Recommended by Claudia Haas

The Magi learn some hard truths in this quirky, oh so relatable story where the Bible meets theatre producers and highway robbery ensues. O’Grady hands us the slings and arrows of play production with a pretty Christmas bow and a touch of sharp-edged holly.

We all know or come to know these two ladies. Heck, we may even be one of them. Lermond deftly gives us a tale that shows us that living is more than just breathing and new dawns come at any age. Witty and knowing, you will like spending time at Myrtle Beach with them.

A tale that could give you a chill during a sweltering, hot, southern night. Soucy’s details are so rich, you are there in the home with the ghost… and a most charming lady. It almost makes you want to have a cup of tea in that haunted home … almost.

What do the cards say? Truths? Intuition? Wishful thinking? Bluestein-Lyons will not give you a straight answer but you can connect the dots as you will. Maybe the cards are at work, maybe there’s an angel but there are certainly truths. An engaging two-hander that will leave you lost in wonder.

Hans Christian Andersen and Disney need to change their Little Mermaid endings. Jenna Jane nails it. It’s perfect, laugh out loud truths, and now that it’s been fully realized in this play - the only possible ending.

Dear high schools and universities” Look Away is for you (and me and all of us). A little known piece of history that should be common knowledge is handed to us and we must pay attention. While it focuses on anti-semitism (growing by leaps and bounds here and abroad), it is for all the people whose rights have been violated over the centuries. What’s frightening is Grant’s Order was a knee jerk reaction without a lot of thought that he regretted. Today’s news sound bytes are all too similar. May the play find a multitude of homes.

Love and regret - a combination that rears its head too much in a life. Alterman gives us both and the inevitable question, “what if we just said what needs to be said?” What a wonderful world it could be.

An insightful (and welcome) prequel to the canon of fairy tales - Cern finds new angles, new truths and a welcome coming-of-age to an old tale. Along the way, there are nods to history and the complexities of immortality that add even more nuance to a play that addresses how new fairy tales can thrive in our times.

And sometimes there is a play fit for many holidays that encompasses the season of love and care. Cathro has found it and audiences will be grateful. As am I.

This play evokes a romantic era of Paris seen through gauzy, loving eyes. Syran offers us an art movement that changed the rules of what a painting can say and do. Seen through the eyes of Suzanne Valadon, we are offered a feast of color that is both lush and street savvy. But make no mistake - this is theatre - packed with action, music and the jealousies of geniuses who love their work. I am appreciative that Syran did not forget the ladies - and places them center stage. Designers and directors will gobble this up.