In Doron Max Hagay’s bitingly astute and exceptionally hilarious homage to female middle-aged friendship, Michelle and Kelly have a mutually supportive, enmeshed relationship despite their lifestyle differences. Single, blunted Michelle struggles to assert herself following her husband’s mysterious disappearance while Kelly yearns for the wilder days of her youth when the responsibilities of a husband and baby didn’t tame her flirtatious fire. But when Michelle begins an unlikely acquaintance with a forthright, open-minded teenage girl, their dynamic curdles. Her new friend awakens a sense of vitality in Michelle and as her confidence builds, it provokes the ire of Kelly. Calling upon a wildly funny supporting cast to play the leads’ gossipy pals, including John Early, Patti Harrison, Kate Berlant and Ayden Mayeri, Hagay and his co-writers (stars Blair Beeken and Katy Fullan) manage to simultaneously satirize and honor the art of friendship in a profoundly droll way. Deadpan yet nuanced, She Keeps Me Young is a surprising discovery.—Liza Domnitz