when the booze starts to flow, but ones that also shine a light on the walls that we build up in the name of social decorum and what lies beneath them when those walls start to come down. It’s a show that shines when its cast is capable, and the SecondStory Rep production has a cast that is more than up to the task. It’s a show that’ll make you gasp, laugh, and all the while give an introspective look at what you might do in a similar situation.

The Comedy of Errors is, for my money, one of Shakespeare’s most enjoyable plays. By itself, it’s lighthearted, funny, and extremely accessible. Add to this foundation a small but mighty, and extremely talented, cast who, to a person, understand how to deliver the Bard’s humor and you’ve got a well-paced and rollicking good time at the theatre. What some might deem risky, Director Jimmy Shields handles without missing a beat. The Comedy of Errors is a hilarious and unique telling of a classic piece of Shakespeare’s library and is should be on everyone’s list this January.

The BPA production of Beauty and the Beast is a well conceived and produced addition to the history of this classic story. This magical tale of love, family, and redemption under the direction of Adam Othman captures the heart of the Disney film and stage adaptation. Told by an extremely talented cast and creative team, it’s clear why this tale as old as time is not going away anytime soon.

What the Dickens?! is probably not what you think it is. Every aspect of this show is a surprise, and every surprise is a holiday treat. It’s Vaudeville meets Victorian England, it’s Scrooge meets Sherlock, and it’s everything that I’d want out of a feel good Christmas show. A laugh out loud spin on the classic Christmas redemption tale, What the Dickens?! should be at the top of your holiday theatre wish list. It’s anything but a “Humbug”.

The Lakewood Playhouse production of The Seafarer takes the best of what makes up any really good Christmas story and takes it to another level. Performed by a superb cast guided under the direction of Frank Thompson, this mystical story of family, conscience, and redemption set in Ireland stands out among the other seasonal tales currently in the offing and is something you’ll not soon forget.

The Lesser Known Players production of Abigail’s Party is an example of what this troupe does best, selecting shows that are not entirely mainstream, but skew to the abstract and make one think. Abigail’s Party doesn’t end when the curtain drops, you’ll spend some time on the ride home thinking about what you just saw and what it means, but isn’t that what all good art does?

The 5th Avenue production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is not just good, it’s inspiring. It’s the kind of show that is bigger than the sum of its parts, presented by a group of creatives, cast, and crew, that is as good as it gets. White Christmas is a true tour de force, and it won’t just rekindle your holiday spirit, but if you’re anything like me, it’ll reach down into your soul and remind you of every reason why you love musical theatre.