Things to Do

The 3 Plays You Have to See During the Women’s Voices Theater Festival

This fall, female playwrights debut more than 50 world premieres around town. Here are the ones you can't miss.

Photograph by Christopher Mueller.

Cake Off

Signature Theatre; September 29-November 22

Signature turns up the heat in this musical—a batter-soaked battle-of-the-sexes comedy filled with juicy jabs and delicious zingers. Playwright Sheri Wilner’s satire is set to a score by Julia Jordan (Murder Ballad) and Adam Gwon. Let the flour fly! $40 to $96.

Illustration by Nigel Buchanan.

Destiny of Desire

Arena Stage; September 11-October 18

You don’t need a Latin lineage (or passable Spanish) to savor a spicy telenovela. This play opens on a dark and stormy night in Mexico, where two newborns are switched at birth by a conniving beauty queen. Playwright Karen Zacarías defies expectations in this comedy about the roles we play onscreen and off. $40 to $90.

Photograph by Stan Barouh. Courtesy Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Women Laughing Alone with Salad

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; September 7-October 4

Inspired by an internet meme, this world premiere is a biting look at our thinness-obsessed culture. When a twentysomething guy is tempted by a self-conscious new gal, the world–including his diet-obsessed girlfriend and former old-school feminist mother–rallies against him. $35 to $73.