Arts

Theater Preview | 'A Man of No Importance' explores charged topics

"This is a show that Tufts [theater] should be doing," said director Reza Mirsajadi in regard to Terrence McNally's "A Man of No Importance." Accordingly, Torn Ticket II, Tufts' student?run musical theater group, is performing the piece for its fall production. The musical centers on the life of Alfie Byrne (freshman Andrew Prensky), a bus conductor living in Dublin during the 1960s. How will the story of a middle?aged Irishman, set nearly half a century ago, engage Tufts students when "A Man of No Importance" plays this weekend?

Mae Humiston & Sara Gardner |Let's Talk About Food

We have arrived, boys and girls, at the end of the food system line - or have we? We started in production, stopped along the way at distribution and consumption and are now here, at disposal. Disposal in the industrial food model ends in the landfill. Our food waste, comprised of expired supermarket goods, production byproducts and student leftovers among other things, largely gets thrown away. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, only for so long. The problem with the one?way track of the industrial food model is that there are only so many resources in our world. One of the main resources under depletion is topsoil, and when what is taken from the soil - nutrients, minerals, etc. - does not return, the soil quickly fades from a vibrant miniature ecosystem to sterile dirt. And things don't really like growing in sterile dirt.

Interview | Anand Wilder

Music Review | 'Tinsel and Lights' blends Christmas with indie pop

Most holiday music is known for its conventional use of sounds: Bells, whistles, choirs that could rival heavenly cherubs, a bit of jazz and maybe even a crooner or two are to be expected. But this holiday season, English pop veteran Tracey Thorn presents listeners with a contemporary sound that has the potential to delight young adult listeners without compromising the traditional spirit of the holiday season.

Megan Clark | Where's the Craic?

My Left Foot" (1989) tells the story of Christy Brown, an Irish writer and artist with cerebral palsy. The film stars Daniel Day?Lewis and Brenda Fricker and was directed and co?written by Jim Sheridan, who also directed "In the Name of the Father" (1993).

Interview | Dan Deacon

TV Review | Humor, horror continue in season two of 'American Horror Story'

Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story" has gained a reputation for amping up the terror, laughs and thrills. Now in its second season, the show is back with still more hilarious insanity.

Concert Review | Ben Gibbard delivers captivating solo performance at Somerville Theatre

Ben Gibbard, frontman for both Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, stopped by the Somerville Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 4 to promote his new solo album "Former Lives."

Joe Stile | BASSic

To the delight of fans around the world, The Weeknd's new song, "Valerie," hit airwaves this week. It serves as the closing track for his sinister mixtape, "Thursday," which is part of his three?part debut album, "Trilogy" (2012).

Film Review | Despite rough edges, 'Flight' takes off

Robert Zemeckis' "Flight" initially appears to be ripped from the headlines, a story parallel to that of pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's heroics during his emergency landing on the icy Hudson River in 2009. "Flight" might well have turned into a melodramatic feel?good movie by replicating the "Miracle on the Hudson," but writer John Gatins and director Zemeckis provide the audience with an experience far richer than one which might be derived from the simple replication of an uplifting news story.

Theater Review | Anachronisms abound in 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'

Spielberg's 'Lincoln' exposes the man behind the legend

Opera Review | BLO's 'Madama Butterfly' production soars despite flaws

Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" opens with Lieutenant Pinkerton of the American Navy is surveying the home he has just purchased for himself and his 15?year?old bride. Perched high atop a stony mountain in Japan, the building is small - Pinkerton himself calls it a "house of cards" - and it overlooks the sea.

TV Review | 'The Good Wife' going strong after four years

Currently in its fourth season, CBS' drama "The Good Wife" is nowhere near stale. Titular character and protagonist Alicia Florrick (JuliannaMargulies) is a wife, mother and lawyer who was publically humiliated by her husband, former state attorney Peter Florrick (Chris Noth), in the show's first season. When political corruption and prostitution scandals landed Peter in jail, Alicia reentered the work force as a public defender in order to provide for her family. After a tumultuous couple of years, Peter is now back in the state's attorney chair and is running for governor of Illinois. Meanwhile, Alicia is dealing with a past inter?office romance at her law firm, Lockhart/Gardner. The smart lens placed on personal and professional relationships makes "The Good Wife" interesting and dynamic, but the show's writing and acting make it truly great.

The Artsy Jumbo | Sophomore Kit Collins marches to own drum

A sophomore leaning toward a major in sociology with a minor in urban studies, Kit Collins is a talented drummer for B.E.A.T.s, Tufts' student percussion group.

Weekender | A tour of the eclectic Tufts music scene

Given the almost?equal proportion of electronic producers, classical nuts, DJs, jazz heads, funk addicts, punk dissenters, hippy?folk?love children, esoteric composers, power chord thrashers and dad?rock purists at Tufts, it's not surprising that students here are producing some outstanding music.

Sara Gardner & Mae Humiston | Let's Talk About Food

As college kids, we all like to eat. Not only that, but we also like to eat a lot. With unlimited dining plans and to?go cafes lining our campuses, it seems that food is always readily available, whenever and wherever we may be. But what does the pattern of consumption at Tufts mean in the greater context of consumption as a whole? Here we run into one of the central questions that drive the greater food movement.

TV Review | New conflicts humanize 'Downton Abbey's' characters

"Downton Abbey" portrays the lifestyle most people hope they could have if they lived in England a century ago. Decadent, stylish and high?class, the series oozes glamor and the special breed of romance found in films like "Pride and Prejudice" (2005) and "Wuthering Heights" (2012).

Theater Review | 'Day Father' explores memory, normalcy through childhood development

This weekend will see the premiere of "Day Father," the student?written fall major production for Pen, Paint and Pretzels, Tufts' umbrella theater group. The drama looks to complement themes seen in other Tufts productions this semester, such as "Our Private Lives," and to set itself apart through its exploration of memory and morally ambiguous characters.

Megan Clark | Where's the Craic?

Waking Ned Devine" (1998) is a unique comedy that mixes slapstick silliness with reflections on the meaning of life, death and riches.