A Moon for the Misbegotten

The landscape of unattainable human desire is unforgettably etched in Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece. And what a treat to see it in the intimate space of the Berlind Theatre, with accomplished director Gary (The Color Purple) Griffin at the helm.

Jan. 13-Feb. 19, McCarter Theatre, 91 University Place, Princeton, N. J., 609-258-2787, www.mccarter.org.

InterAct's latest world premiere follows a seemingly solid married couple who search for answers following the death of their son on 9/11.

Jan. 20-Feb. 19, InterAct Theatre Co. at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-568-8077, www.interacttheatre.org.

Philly's wonderful Frank X stars in Alessandro Baricco's play, a fantasia on jazz and the jazz age.

Jan. 27-Feb. 26, Lantern Theater Co. at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th and Ludlow sts., 215-829-9002, www.lanterntheater.org.

Heather Raffo's one-woman play, a huge success off-Broadway, examines the turbulent lives of women in Iraq during the last 20 years.

Feb. 1-March 12, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, www.wilmatheater.org.

A young woman from a small island off the Irish coast must choose between her community and a new life on the mainland in this play by noted writer Sebastian Barry.

Feb. 7-19, Villanova Theatre, Vasey Hall, Lancaster and Ithan aves., Villanova, 610-519-7474, www.theatre.villanova.edu.

The music of Queen takes flight in a whole new way in this cabaret piece, one of Pig Iron's big hits, revived here in their celebratory 10th anniversary season.

Feb. 16-March 4, Pig Iron Theatre Co. at Drexel University, Mandell Theater, 3210 Chestnut St., 215-627-1883, www.pigiron.org.

For 15 years, British writer Alan Bennett allowed Miss Shepard, an unwashed and daft-but-crafty old lady, to live in a trailer parked on his property. Then he wrote a play about her.

Feb. 21-March 18, Mum Puppettheatre, 115 Arch St., 215-925-7686, www.mumpuppet.org.

Faith, zealotry and political corruption during the Salem witch trials—what may be Arthur Miller's finest play was written as a parable on the McCarthy era, but the resonance remains powerful today.

Feb. 22-April 9, People's Light and Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500, www.peopleslight.org.

Our local Shakespeare theater is back with a clever repertory season. Over a period of 12 weeks, they will alternate three shows: two classics by the Bard, and a very funny conflation of his work, directed here by Domenick Scudera.

March 3-May 21, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 2111 Sansom St., 215-496-8001, www.phillyshakespeare.org.

Prince subscribers have waited patiently for this new musical, based on Alan Lightman's poetic fable about Albert Einstein, time, relativity and love. Now it's back on track, and in the good hands of playwright Albert Innaurato.

March 4-26, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, www.princemusictheater.org.

At the turn of the century, a black seamstress, who specializes in delicate undergarments for wealthy white women, wonders about opportunities for fulfillment in her own life in Lynn Nottage's lovely play.

March 17-April 16, Philadelphia Theatre Co. at Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St., 215-985-0420, www.phillytheatreco.com.

This Obie-winning New York troupe, a favorite of avant-garde audiences, holds forth in a phantasmagoria on American popular culture, with Homeland Security a favorite motif.

April 18-23, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900, www.pennpresents.org.

Playwright Tracy Letts is fast becoming a New York favorite, due in great part to his push-the-envelope sensibility. Joe is no exception: This tableau vision of a trashy family in Dallas promises nudity, violence and profanity. I am so there!

April 28-May 28, Theatre Exile at Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-922-4462, www.theatreexile.com.

Gay lives, public and private, are revealed at a same-sex wedding in Terence McNally's new play, here in its world premiere.

May 12-June 11, Philadelphia Theatre Co. at Plays & Players Theater.

Stephen Sondheim and Larry Gelbart's joyous riff on Roman farce may be the funniest musical ever. Here at the Arden, it stars what may be Philadelphia's funniest man ever: Tony Braithwaite. What are you waiting for? Comedy tonight!

May 18-June 18, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122, www.ardentheatre.org.

Poet John Milton struggles to complete Paradise Lost -- and to get his daughters to help him with it—in Evan Smith's farce, which, 1812 promises us, will mix Oscar Wilde and Monty Python.

May 18-June 18,1812 Productions at St. Stephen's Theater, 923 Ludlow St., 215-592-9560, www.1812productions.org.

For nearly 10 years, this beloved musical of animal life on the African savanna has been standing-room-only on Broadway. At last, it comes to Philly—so you can see for yourselves how the unlikely union of cutting-edge director Julie Taymor (and the Disney Company!) produced what may be the most memorable musical of the '90s.

June 8-Aug. 13, Academy of Music, Broad and Locust sts., 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org/broadway.