4 out of 5 stars

Many of today’s playwrights seem content to write one-act dramas that tie a neat little ribbon on their subjects. Not Else Went. In “Degenerates,” she’s tackled a dark, disturbing topic – male loneliness and the incel movement – and done so in ambitious fashion. The work is not only lengthy – three acts! – it also goes deep into the fragile psyches of its characters. And while it’s arguably too long and too consciously clever, it delivers on a gut level by the end, thanks especially to cast members who make their characters real and raw in all the right ways.

At Playwrights Horizons, through Nov. 1, 2026; playwrightshorizons.org.