Uncertain Attraction in “Work in Progress” and “Dare Me” An indie comedy about a misfit looking for love, and a clear-eyed examination of a small town full of dangerously bored kids take new spins on established genres. December 16, 2019 Stephen Adly Guirgis’s World of Broken Women “Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven,” Guirgis’s rough-cut gem of a new play, is rich with revelation and barbed empathy. December 16, 2019 Briefly Noted Book Reviews “The Ambassadors,” “The Crying Book,” “The Story of a Goat,” and “Exquisite Mariposa.” December 16, 2019 The Field Guide to Tyranny Dictators tend to share the same ugly manner because all seek the same effect: not charm but intimidation. December 16, 2019 “Bombshell” and the Perils of Topicality Memorable acting conveys the full horror of Roger Ailes’s sexual abuse at Fox News, but the over-all narrative feels hasty and undigested. December 13, 2019 How Moondog Captured the Sounds of New York Synchronizing his work to traffic and footsteps, the musician and composer translated the clamor of street life into song. December 9, 2019 Women’s Worlds in “Jagged Little Pill” and “Fefu and Her Friends” A new musical inspired by Alanis Morissette’s seminal album explores women’s inner lives and imperilled freedom, and a revival rips away the artifice that often pillows our notions of theatre. December 9, 2019 Briefly Noted Book Reviews “The Cheffe,” “Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen,” “Parisian Lives,” and “Medieval Bodies.” December 9, 2019 Marriage, Betrayal, and the Letters Behind “The Dolphin” How the correspondence between Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Hardwick gave rise to a scandal about the ethics of turning life into art. December 9, 2019 The Precarious Descent of “Seberg” To observe Jean Seberg in Kristen Stewart’s portrayal is to see someone caged by her own visibility, whether or not the law is on her tail. December 6, 2019