‘Villain, I have done thy mother!’
A kingdom divided, three daughters estranged, and a madwoman born in the midst of it all — MIT Shakespeare Ensemble presents Queen Lear, a telling story of the titular queen’s tragic downfall after she divides her empire among two of her three daughters.
The million bright sides of life
We have seen tragedies and comedies, but Every Brilliant Thing is a tragicomedy that frames a tragedy through a comedic lens by pairing Krstansky’s outstanding acting with Macmillan’s unbridled optimism.
Photographing whiteness
Claudia Rankine’s ‘The White Card’ bares the hypocrisy of a white family as they host a black photographer over dinner before the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Despite its promising premise, the play suffers from shallow characterization and forced dialogue, dulling what otherwise could have been a compelling narrative.
Contemporary comparisons with the Boston Ballet
The triple bill showcases three of today’s most prominent choreographers — Jorma Elo, Justin Peck and William Forsythe — each faced with the challenge of bringing shape to sound through a non-narrative work. This grants us the rare opportunity to compare and contrast their unique takes on George Balanchine’s classic charge, to “see the music, hear the dance”.
A movie with distasteful humor, violence and not many redeeming qualities
‘Gringo’ combines a story full of drugs, corruption, and action with an all star cast to somehow create a movie that is not equal to the sum of its parts.
Synth, swamp, and soul
The Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) connects student and alumni musicians with students studying management to give aspiring professionals a taste of life in the music industry. Hoping to be the next St. Vincent or Passion Pit, two of BPMI’s more notable alumni, five musical acts were chosen from over 300 submissions to perform at the Sinclair.
‘Art is a part of our community. It’s already here’
I’ve sat down with Sarah Quinn ’17, a recent Course 18 graduate who has recently left MIT to become a hip-hop artist, to talk about her experience here and her journey to become the artist she is today. Just take a moment to absorb that.
I need every instrument you got!
Alan Gilbert conducts the BSO in Sibelius, Debussy, and Adams.
‘I’d love to see that magic raw’
Both acts will play at Club Passim next week, a fact I was indifferent about — being a for-the-most-part concert naysayer — until I heard their music.
In defense of Area Four
MIT students might say that A4 is too pretentious or expensive, but this pizza enthusiast says it’s worth it for their perfectly proportioned pie.
Imagine a world where mechanical pencils are advanced technology
Chris Babu ’97 graduated from MIT with a mathematics degree and worked on Wall Street as a bond trader for 19 years. But since then, despite being told he was crazy to not stay in finance, he’s changed his career to a novelist.
Lily and Amanda aren’t horsing around with murder
The two female leads are distinct from each other, but the chemistry between Cooke and Taylor-Joy makes their friendship work, and ultimately reveals that they are not as different as the film fools you into believing.
Exploring both sides of the spectrum
If one thing can be said of the play, it is that 'Orlando' is one of the first modern attempts to examine gender. However, it does so by beating you over the head with its discoveries.
Back to the basics
Nestled right outside of Harvard Square, Waypoint is Michael Scelfo’s second restaurant after the excellent Alden & Harlow. Featuring beautiful coastally-inspired dishes, elegant modern décor, a carefully curated raw bar, and prices to match, Waypoint is the type of nice restaurant you might not expect to find MIT students very often.
That’s no human!
This week’s episode “Human Is” explores the ideas of what makes us human.
‘You can’t write 3 distinct symphonies in C’ Mozart: ‘Hold my beer’
Conductor Blomstedt and the BSO employ Mozart to show that repetition is, in fact, beautiful.
‘Game Night’ won’t scare you, but it will leave you in tears
Yes, it’s campy and over the top, but it’s also a bucketful of fun. If you can’t handle absurdity — don’t go; otherwise, you will have a great time!
A confusion of sex and violence
Red Sparrow introduces a desolate look at life under the guise of a “thrilling” espionage movie.
‘Bombshell’: A deeper look into one woman’s incredible life
Her brilliant mind and her strong will led her daughter to call her “ahead of her times as a feminist.” In addition to her inventions, she produced 18 films, something unheard of from a woman, in addition to being a single mother to her two kids.
May I direct your attention to… orchestral music
I spent most of the performance fixated on the director, rather than on the actual music.