★★★★☆ Or, how an obnoxious pet can worm his way into your heart. A play, too. The titular parrot (Paul Melendy) owned by the feckless Angie (Liv Dumaine) preens and brags and struts through the entirety of act one, and I had an awful time warming up to them. (“Them” because, interestingly, one cannot infer a parrot’s sex without surgical intrusion.) Anyway, my distress was nothing compared to that of Mason (Gabriel Graetz), a rejected suitor of Angie’s who is guilted into taking care of Featherbaby while she’s off reestablishing a bond with ex Katharine. But as act two unfurls, the reluctant caregiver forms even greater bonds with the bird, and vice versa, and I eagerly went along for the ride to its magical, poignant finish. Katy Monthei’s elaborate collage of a set brilliantly conveys, to my mind, how a creature born in a rain forest would perceive a modern American urban environment, starting with a cage as throne. And whether you tolerate or reject or embrace Featherbaby, there’s no denying the singular accomplishment of Melendy’s virtuoso turn, incorporating birdlike behavior into his physicalization even while infusing them with genuine human emotion. You have until Sept. 28 to take in his superb, unmissable work. Greater Boston Stage Company, Stoneham. www.greaterbostonstage.org. (Photo by Nile Scott Studios)