Boston

Theater Commentary: Isn’t It a Question of Relevance?

February 7, 2010
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The reviews of the Huntington Theatre Company (HTC) production were generally ecstatic. And what could be timelier than an oft-produced American drama that focuses on the tragic costs of war profiteering?

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Coming Attractions at Museums: February 2010

February 5, 2010
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By Peter Walsh Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA through May 9. Locked into a low-status, unprofitable niche, talented Spanish still-life painter Luis Meléndez (1716–1780) made little money and achieved even less fame during his lifetime. He is said to have complained to the king, who never…

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Coming Attractions in Theater: February 2010

January 31, 2010
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A recent piece in the New York Times provides further proof of the increasingly pernicious stranglehold marketing exerts on the production of new voices in the theater. By Bill Marx Let’s face it—the fastest growing segment of non-profit hiring in the arts over the past decade or so, marketing, is now pretty much in the…

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Classical Music Review: BMOP’s ‘Band in Boston’

January 26, 2010
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by Caldwell Titcomb Time was when Boston had a City Censor, and books and plays drummed up trade by getting “Banned in Boston.” The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, headed by conductor Gil Rose, came up with the deliciously punning title “Band in Boston” for its Jordan Hall concert on January 22. Indeed there was not…

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Literary View: Poetry Slams in the 21st Century

January 23, 2010
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By Kate Vander Wiede The Cantab, as the regulars called The Cantab Lounge, is like a quirky not-quite-speakeasy complete with a narrow stairwell leading below street level and smoke-perfumed attendees. This night, bass chords shake the ceiling, courtesy of the band headlining one floor up. Dim lights hardly illuminate the cramped room, which is lined…

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Boston Noir: A Grimy Ride Through the Dark Side of Beantown

January 15, 2010
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This enjoyable anthology of crime stories proffers a grimy ride through the murderous and creepy side of Beantown. Boston Noir, edited by Dennis Lehane. Akashic Books, $15.95 Reviewed by Kate Vander Wiede In the introduction of Boston Noir, editor, contributor. and best-selling novelist Dennis Lehane explains that while Aristotle “mandated that a tragic hero must…

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The Food Muse: Clink. And Clink again.

November 1, 2009
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The tall multi-paned windows at Clink. look on to fall colors or the night, the river outside. The style is inviting, informal, and the food is elegant, the taste as good as it gets. Let’s clink to that. By Sally Steinberg Where in America is there a Filipino chef using Spanish arrope (candied pumpkin, for…

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October Fuse Pick: Boston Book Festival

October 19, 2009
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by Bill Marx The Boston Book Festival, which kicks off its existence this Saturday, is an inevitability that for some puzzling reason wasn’t a reality. Boston is a determinedly readerish town, yet it is the only one of America’s major cities that doesn’t have a book festival. Thankfully, BBF organizer Deborah Z. Porter remedies the…

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Coming Attractions at Museums: October 2009

October 5, 2009
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By Peter Walsh A Tomb Gets its Time Forget Indiana Jones. Archaeology is not about the obvious. Case in point: the Museum of Fine Arts’ exhibition, The Secrets of Tomb 10A, opening October 18.

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Coming Attractions in Classical Music: October 2009

September 30, 2009
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By Caldwell Titcomb Oct 4: Celebrated mezzo-soprano Frederika von Stade gives her farewell Boston performance to inaugurate the Celebrity Series’ new season. Also sharing the spotlight will be the famed soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Symphony Hall, 3:00 p.m.

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