Michael Hollinger’s Ghost Writer tells the story of Myra Babbage, who vows to finish Franklin Woolsey’s novel after he passes away, after all, who knows more about him and his writing than his secretary/typist when it comes down to it? More than that, Ghost Writer is a story that contemplates the nature of an artists’ identity, a thought that is extremely valid and timely in a world where artificial intelligence is being used to create more and more art. The Jewel Box production is also a study in stage direction and casting, how Kristi Ann Jacobson and Ruth Ann Saunders have built two casts that tell the same story in two completely different ways, each providing the audience with different questions, different reactions, and surely different conclusions. It’s not possible for everyone to see plays with multiple casts twice, but if there ever was one for which the effort should be made, this is it.

If the best advertisement for any acting school is how well their students perform on stage, then Actorcraft P2S can ask for nothing better than what they put up on stage at the Penninsula High School theatre this past weekend. Theresa Rebeck’s debut play Mauritius, the story of two sisters bequeathed a stamp collection from their recently deceased mother and who have different intentions with what to do with said collection, is a play that requires a lot out of its actors from an emotional perspective and the cast that director Adrianne Alvarez-Jackson put up and consisting of Actorcraft founder Jeremy Kent Jackson and four of the studio’s students excelled in delivering this play and proved that there is a viable theatre option in Gig Harbor that deserves our attention.

Fools was written by Neil Simon to be specifically something that wouldn’t be successful on Broadway, as a way of sticking it to his wife in their divorce proceedings. And while he was successful there, the play has found a life of its own in the regional and community theatre circuit. It’s a show that’s funny, enjoyable, and fun time for the audience. The Olympic Theatre Arts production of Fools, under the direction of Steve Fisher, proves why it has been so successful at this level, it is well paced, hilariously performed, and overall a genuinely amusing and entertaining play, enjoyable for all.

Eurydice, playwright Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice and currently on stage at Bainbridge Performing Arts’ Buxton Center, is a three dimensional work of art. From a creative team, led by director Christen Muir, that has taken full advantage of the latitude given it within Ruhl’s script to construct a stunningly ethereal scenic design with unique set pieces, complemented with an original score composed by Andrew Joslyn, and a cast that gorgeously brings this story to life, Eurydice is a must-see, and is the best thing the theatre has put up on their main stage this season.

Lorca in a Green Dress, Nilo Cruz’s 2003 play that explores the poet Federico García Lorca coming to terms with his death at the hands of Nationalist militia at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, as well as his life, before his ascension to another plane of existence in the afterlife. Faced with other Lorcas, components of his consciousness, he relives moments of his life in order to make sense of where he is and how he got there. The play itself is a surreal exercise in self-reconciliation set in an ethereal reality, both a tribute to the artistry of Lorca as a poet and an artist as well as a warning to us all about the potential rise of facism and its impact on the artistic community. The Tacoma Little Theatre production, part of its ongoing partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma Theatre Program, is beautifully designed, diaphanous and delightful, and as much a part of the storytelling as the poetic delivery of the cast is. This poetically written, stunningly crafted, and beautifully performed play is exactly the right kind of bellwether we need right now.

Anne of Green Gables is one of those stories that we’ve all come across along the way in our lives, whether through the original novel or on TV or film. The version on stage in Marysville, presented by Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts, hits all of the story’s marks, is transportive in how it presents the setting, and fun in how it’s told by a cast of actors led by Hazel Weber as Anne Shirley. It’s a show that’s entertaining for the entire family, and one that is enjoyable both for those familiar with the story as well as newcomers to it.

David Eldridge’s Beginning, the first in a trilogy of plays that focus on the stages of human relationships, presents the story of Laura and Danny, who meet at the close of Laura’s housewarming party. This intimate story of two strangers navigating the hurdles of a budding friendship while carrying the baggage of their respective pasts and dealing with ulterior motives is about taking risks, and the courage to lay yourself bare to someone new in order to establish trust. Performed beautifully by Lucy Pearce and Gerald Germajesty Price, the Burien Actors Theatre production of Beginning will draw you into this pair’s story, and make you fall in love with them, as much as you hope they fall in love with each other.

Letters From Max, the story of playwright Sarah Ruhl, her former student Max Ritvo, and the friendship they cultivated as told through the many letters they exchanged from the time they met as teacher and student through his illness and cancer treatments, is a play about love and the power of language and how it reaches into our soul to provide a deeper level of communication. Featuring strong performances by Marianna de Fazio and Alexander Kilian, under the direction of Amy Poisson, and presented with a beautifully intimate design, Letters From Max, despite its heavy leaning subject matter, will leave you feeling hopeful, hopeful that as individuals and as humans we can strive to be as vulnerable and open as Sarah and Max, and as such we too can build a relationship that is lasting, despite the seriousness of any challenges that may befall us.

It seems like everywhere you turn this season, there’s a version of Blithe Spirit in the offing. The latest is a co-production from Circle of Fire Theatre and SecondStory Rep, and is currently running on stage in Redmond, a production that is unique in its design, dark, mysterious, and looming, and superb in its presentation, which includes a cast that understands the energy and pace that is needed to make a devilish farce like Blithe Spirit work. The result is a fun show, hauntingly good, and magnificently delivered, one that continues SecondStory’s trend of excellence and also one that is starting to cement Circle of Fire as a solid up and coming troupe in the region.

The Laramie Project is a difficult play that presents some pretty heavy subject matter, the story of Matthew Shepard’s robbery and subsequent murder at the hands of two young men in Laramie, Wyoming, a crime committed in a most gruesome way against a person ostensibly just for being gay. It’s a play that is uniquely constructed, and one that is timely in a social climate that seems to be skewing toward a viewpoint where crimes like this aren’t out of the realm of possibility. What differentiates the Lakewood Playhouse production of The Laramie Project, under the direction of Joseph C. Walsh, is the amount of love that the cast and creative team has put into it, enough love to present a show that is memorable and impactful, one that has the potential to change minds and hearts. It’s important to know what you’re getting into when you go to see this play, and you most definitely should go and see it, but when you do, you’ll see a production that reaches into its collective soul to draw you into this young man’s heartbreaking and tragic story, and provides a sense of empathy to those who society views and degrades as others.

Out of all the plays in Lauren Gunderson’s catalog, Silent Sky may be the most representative of what makes her work so good and so popular. With themes of female empowerment, strength, and independence, the story of Henrietta Leavitt’s scientific impact achieved in a world where women were often kept in the shadow of men, presents those themes in the context of math and science in a way that only Gunderson can. Sonja Usher leads a wonderful group of actors, under the direction of Jay Stratton, in an breakout performance that is filled with energy and light, an alluring turn that hits every emotional note and presents Henrietta Leavitt as a strong, independent, intelligent, and unforgettable woman, the kind that made Lauren Gunderson want to write about this sisterhood of astronomers.

The Winter’s Tale has been called many things, a romance, a comedy, and a psychological drama to name a few, and it’s also been considered a difficult, or problem play. At Key City Public Theatre, what others see as a risky play worth avoiding, Executive Artistic Director Denise Winter views as a challenge. By taking this classic play and combining all of the romance, comedy, and dramatic aspects of the original, then modernizing and simplifying it, what Denise has done has seemingly made the difficult look simple. This is an expertly constructed adaptation, it’s emotional, dramatic, funny, and fun, and features an outstanding cast led by an absolutely stellar performance from Geoffery Simmons. If you think you know The Winter’s Tale and feel that it is chaotic and without a clear identity, or have stayed away from it for any reason, this is an adaptation that you’ll want to see, it’ll most definitely change your mind, a clear example of making the difficult look easy, an adaptation from a genuine sprezzatura.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, the show meant to welcome people back to the reimagined Renton Civic Theatre, has a lot of pressure thrust upon it, as a bellwether of future shows and audience attendance to say the least. The show is a safe choice, in that it’s familiar, funny (i.e. not a drama), and relatable, and as a musical it has songs that will get the audience’s feet tapping for sure. Under the direction of Mauro Bozzo, a small but mighty cast tells the story of the lifecycle of romance, literally from the cradle to the grave, so, with this show, a director who knows a thing or two about delivering musical theatre, an experienced creative design team, and with a cast of superior vocalists and expert character actors, the new and improved Renton Civic Theatre not only made the safe choice to open back up with “I Love You…”, they made the right one.

The Valley Center Stage production of Treasure Island, adapted by Scarlett Jonas, is a new version of the familiar story, one that sheds a lot of the detail in the original young adult oriented novel, replacing it with humor and fun geared toward younger audiences in a play that is something the whole family can enjoy. Presented by a cast of scallawags and storytellers that understand Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel as well as the audience to which they are performing, and a creative team that recognizes the space they’re in and makes it feel bigger than it is, while keeping it intimate at the same time, Treasure Island is a play that has a little something for everyone.

The Bremerton Community Theatre production of Spider’s Web does very well with this unique play from Agatha Christie’s catalog of murder mysteries. Heavier on the humor than a lot of Christie’s work, the cast that Jeffrey Bassett has assembled delivers the Christie twists and turns in a play that is more fun that suspenseful, a play with a crime that seems straightforward and is anything but, and with a scenic design that takes the blueprint for the genre and elevates it to a higher level of excellence, Spider’s Web is different kind of Agatha Christie murder mystery, and one that is worth taking in.

Though Blues for an Alabama Sky is set in 1930s Harlem, it sure feels topical with its themes of economic struggle, women’s reproductive rights, and differing attitudes toward human sexuality. Valerie Curtis-Newton always finds a way to present important works that amplify black voices amid these experiences using exquisite designs and by casting brilliant actors to tell stories that matter. Blues for an Alabama Sky is the latest example of a piece that matters to all of us in a time of up upheaval in our country, a play that is so wonderfully produced and presented, it can’t help but make an impact. Let’s hope that its message spreads beyond the walls of the theatre.

Crave, produced by Intiman Theatre, should probably have a disclaimer attached to it. It’s most definitely not for the faint of heart, and not designed for all audiences. If you’re the kind of theatre goer that wants a nicely packaged story, that makes sense emotionally and doesn’t require a lot of thought or discussion, Crave will not be your cup of tea. But if you like to be challenged, especially emotionally, by a play that asks you to check your analytical mind at the door and let its words and artistic elements flow over and through you, then Crave may just be what your looking for. It’s a challenging play from a unique playwright, but where this piece excels is in its production and presentation, it’s just a beautifully told piece of performance art.

No Exit tells the story of three individuals stuck inside a hell that is represented by a windowless room and a locked door, trapped there with nothing but each other and the revelation that they have to live together as each others’ mirrors and decide between keeping up a charade hoping to make it easier or be honest about their lives, take responsibility for their actions, and learn to deal with each other in that context for eternity. Performed by a cast of four that bring this allegory to life in a thought provoking way, the Olympia Little Theatre version of No Exit will leave you contemplating your own actions, and how your self-validation is guided by others’ perceptions or your own, which mirror is the most important to be seen through.

Adaptations of popular musicals are a dime a dozen, but every once in a while one comes along that feels brand new, that feels like a fresh telling that surprises even those that are familiar with the characters and their story. Such is the co-production of The Last Five Years, from the 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT Contemporary Theatre. This is a show that is so well performed that it will reach into your soul and bring out the happiest and most hopeful of joys and the most heartbreaking and agonizing of despairs, all while making you appreciate experiencing actors reaching new heights in the mastery of their craft.

Xanadu is a musical that understands its intent, and leans into it, that being to exist as self-deprecating and fun, to laugh at itself, and bring the audience into its humor while presenting it all with a soundtrack that is reminiscent of the film on which it was based, as critically panned as it was. Aside from an awkward bit of stagecraft, the TMP production of Xanadu, directed by Jon Douglas Rake and featuring Emma DeLoye and Jesse Geray, is just about everything you’d hope for out of a show that puts entertainment value above all. Don’t expect Xanadu to change the world, but you can bank on the two hours spent at the theatre taking it in to be a lively and amusing time.