Good Evening
Last season, Ambler's Act II brought us the funniest show of the season, a farcical two-hander called The Big Bang. Clearly looking for Bang #2, they've cleverly brought back that incomparable clown, Tony Braithwaite, to star (with Chris Faith) in a comic revue that was created by the great team of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. I'm betting that lightning will strike twice in the same place.
Sept. 16-Oct. 16, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200.

Lady From the Sea
Ibsen's play about a still-young woman trapped in a stable but joyless marriage resonates with many themes more familiar from Doll House and Hedda Gabler. In fact, Lady is every bit as great a play, but we rarely have a chance to see it. Thankfully, Lantern will change all that.
Sept. 30-Oct. 30, Lantern Theater at St. Stephen's, 10th and Ludlow sts., 215-829-9002.

Musical of Musicals
The off-Broadway hit finally comes to Philly. MOM tells the same story in five parody mini-musicals, each in the style of a different creator. You'll laugh, you'll leave the theater humming the tunes, and you'll never think of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman or Kander and Ebb in the same way.
Oct. 1-30, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700.

Miss Witherspoon
The wonderful Christopher Durang, playwright and balladeer of our complicated times, has been too quiet recently. But the good news is he's back, not once but twice this season, for a pair of premieres. First is this comedy about a lady, reincarnation and the occasional rendezvous with Rex Harrison.
Through Oct. 11, Berlind Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place, Princeton, N.J., 609-258-2787.

I Am My Own Wife
The Wilma Theater has been instrumental in developing Doug Wright's play, which won a Pulitzer Prize and enjoyed a triumphant Broadway production. Now the provocative piece, about the odd life and times of German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (the action runs from World War II through the end of the century) returns to the Wilma. This will be almost a second premiere: Wright has adapted the original script, written for a single actor, in a new version for two.
Through Oct. 23, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824.

The Member of the Wedding
The original production of Carson McCullers' lovely coming-of-age story featured performances by Julie Harris and Ethel Waters that became benchmarks of great American acting. But the lyrical play lives on, and now a new generation can experience the timeless beauty of McCullers' writing.
Through Oct. 23, People's Light & Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-647-1900.

Loot
In 1967, Joe Orton's spectacular death (in a bloody murder-suicide, perpetrated by his male lover) deprived us of possibly the greatest English comic playwright since Oscar Wilde. As it is, the few uproariously dark farces he left behind — brimming with anti-establishment venom — influenced practically everybody who came after. Loot, a family comedy about a stolen casket, may be the very best of them.
Through Oct. 30, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., 215-922-1122.

Anna Bella Eema
A new company, Gas & Electric Arts, created by Lisa Jo Epstein and hosted by the Triangle Theater, arrives with a play by Obie-winner Lisa d'Amour that chronicles the life, hard times and survival of two denizens of trailer park America: 10-year-old Anna and her mother.
Oct. 6-23, Gas & Electric Arts at Triangle Theater, 1220 N. Lawrence St., 215-763-0110.

Good Body
Eve (Vagina Monologues) Ensler is back for just five performances of her recent piece. Apparently, there are new body parts to explore, not just the old familiar ones. You can't touch yourself enough, I always say.
Oct. 11-16, Penn Presents at Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3900.

Adrift in Macao
The second of two Christopher Durang premieres is a musical (score by Peter Melnick) that places five characters in an oriental setting that echoes Casablanca and other films noirs. If it's anything like Durang's History of the American Film, it's not to be missed.
Oct. 21-Nov. 20, Philadelphia Theatre Co. at Plays & Players Theater, 1714 Delancey St., 215-569-9700.

Feast of the Flying Cow
The ironic convergence of warfare and political spin-doctoring has provided director Seth Rozin with some of his sharpest material. It looks like Cow, a world premiere by Jeni Mahoney, is grazing in the same pasture: A ravaged family is offered the opportunity to become poster children for a media-driven recovery effort.
Oct. 21-Nov. 20, InterAct Theatre Co. at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-568-8077.

Rounding Third
Richard Dresser's play pits two Little League coaches against each other. Sounds funny, and with Peter Pryor and David Ingram set to star, like a surefire home run.
Nov. 10-Dec. 4, Theatre Exile at Independence Studio on 3, Walnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut St., 215-922-4462.

Double Down
Jennifer Childs directs the ever-popular 1812 Christmas show, which this year is a turn for the guys. Scott Greer and Tony Braithwaite salute comedy teams from Abbott and Costello to Martin and Lewis and beyond (maybe for an encore they'll do Bush and Rove). One word: Unmissable.
Dec. 2-31, 1812 Productions at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-592-9560.