Arts

Arts

‘John Proctor is the Villain’ takes on feminism, friendship

By Nate Hall and Odessa Gaines | February 22

“John Proctor is the Villain,” currently running at the Huntington's Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, tells a story that feels timely and timeless all at once. Set in a one-stoplight Georgia town in 2018, Kimberly Belflower’s play tells a story for the present moment that draws inspiration from Arthur Miller’s classic drama “The Crucible” (1953). A coming-of-age story for a new generation, “John Proctor is the Villain” explores the ins and outs of friendship, power dynamics and the patriarchy in a hilarious and moving production.

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Columns

For the Culture: Are audiences demanding too much of artists?

By Paul Osmond | February 22

Frank Ocean has not dropped an album in nearly eight years, Kendrick Lamar took five years to release his fifth studio album and A$AP Rocky fans continue waiting for his next project after six years.

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert

By Natalie Bricker | February 22

Welcome back to “The Bookmark,” your go-to column for book reviews! Last week, we started off with a review of a relatable coming-of-age novel. This week, we’re shifting to a very different genre: science fiction. We’re talking about “Dune” (1965) by Frank Herbert.

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Arts

Mitski dances like ‘Nobody’ is watching at MGM Music Hall

By Shannon Murphy | February 21

Mitski’s discography is known for its emotional depth, exploring intimate themes of yearning, isolation and heartache. Her lyrical complexity and soft melodies have earned her the label of a “sad girl indie” artist. After contemplating retiring from music in 2019, she released“The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” in September 2023, marking a resurgence of her sentimental lyrics, only this time, they exuded more warmth and sincerity.

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Arts

Mapping masculinity: Igshaan Adams’ latest installation in Boston

By Jennifer May | February 21

An expansive display of pink hues and textures greets each new visitor to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Igshaan Adams’ most recent commission for the museum is an intricate weaving that stretches across the Sandra and Gerald Fineberg Art Wall. The monumental piece, titled “Lynloop,” is an artwork reflective of Adams’ experiences growing up in South Africa.

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Columns

Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic: Pickling party

By Elizabeth Foster | February 21

Anyone who knew me sophomore year is aware of perhaps my greatest moment as a resident assistant: the pickling party. And yes, it was exactly as it sounds. Using my (rather limited) RA budget, I decided that the best use of this was to invite the four Wren Hall suites I was responsible for to a party where we pickled anything they requested.

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Arts

Memory and mayhem: The Oscar-nominated shorts of 2024

By Nate Hall | February 20

At the beginning of every year, film critics and fans catch up on the previous year’s films in preparation for awards season, which culminates in the Academy Awards on March 10, better known as the Oscars. While most critics have devoted their awards season coverage to Best Picture contenders like “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things,” there’s one type of film that’s often overlooked: the shorts.

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Columns

Tok the Talk: Celebrity press tours

By Annika Pillai | February 20

“They annoy me,” Dakota Johnson recently stated about her co-stars Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced on the press tour for the recent release “Madame Web.” Johnson, perhaps most known for playing Anastasia Steele in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, has always been known to be something of a loose cannon on press tours.

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Columns

Brown and (Usually) Blue: Sounds for the soul

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | February 20

In honor of Black History Month, I thought I’d dive (or rather, dip my toes) into jazz’s journey to Bombay for this week’s edition.

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Arts

‘Poor Things’ is beautifully disturbing

By Erin Walenta | February 16

“Poor Things” (2023) has received rave reviews since its initial release at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023. The movie was released in the United States in December, and it aired in the U.K. and Ireland in January 2024. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film aims to shock audiences while simultaneously painting a comedic image of self-discovery.

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Arts

Harmonies in the Limelight: Dances, drugs and ‘All That Jazz’

By Ethan Essner | February 16

“It's showtime, folks!”  This is Joe Gideon’s morning mantra — reassuring himself that every day would be as indelibly entertaining as the last. Whether or not any performance is on the docket, to Gideon, protagonist of “All That Jazz,” the whole world is a stage. He lives in a setting ...

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Arts

WEEKENDER: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston’s timeless gem

By Urvija Mafatlal | February 15

“C’est mon plaisir,” which translates to “It’s my pleasure,” is inscribed on a crest that hangs above the original entrance to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Gardner’s welcoming spirit greets visitors with open arms. So if you are looking for a little adventure in Boston, look no further! This place is more than just a museum — it’s a portal to another era, packed with history, art and a whole lot of charm.

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Columns

The Bookmark: ‘Writers and Lovers’ by Lily King

By Natalie Bricker | February 15

Let’s start this column out strong with a recent favorite read: “Writers and Lovers” (2020) by Lily King. This novel is smart, fun, reflective and just an all-around great read. It’s guaranteed to make you feel the full range of emotions, prompting you to laugh one second and cry the next. Narrator and protagonist Casey Peabody is very lovable in her awkwardness and determination to make it as a writer. We see her face the complexities of life: grief, love and, of course, geese. More on the geese thing later…

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Columns

For the Culture: Women in hip-hop breaking barriers

By Paul Osmond | February 15

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill and Lil’ Kim deconstructed barriers that negated the artistic expression of female rappers in mainstream hip-hop music. In their records, the trifecta explicitly and implicitly subverted patriarchal binaries. Fundamentally, these rappers envisioned liberation through the expression of female sexuality, romance and emotions.

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Music

BSO’s spring program welcomes the next generation of classical musicianship

By Erin Zhu | February 14

American violinist Randall Goosby made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Symphony Hall stage on Feb. 2, the first of two performances.

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Columns

Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic: Cheesus Christ

By Elizabeth Foster | February 14

Now, I have colloquially described my college house as “The Cheese House,” firstly, because my roommate (now abroad) is Coby Formaggio, founder of the current Tufts Cheese Club, and because I am from the grate state of Wisconsin. Refusing cheese feels a little blasphemous, and yet, I blaspheme.

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Arts

Linnea Axelsson’s ‘Aednan’ is an epic story of stories

By Sadie Leite | February 13

The English translation of “Aednan: An Epic,” by Sámi-Swedish writer Linnea Axelsson, came out on Jan. 9. Saskia Vogel completed the translation. The highly anticipated translation comes after much praise for the original, which was initially released in Swedish in 2018. That same year, it won the prestigious August Prize, which Sweden gives annually to the country’s best books.

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Columns

Brown and (Usually) Blue: Imagining the environment

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | February 13

My room back home in Bombay (or Mumbai, depending on who you’ve heard it from) faces the Arabian Sea. I’ve gone to sleep listening to the soothing lull of waves since before I learned the meaning of the word, walked past couples posing against clear blue skies and admired crimson west coast sunsets, especially since my foray into Instagram. But the rose-tinted glasses (or filters, if you will) of social media can’t hide the reality of where we’re headed.

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Columns

Public Cinemy No. 1: Reality television in the digital age

By Sacha Waters | February 13

Compared to the rest of the world, American television is infamous for its glossiness. Whereas British soaps and Italian reality TV shows tend to feature girls-next-door and regular Joes (Giuseppes?), US shows are chock-full of toned abs, low-cut tops, gleaming white teeth and other trademarks of the young and fit.

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Arts

‘Expats’ review: Three women and a baby

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | February 9

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the miniseries “Expats.”  The first episode of the miniseries “Expats,” directed by Lulu Wang and based on Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel “The Expatriates,” premiered on Jan. 26. Following an array of expatriates in Hong Kong, the ...

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