Scene-stealing Rivals

Sean McNall and Carol Schultz, foreground, in The Rivals.

Memorable performances sometimes pop up where you don't expect them. Sheridan's The Rivals is best known as the play that features the word-misusing Mrs. Malaprop, but the best performances of the Pearl Theatre's perfectly respectful revival come from other members of the ensemble.

Games Grown Ups Play

Trudi Jackson and Mark Rice-Oxley in Playing With Grown Ups.

Although Playing with Grown Ups isn't entirely successful as a play, it's refreshing to see a completely unsentimental look at motherhood (not surprisingly, it comes from a Brit). Another interesting cultural contrast: The teenage girl that one of the 40ish characters is dating is listed as 16 in the script; for the New York production, her age was upped to 17. My Time Out New York review.