MORE RECENT ARTS HEADLINES
‘Teenage Dick’ aims to upend clichés about characters with disabilities by sending Richard III to high school
Gregg Mozgala, an actor with cerebral palsy, conceived of the story and plays the title character in the Huntington Theatre Company production that begins performances Dec. 3.
MATTHEW GILBERT
Seen it all before? In some TV shows, repetition doesn’t always mean lack of imagination.
In shows like "Maid" and "The Shrink Next Door," we’re meant to feel the characters' frustration, their sense of neurotically replaying a bad situation, their anxiety at seeing no exit.
TELEVISION
Black Friday promotion may have customers streaming to Hulu
The deal — 99 cents per month for a year — is quite a drop from the usual fee of $6.99 per month.
BOOK REVIEW
Stop romanticizing World War II, a historian urges
Elizabeth D. Samet will make plenty of people angry with “Looking for the Good War.” In her searching analysis of changing American attitudes toward World War II over the course of 75 years, she characterizes its current glorification as “shaped…by nostalgia, sentimentality, and jingoism.” Instead, she wants readers to rethink the war and look more carefully at the mythology left in its wake.
BIBLIOPHILES
Mo Willems loves books on artists and Genghis Khan
When asked how many books he’s published, the prolific illustrator and author doesn’t give an exact number. “Over 50. I love them all equally.” He’s published at least three since August alone: “Doodling 101,” “Opposites Attract,” essentially an art book for the under-2 set, and “Guess What,” a new addition in his Unlimited Squirrels series. He talked with us about his own reading habits.
BOOK REVIEW
Fun with languages from Lydia Davis
“All art is quite useless,” according to Oscar Wilde, but even the jolt conveyed by that artful line means art does something, and so it must have some use. Or maybe it just feels useful — I don’t know; how useful is a short story compared to a spoon? The essays of Lydia Davis are helpful on this subject.
NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS
A post-breakup poetry collection and more local award-winning authors
All the bookish news from around the region.
DANCE
He’s performed in ‘The Nutcracker’ for 22 years, and as Boston Ballet returns to the Opera House stage, he’s ready to leap again
After getting injured in 2019, the last time the company performed the holiday classic live, soloist Isaac Akiba is prepared for the thrill of Tchaikovsky.
Holiday weekend watch guide: Movies and TV shows you can go see or stream
Thursday is Thanksgiving. If your plans include some TV time, here’s a guide on what to watch, stream, and go see in theaters this weekend.
BOOK REVIEW
A new Claire Keegan book is cause for celebration
“Small Things Like These” is an ideal title for this exquisite novella in which Keegan closely attends to the daily life of a modest County Wexford coal vendor.
THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK
‘White Hot Hate’ in the heartland
Dick Lehr's new book, in which he tells the story of Dan Day, is the result of an accidental meeting.
BOOKINGS
Author readings for Nov. 28 - Dec. 4
All author appearances are virtual unless otherwise noted.
At ArtsBoston, a pandemic pivot
Catherine Peterson says her organization has taken on a host of new, mission-defining responsibilities, from assisting smaller arts organizations to better understanding how the pandemic is affecting audience behaviors.
BOOKS
Local bestsellers for the week ending Nov. 21
Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound.
MOVIE REVIEW | ★★★★
‘The Beatles: Get Back’ captures an extraordinary month in the life
Peter Jackson's 7½-hour documentary is an astonishingly up close and engrossing view of the Beatles and their creative process.
TELEVISION
Two years on, ‘Ray Donovan’ will wrap up the right way
“Ray Donovan: The Movie” will premiere on Showtime on Jan. 14. It will pick up where the show left off, with the regular cast of actors returning.