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Book Review: “Sixties Surreal” — A Jingle-Jangle of an Alternative Take

February 16, 2026
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While I heartily recommend “Sixties Surreal” as a provocative revisionist compendium or almanac, I know the volume will frustrate those who expect to find a conventional survey.

Book Review: “When Caesar Was King” — How Sid Caesar Reinvented American Comedy

February 16, 2026
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The book argues, convincingly, that Sid Caesar’s genius wasn’t in what he did or said so much as in the anarchistic energy he encouraged his writers to unleash and harness.

Coming Attractions: February 15 through March 2 — What Will Light Your Fire

February 15, 2026
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Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, television, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.

Dance Review: Trisha Brown Dance Company — Elegance, Wit, and Enduring Innovation

February 15, 2026
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The question was how well these mid-20th century works would hold up and how, with the passing of time, those dances would look to both familiar and fresh eyes.

Theater Review: Penelope’s Patient Power — Aimee Doherty Shines in Lyric’s Intimate Odyssey

February 15, 2026
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The true star of the Lyric Stage production is Aimee Doherty, who is marvelous in the role of Penelope.

Visual Art Review: The Sacred Act of Making — Boston Artists Explore Ritual and Space

February 15, 2026
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In this exhibit, curator Robin Hauck celebrates ten Boston-area artists who resist the relentless distractions that contemporary life imposes on all of us.

Film Review: “The Moment” — Charli XCX’s Self-Parody Is Just Another Product

February 14, 2026
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Perhaps “The Moment” did manage to nail one truth about the music industry: when fame and opportunity come knocking, it’s near impossible not to wring out every drop of profit.

Book Review: A Writer’s Life Reconsidered — Paule Marshall’s Artistry and Influence

February 14, 2026
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Mary Helen Washington’s biography of Paule Marshall provides a thorough consideration of the writer’s achievement and a convincing case that her fiction and her public speeches deserve continuing attention and respect.

Book Review: Spotlight on Rock’s Backbone: The “Backbeats” of 15 Drummers

February 13, 2026
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Backbeats is a detailed and informative story. Each profile functions as an entry point into a selective but substantial survey of roughly seventy-five years of rock history.

Film Review: “Pillion” — Sub Drop

February 13, 2026
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The intention isn’t to provoke, eroticize, or sexually titillate. Devoid of the kinds of melodramatics that play into the fujoshi fantasy that’s all the rage right now, “Pillion” is a film about fetishes that never fetishizes its subject matter to placate an outsider’s gaze.

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