Best New Play

Amy Freed is no stranger to the boards at South Coast Repertory, and while her latest play lacked the scope of past ones about Roman Emperor Nero and the weirdo New England Puritans of Increase Mather’s time, the central character in her freewheeling dark comedy was just as big: a world-renowned architect and egomaniac graced by brilliance and debased by his warped views on creativity and creating meaning through one’s actions (the always-electrifying Danny Scheie). Director Art Manke expertly navigated the play’s abrupt shift in tone, allowing Freed’s funny, twisted play about the battle between collective community and technocratic, soulless urban planning free rein to roam.