Fuse Coming Attractions: What Will Light Your Fire This Week

Arts Fuse critics select the best in film, theater, music, dance, visual arts, and author events for the coming week.

By The Arts Fuse Staff

Film

Boston Area Film Schedules — What is playing today, Where and When

Trailer: An Autobiography of Michelle Maren from michel negroponte on Vimeo.

An Autobiography of Michelle Maren
Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m.
Campus Center Ballroom
UMass Boston 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA

A former abused child who became a runaway, a beauty queen, and then a porn star, the 49-year-old Michelle Maren lives a tenuous existence. She is barricaded in her apartment, survives on disability checks, and struggles with clinical depression and borderline personality disorder. Isolated and alone, Maren wants to reconcile with her past and thinks she can make that happen through film. What unfolds is a cinematic blend of exposure therapy, psychological investigation, and confession. Secrets are revealed and the documentary builds to a startling conclusion. Directed by Michelle Maren & Michel Negroponte with a Q&A following the screening.

JewishFilm.2015
May 1 – May 15
At the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Kendall Square Cinema Cambridge, and West Newton Cinema

This festival is presented by the National Center for Jewish Film, which owns the largest collection of Jewish films in the world, outside of Israel. The Center’s 15,000 reels of features, documentaries, newsreels, home movies, and institutional films date from 1903 to the present. Two weeks of screenings take place across multiple venues. Schedule of Films and Locations

Psychedelic Cinema + The Crumbling
May 2nd at 7:30 p.m.
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA

“Psychedelic Cinema returns to the ICA! Ken Brown’s elaborately montaged 8mm movies were shown in conjunction with the Road Light show at the Boston Tea Party (Boston’s premiere rock club) and were projected during concerts by Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and many others. Swirling colors and lights, clip art animations, candles, and flowers galore meld into a mesmerizing montage of images that transport the viewer to another time and place.” The film will be accompanied live by The Psychedelic Cinema Orchestra, a Boston supergroup of silent film composers and independent musicians, including Ken Winokur of Alloy Orchestra, Jonathan LaMaster of Cul de Sac, and Dana Coley of Morphine.

The evening opens with The Crumbling, a short film by emerging filmmaker Alexis Gideon. A stop-motion-animation video opera set in a dream-like mythic town, the movie follows an apprentice librarian as she tries to stop her city from crumbling down around her. Gideon will provide live accompaniment.

Miss Hill: Making Dance Matter
May 3 at 3 p.m.
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston

This is the final screening of this biography of a lesser known but important figure of modern dance. “Thanks to her unceasing commitment, iconic figures like Martha Graham and Hanya Holm were able to foster a new generation of dancers, including Paul Taylor and Dennis Nahat. The film follows Hill from her early years as an administrator at Bennington College to the very end, when she successfully launched the Juilliard dance program at Lincoln Center. Featuring interviews with renowned dancers and clips of Hill, director Greg Vander Veer paints a complete portrait of this remarkable figure of modern dance.” (stagebuddy.com)

Buster Keaton in "The Cameraman." Screening at the Somerville Theatre this week.

Buster Keaton in “The Cameraman.” Screening at the Somerville Theatre on May 3.

The Cameraman
May 3 at 2 p.m.
Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville, MA

With Jeff Rapsis playing live at the organ, the Silents, Please series presents Buster Keaton’s final silent masterpiece. Buster is cast as an “aspiring, but lousy, newsreel cameraman, in quest of the perfect shot and of course, the requisite pretty but oblivious Keaton ingenue. Buster keeps missing the great shot, but we never do: the Tong War, the Yankee Stadium solitary baseball routine, the Coney Island sequence, are all vintage Keaton. And the upstairs-downstairs joke is a piece of romantic comic business that is among the highlights of the American cinema; assured, balletic in its framing and mise-en-scene, and of such perfect logic that it fully deserves that greatest honorific adjective of screen comedy, Keatonesque.” (Kevin Hagopian, Penn State University)

The Last Laugh
May 4 at 7 p.m.
Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA

This is a rare and wonderful opportunity to experience a silent film classic. The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra, under the direction of Professor Sheldon Mirowitz, will perform an original score made up of a sequence of compositions authored by several composers from the Film Scoring Department. F.W. Murnau’s film uses no subtitles; it tells its story of a doorman’s fall from grace through its astonishing visuals. The Last Laugh stars one the greatest actors of the time, Emil Jannings, and boasts cinematography by Karl Freund, who later moved from German Expressionism into American film noir in the 1930’s. Given their terrific scores for the director’s Sunrise and Faust, the BSFO is guaranteed to provide a stunning evening.

— Tim Jackson


Dance

Jaggery presents "The Beautiful and the Grotesque: Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Jaggery presents “The Beautiful and the Grotesque: Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The Beautiful and the Grotesque: Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci
Friday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston, MA

If you’re searching for an event that merges multiple art forms, look no further. Local music group Jaggery presents an evening of music and dance inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s intricate sketches, with opener Rabbit Rabbit Radio.

Depth of Field
May 1 & 2 at 8 p.m.
Boston University Dance Theater
Boston, MA

DanceVisions, Inc. presents Depth of Field, featuring choreography by Lynn Modell and Margot Parsons. The evening’s nine works span the gamut—from hip hop music merged with modern dance to the gravity-defying union of aerial and ballet.

Juerga Flamenca
Saturday, May 2 at 8 p.m.
The Democracy Center
Cambridge, MA

Always Be Dancing, El Arte Flamenco, and The Boston Arts Consort host Juerga Flamenca in Cambridge this weekend, offering an intimate and energetic open mic-style evening where guests are welcome to learn, dance, teach, or sit back and watch as flamenco dancing and music fills the Democracy Center’s hall.

The Elders Ensemble: 10th Anniversary Project
May 2 at 8pm & May 3 at 6:30 p.m.
The Dance Complex
Cambridge, MA

The Elders Ensemble returns to Cambridge with its 10th Anniversary Project. The performance—which first premiered in Lynn in March—features a collection of past favorites from the ensemble’s decade of multigenerational work, as well as a new piece by its umbrella company Prometheus Dance.

— Merli V. Guerra


Visual Arts

Almond Sunset,

Almond Sunset, watercolor, Dewitt Hardy.

Old is the New New: Tradition and Excellence, a Fresh Perspective
May 1 – October 31

Dewitt Hardy
May 1 – June 28

Henry Strater: Still Life
May 1 – June 28

Verner Reed: New England Life
May 1 – May 31

At the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, ME

Jay Critchley: Incorporated
May 1 – May 31
Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA

New England Art summer art colonies grew up in small, out-of-the-way, low-rent towns with a cosmopolitan cast. As the cities grew increasingly steamy, these more temperate locations appealed to students, amateurs, and professionals who flocked in from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and the European diaspora. Their Art Associations started out as informal gatherings of artists or students who came together especially to organize annual exhibitions of their work. Several eventually developed into full-fledged (or at least seasonal) art museums, with significant collections and long memories of the summers of yesteryear.

Given the short span of warm weather and its appeal to the passing tourist trade, these museums typically start their exhibition seasons with a bang. There are at least five openings on May 1 this year, four in Maine’s Ogunquit Museum and one in Provincetown. The shows’ contents are mostly restricted to art colony members, but keep in mind that this narrow perspective played an important role in how these colonies contributed to the international power of American art.

The Ogunquit selection includes 2015 editions of two more-or-less annual exhibitions. Old is the New New features selections from the permanent collection of Qguinquit Art Colony artists, drawing ön common themes and motifs from the Oguinquit “tradition.”

Another show focuses on still life by the colorful artist, philanthropist, and Ogunquit Museum founder Henry Strater. Starter claimed to be the inspiration for the anti-establishment Burne Halliday character in Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise (he met the novelist when they were both students at Princeton). Moving deeper into “lost generation” literary territory, Strater became (after a brawl on a Paris street corner) Ernest Hemingway’s friend and portraitist and also created illustrations for an early selection of Ezra Pound’s Cantos. A native of Louisville, KY, he spent summers in Oguinquit starting in 1925.

Also on view in Oguniquit are works by the Maine watercolorist, DeWitt Hardy, and photographs by one time Life magazine photographer, Verner Reed. Not to be missed is the museum’s spectacular oceanfront setting, surely among the most idyllic of any art museum.

Over in Provincetown, the long-established Art Association and Museum opens the first ever retrospective of P’town artist, Jay Critchley. The subtitle, “Incorporated,” is ironic. True to local convention-flogging traditions, Critchley is especially known for his long series of agitating works challenging the dominance of corporations in a democratic society.

— Peter Walsh


Jazz

Jazz Week
Through May 3, various locations
Boston and environs

Boston’s ninth annual Jazz Week, organized by JazzBoston, continues with all manner of free and ticketed events at most of the venues around town, as well as intimate house concerts. Today’s highlight takes place at the Museum of African American History, where the Imagine Orchestra, led by Berklee Bill Banfield, will present “Stories of Black Boston,” with narration by WGBH’s Eric Jackson. For complete schedules, go to JazzBoston’s web site. Also see J.R. Carroll’s round-up of the festivities for The Arts Fuse.

Dave Bryant Quartet
April 27, 8:30 p.m.
Outpost 186, Cambridge, MA.

Ornette Coleman Prime Time keyboardist Dave Bryant does a keyboard-and-strings thing with violinist Gabriel Solomon, cellist Jeff Song, and bassist Jacob Williams.

Photo: Jean Hangarter

Ken Field and his Revolutionary Snake Ensemble comes to City Hall this week. Photo: Jean Hangarter

International Jazz Day at City Hall
April 29, 11 a.m.
City Council Chambers, Boston, MA.

As part of Jazz Week, Ken Field and his Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, with special guest Stan Strickland, lead a New Orleans-style second line at this morning’s City Council meeting.

Patrice Williamson
April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Regattabar, Cambridge, MA.

Patrice Williamson’s fidelity to true jazz singing doesn’t box in her – it only makes her more special, with flawless technique, great swing, keen focus on lyrics, and a rich contralto. She presents a program called “Celebrating Ella” with pianist Mark Shilansky, bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa, drummer Ron Savage, and, as special guest, trumpeter Sean Jones.

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol & Whatsnext
April 30, 7:30 p.m.
Regattabar, Cambridge, MA.

When he came to Boston’s Berklee College of Music from Turkey to study jazz in the mid-’90s, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol was like a lot of international ex-pats: trying to get as far away physically and intellectually from his home country as possible. After years of studying jazz improvisation, composition, and arranging, however, he found Turkey creeping back into his music. His album Whatsnext, and his large band of the same name, is about that rediscovery, an explosive mix of American jazz-band harmonic sophistication and Ottoman jannisary band clamor.

Mike Stern
May 1 and 2, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Regattabar, Cambridge, MA.

Jazz-guitar star Mike Stern blows into the Regattabar for four shows over two nights with an impressive band: trumpeter Randy Brecker, bassist Anthony Jackson, and drummer Dennis Chambers.

Gerry Beaudoin & Jesse Williams
May 2, 8 p.m.
Green Room, Somerville, MA.

The superb mainstream blues and swing guitarist Gerry Beaudoin matches wits with bassist Jesse Williams in the jewelbox setting of Union Square’s intimate Green Room as they celebrate the release of their new CD, Blues in the Corner Pocket.

Mark Harvey

Mark Harvey — winner of this year’s Jazz Hero’s award.

Boston Jazz Hero Award
May 3, 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Wally’s Café, Boston, MA.

As the de facto closing ceremony of Jazz Week, the Jazz Journalists Association will present trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator Mark Harvey with its Jazz Hero Award. The John Funkhouser Trio presents the music, but you can expect lots of folks to be sitting in. And it’s free.

— Jon Garelick


Classical Music

Act 3 of Siegfried
Presented by the Boston Philharmonic Youth Symphony
April 26, 3 p.m.
Symphony Hall, Boston

The BPYO concludes its third season with the epic third act of Wagner’s Siegfried. Alwyn Mellor sings Brünnhilde, and Stefan Vinke, Siegfried. Deborah Humble and Mark Delavan rounding out the cast and Benjamin Zander conducts.

Mahler’s Ninth
Presented by the NEC Philharmonia
April 29, 8 p.m.
Jordan Hall, Boston

Hugh Wolff leads the NEC Philharmonia in a free performance of Mahler’s valedictory Ninth Symphony.

— Jonathan Blumhofer

Seraphim Singers
April 26 at 3 p.m.
At The First Church (Congregational), 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA

On a program entitled Jerusalem: Holy, Disputed, Lamented: “Music inspired by the holy city of Jerusalem, including ancient psalms, world premieres by Israeli composer Avner Dorman and Boston’s Joseph Ness, and works by Aaron Copland, James Woodman, Mikołaj Zieleński, Manuel de Sumaya, Volker Wangenheim, and more.” The musicians include organist Heinrich Christensen.

Boston Cello Quartet Goes Latin!
April 26 at 3 p.m.
At Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton, MA
Free

On the program: music by Albeniz, Granados, Piazzola, Corea, and Chabrier.

Apple Hill String Quartet

Apple Hill String Quartet will perform in Brookline this week.

Apple Hill String Quartet
April 26 at 7 p.m.
Presented by Windsor Music at St. Paul’s Church 15 St. Paul Street, Brookline, MA

On the program: Haydn’s Symphony Quintetto (after Symphony No. 97); Primosch’s Quartet for Oboe and Strings (World Premiere), and Brahms’s Quartet in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1. Musicians includes oboist Peggy Pearson, violinists Elise Kuder and Colleen Jennings, violist Michael Kelley, and cellist Rupert Thompson.

Music for Food
April 27 at 7 p.m.
Presented by New England Conservatory at Williams Hall, Boston, MA

This is a musician-led initiative for local hunger relief founded in 2010 by Grammy Award–winning violist Kim Kashkashian.
“Concerts raise funds and resources to foster awareness and fight against hunger, empowering all musicians who wish to use their artistry to further social justice.” The program will include Ives’s Sonata for Violin and Piano no 2; Mendelssohn’s Quintet for Strings no 2 in B flat major, Op. 87, and “Selected Mendelssohn Lieder” featuring Robert Cinnante (Tenor) and David Collins (Piano).

Cappella Clausura
May 2 at 8 p.m.
At the Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
May 3 at 4 p.m.
At Eliot Church, 474 Centre St., Newton, MA

Both performances feature music by Arvo Pärt, Hildegard von Bingen and Eric Whitacre, as well as the New England premiere of Hilary Tann’s Exultet Terra for double choir and double reed quintet, with oboe soloist Peggy Pearson.

— Susan Miron


Theater

Adrianne Krstansky and Derek Hasenstab in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba, directed by David Cromer, playing March 27 – April 26, 2015, South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. Photo: T. Charles Erickson.

Adrianne Krstansky and Derek Hasenstab in the Huntington Theatre Company’s production of William Inge’s “Come Back, Little Sheba.” Photo: T. Charles Erickson.

Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge. Directed by David Cromer. Staged by the Huntington Theatre Company at the South End / Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA, through May 2.

In this intimate production of William Inge’s play about frustrated lives in ’50s Middle America, celebrated director David Cromer “invites audiences into Doc and Lola’s home and examines how our yearning for the past can get in the way of living in the present.” Arts Fuse review

City of Angels Music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, book by Larry Gelbart. Directed by Spiro Veloudos. Staged by the Lyric Stage Company, 140 Clarendon Street, through May 2.

“Set in the seductive Hollywood of the 1940s, City of Angels chronicles the misadventures of Stine, a disillusioned young novelist attempting to write a screenplay for a tyrannical movie producer. As his marriage falls apart, we follow Stine’s film alter-ego, the dashing detective Stone, who is haunted by the memory of the girl that got away.” The Lyric Stage cast includes Leigh Barrett, Ed Hoopman, and Jennifer Ellis. Arts Fuse review

A glimpse of "Shit-faced Shakespeare."

A glimpse of “Shit-faced Shakespeare.” Cry havoc and drink up.

Shit-faced Shakespeare, written and performed by Magnificent Bastard Productions at the Davis Square Theatre, Somerville, MA, through May 1.

If only my late great theater critic friend Arthur Friedman were alive to see this! He would no doubt be delighted with the opportunity to watch one member of a British company perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream while drunk out of his or her mind, doing the Bard while blotto, so to speak. Some critics in England loved this show; Edinburgh Fringe Festival audiences adored it. According to the press release, audience members will be given a chance to encourage thespian over-drinking and there will be partial nudity, ‘ill-fated’ crowd surfing, simulated sex acts, transvestitism, etc. Can The Donkey Show withstand this kind of competition?

Boxer Shorts, An evening of plays by Samuel Beckett, Tennessee Williams, Harold Pinter, and Diana Raznovich. Directed by Kyler Taustin (Brown Box Artistic Director), Anna Trachtman (Brown Box Associate Producer), and Darren Evans (Theatre on Fire Artistic Director). Staged by Brown Box Theatre Project at the Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress Street, Boston, MA, through May 3.

“An evening of enchanting and interrogative short plays that explore the space between sleeping and waking, thinking and knowing, living and dying.”

The Voices of We by Robbi D’Allessandro. Staged by 333 Productions at the the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA, through May 9.

The world premiere of a play “that explores the challenges women face in today’s sociopolitical and economic climate.” “The diverse and richly authentic characters” in the script “face the daunting challenges inherent in the fight against domestic violence, and struggle for reproductive rights, self-defined gender identity, motherhood, positive body image, and more.” All proceeds from the performances of this show “will be donated to organizations that support the advancement of women and women’s issues.”

The Outgoing Tide by Bruce Graham. Directed by Charles Towers. Staged by the Merrimack Repertory Theatre at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA, through May 17.

Charles Towers’ ends his tenure as MRT Artistic Director with this production — took up the reins in 2001. Graham’s drama deals with a family in transition: “tormented by the menacing grip of an aging mind and with an uncertain future ahead, Gunner Concannon has a plan for his and his family’s future – but it is not what his wife Peg and son Jack had in mind.”

Amy Meyer and William Schuller in a scene from imaginary beasts' "Betty Bam!"

Amy Meyer and William Schuller in a scene from imaginary beasts’ “Betty Bam!”

BETTY BAM!, an adaptation of Daniil Kharms’ play Elizaveta Bam. Translated by Zoya Derman. Directed by Matthew Woods, Joey C. Pelletier, and Michael Underhill. Staged by imaginary beasts at the Plaza Black Box at the Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA, through May 2.

The imaginary beasts return to the surrealistic writings of Kharms, who was one of the many unfortunate casualties of the Stalinist era. (This production is the second part of the company’s Daniil Kharms’ Project.) I found the tone of the company’s earlier production of Kharms material too broad and slapstick-y, but I will definitely take in the staging of this dramatic rarity, which no doubt “defies classification.” Kharms was a genius at whipping up linguistic insanity, though underneath the inventive craziness is political outrage and a deep sadness. Arts Fuse review.

The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont. Directed by Mary Parker. Staged by Theatre@First at Unity in Davis Square, Somerville, MA, through May 2.

First performed in 1607, this script is a spirited send-up that was recently revived in London (at the indoor space at Shakespeare’s Globe) to enthusiastic reviews. Here is the Guardian‘s critic on the play: it is a “burlesque of citizen drama and chivalric romance … that depends heavily on audience intervention. The joke is that a Strand grocer and his wife turn up to see a play called The London Merchant and then demand that a heroic role be found for their apprentice, Rafe.” An interesting project for an all-volunteer community theatre …

Mr g, adapted and directed by Wesley Savick from the book by Alan Lightman. Staged by Underground Railway Theater at the Central Square Theatre through May 24.

This world premiere production is part of the 10th Anniversary of Catalyst Collaborative@MIT, a science-theatre collaboration between Central Square Theater and MIT. Here is the lowdown: “Mr g creates time, space, matter, a few basic laws of physics. These give birth to stars, planets… but intelligent life? The Creator’s plans go awry when a mysterious rival questions the nature of free will. Together, we experience the birth and fate of Mr g’s favorite universe: ours.”

Scenes from an Adultery by Ronan Noone. Directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary. Staged by New Repertory Theatre at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in the Charles Mosesian Theater, Watertown, MA, through May 17.

“Local playwright Ronan Noone takes the traditional British drawing room comedy of manners and turns it on its side in this hilariously bawdy new play.” Interesting to see what happens when you twist around a drawing room romp…

Rogue Burlesque: BUSTS OUT! at Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA, May 1 through 8.

“Boston’s award-winning comic stripteasers are back with a vernal boobtacular! Shake off your coat AND your inhibitions and get your BUSTS OUT! In a world gone Rogue, it doesn’t matter if you’re a superhero, a sloth, a snack or a famous Objectivist philosopher who wrote The Fountainhead — everyone ends up in pasties!”

— Bill Marx


Rock

Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble Finals
May 1
TT the Bear’s Place, Cambridge, MA

What started with 24 bands is now down the three. Who will join the likes of the Dresden Dolls, the Sheila Divine, Gang Green, and ‘Til Tuesday as Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble champions?

Sufjan Stevens --

Sufjan Stevens — will no doubt perform his song about Adlai Stevenson in Boston this week.

Sufjan Stevens
May 4
Citi Performing Arts Center, Boston, MA

If I’m being honest, I’ve never much cared for the music of Sufjan Stevens. That said, anybody who writes a song about Adlai Stevenson automatically earns a place in my weekly arts and culture picks. AND I’M PREPARED TO WAIT UNTIL HELL FREEZES OVER UNTIL SOMEONE WRITES ANOTHER ONE!

Upcoming and On Sale…

Faith No More (5/11/2015, Orpheum Theatre); Kasabian (5/15/2015, House of Blues); Primal Scream (5/17/2015, Royale); Crosby, Stills and Nash (5/19/2015, Citi Performing Arts Center); Palma Violets (critic’s note: “The Greatest Live Band in the World”) (5/19/2015, Great Scott); Boston Calling (featuring Beck, Pixies, My Morning Jacket) (5/22-24/2015, City Hall Plaza); The Who (5/24/2015, Mohegan Sun Arena); Conor Oberst (6/5/2015, House of Blues); Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (6/6/2015, Boston Opera House); Lana del Rey (6/9/2015, Xfinity Center); Florence + the Machine (6/10/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); Best Coast (6/12/2015, Paradise Rock Club); Paul Weller (6/13/2015, Paradise Rock Club); Spoon (6/18/2015, House of Blues); Rush (6/23/2015, TD Garden); Morrissey (6/24/2015, Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts); Buffalo Tom (6/26 and 27/2015, The Sinclair); Huey Lewis and the News (6/27/2015, Indian Ranch); Melvins (6/27/2015, Paradise Rock Club); Brian Wilson (with Rodriguez) (7/2/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); U2 (7/10, 11, 14, 15/2015, TD Garden); Green River Fest (featuring Steve Earle, Punch Brothers, and tUnE-yArDs) (7/10-12/2015, Greenfield Community College); Mudhoney (7/11/2015, Brighton Music Hall); Billy Joel (7/16/2015, Fenway Park); Foo Fighters (7/18-19/2015, Fenway Park); Modest Mouse (7/23/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); Interpool (7/23-24/2015, House of Blues); Bombino (7/27/2015, The Sinclair); Willie Nelson & Family (8/21/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); AC/DC (8/22/2015, Gillette Stadium); Counting Crows (8/23/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); Death Cab For Cutie (9/11/2015, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion); Bob Mould (9/23/2015, The Sinclair); Mark Knopfler (10/9/2015, Orpheum Theatre); Ringo Starr and His All Star Band (10/23/2015, Citi Performing Arts Center); The Who (10/29/2015, TD Garden)

— Adam Ellsworth


Author Events

Tea with Cokie Roberts
Capital Dames: The Civil War and the Women of Washington 1848-1868
April 28 at 4 p.m. & 7 p.m.
Charles Hotel, Cambridge MA & Regent Theatre, Arlington
$25 tickets for tea available at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-author-with-cokie-roberts-tickets-16586324142, $5 tickets for Theatre reading available here.

Beloved author and television personality Cokie Roberts will come to Boston for two events centered around her recent history of the political empowerment of women in the Civil War era. She will be at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge at 4 for tea, and will be reading and discussing the book at 7 at the Regent Theatre in Arlington.

Nicole Aschoff
The New Prophets of Capital
April 29 at 7 p.m.
Brookline Booksmith, Coolidge Corner MA
Free

Profit-making has driven our financial system to the brink of collapse multiple times, generating enormous hardship for many. Even so, corrosive and pernicious myths about the ultra-wealthy as omnipotent “job creators” continue to bamboozle. Aschoff comes to Coolidge Corner to help deconstruct the myth, perpetuated by the 1% and its echo chamber in the media, that the free market is the solution to every problem.

Mass Poetry Festival
April 30-May 3
Salem, MA
$15 general admission tickets

Now that national poetry month is on the wane, it’s a good time to head to ‘witch city’ take in a star-studded reading and workshop series. Readers and workshop leaders will include Nick Flynn, Lloyd Schwartz, Rita Dove, Jorie Graham, Stephen Burt, Marge Piercy and Richard Hoffman.

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Independent Bookstore Day
May 2
Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA

After the emergence of the e-reader, the often-overbearing antics of Amazon, and constant magazine pieces about the so- called death of the bookstore, this Saturday is a great chance to prove the naysayers wrong and patronize your local brick-and-mortar venue. Cambridge’s famous Harvard Book Store is having a day-long celebration with games, prizes, and limited-edition merchandise.

James Wood
The Nearest Thing to Life
May 2 at 7 p.m.
Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
Free

As part of Independent Bookstore day, the acclaimed essayist and critic will read and sign copies of his latest collection of essays. His new book contains fresh appraisals of writers such as Chekhov, Sebald, and Penelope Fitzgerald and takes an autobiographical approach to his life as a reader, detailing his formative influences in a devoutly religious household where secular reading was a subversive joy.

Robin McLean
Reptile House
May 4 at 7 p.m.
Brookline Booksmith, Coolidge Corner, MA
Free

McLean’s award-winning debut story collection probes the dark underside of human misbehavior, creating a world inhabited by killers, thieves, astronauts, moose hunters, and country club ladies, all looking for a better dream to escape to and facing the consequences of their fantasy.

robuck

Erika Robuck
The House of Hawthorne
May 5 at 7 p.m.
Newtonville Books, Newton Centre, MA
Free

The Hawthornes are one of the rare instances of a happy literary couple. Nathaniel receives most of the historical attention, but his beloved wife Sophia, whose skillful paintings and vivid journals inspired her husband’s writing, takes center stage in Robuck’s novel. In this narrative, which follows the Hawthornes from their courtship in the late 1830’s to the Civil War, Robuck (Hemingway’s Girl, Call Me Zelda) adds another indelible portrait to her series about literary women.

Bruce McCullough
Let’s Start a Riot: How A Young Drunk Punk Became a Hollywood Dad
May 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Barnes & Noble at Prudential Center, Boston, MA
Free

One of the members of the legendary comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall will read and sign copies of his new memoir, which explains how a drunk Canadian punk rocker and edgy alternative sketch comedy actor came up with a unique approach to fatherhood.

— Matt Hanson

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