Christopher Durang Fest. Four Off-Loop troupes offer plays by gay, failed Catholic, satirical Durang: The Actor's Nightmare and Sister Mary Ignatius at Oracle Theatre, through Sept. 17; The Vietnamization of New Jersey at Chemically Imbalanced, from Aug. 31. Others later. JA
Orphans, RiMeChi Theatre at City Lit, through Sept. 9. Ever since Oedipus, parentless children have been objects of suspicion or sentimentality, but this RiMeChi debut balances the two, wringing every manly tear from Lyle Kessler's derivative text. MSB
Pantomime, Pegasus Players, Sept. 10-Oct. 22. Derek Walcott mocks race and class in this play of a West Indian hotelier and his handyman who propose to parody the tale of Robinson Crusoe. Jonathan Wilson directs, so you know it's gotta be smart. MSB
The Unmentionables, Steppenwolf, through Aug. 27. Last chance to see author Bruce Norris twist the plot devices of farce to the dark side in his bleak comedy about principles falling to expediency, in which all--even the viewers--are implicated. First rate acting. JA
—Abarbanel and Barnidge