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.

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.