Close counts in more than just horseshoes and hand grenades. Being a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama counts big time -- the nominating committee chooses as few as three scripts per year and ranges farther than Broadway in search of the best American play.
So plays don't get much newer or more acclaimed than 2012 Pulitzer finalist Sons of the Prophet, presented by Stray Cat Theatre through Saturday, March 2. Playwright Stephen Karam, who was introduced to Valley audiences with columbinus and Speech & Debate, anointed a suffering Lebanese-American Catholic family with the syrup of dark humor to create a multifaceted tale of what it's like to be old, young, athletic, queer, bereaved, sick, scandalized, related to Kahlil Gibran, and/or a deer.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Thursdays, 7 p.m. Starts: Feb. 15. Continues through March 2, 2013