Arts

Columns

Queeries: 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' showcases a new form of queer storytelling

By Saba S. | October 25

My first introduction to “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” (2017) was a 15-second TikTok book review. I then saw the cover of the novel, depicting Evelyn Hugo adorned in pearls and a dark green satin dress draped over her body, on every social media platform that I had downloaded on my phone. Despite the far-reaching publicity of this book and every one of my friends who also read this masterpiece telling me that I simply must have known, it was not until the moment Evelyn kissed Celia St. James that I realized this story was about queer romance.

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Arts

The show must go on: Broadway theater struggles to recover from the pandemic

By Nate Hall | October 24

The theater world was recently rocked by the news that Broadway’s longest running show, “The Phantom of the Opera” (1986), is closing in February 2023, 35 years after it opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre. An iconic fixture of Broadway since 1988, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom” is struggling to sell enough tickets to offset its weekly costs. It’s the latest and most high-profile show to announce its closure during the pandemic as audiences have been slow to return to theaters.

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Columns

Winkler's Weekly Symphony Guide: Love letter to Mahler

By Matthew Winkler | October 24

Last week the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s program consisted entirely of Mahler’s “Symphony No. 6” (1906), a monumental work that literally ends with three massive hammer hits, which, for Mahler, were meant to represent three blows of fate. For newcomers to classical music, no, a hammer is not normally an instrument, but in Mahler’s world of course it is. And we’re not talking about a tiny hammer that might hit a chime. We’re talking about a hammer that could break a door down crashing into a wooden block the size of a table. And whoever said classical music was boring?!?!

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Arts

Weekender: We forgot 'The Sound of Things Falling'

By Andrés F. Arévalo | October 20

“Hay un ruido que no logro, que nunca he logrado identificar: un ruido que no es humano o es más que humano.” (“There is a noise that I cannot, that I have never been able to identify: a noise that is neither human nor more than human.”)

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Local

Declan McKenna lights up The Sinclair on ‘Zeros’ Tour

By Tessa Moore | October 20

“They say you play this venue twice in your life: once on the way up and once on the way down. Well, it’s good to be back,” Declan McKenna quipped at the start of his set at The Sinclair on Oct. 11. The joke was clear to the audience as McKenna’s career has only been on the rise, and this show made it obvious why.

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Columns

The Book Nook: 'Six Times We Almost Kissed' explores romance and trauma

By Layla Noor Landrum | October 20

Tess Sharpe’s “Six Times We Almost Kissed (And One Time We Did)” (2023) is a poignant and expertly-plotted young adult contemporary romance novel releasing next year from publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Lester v. Reese, 2022

By Ellie Lester and Cole Reese | October 19

Good morning, Your Honor. We’re now calling the case of Lester v. Reese. Today we’ll be having a hearing on the matter of chowder; are both parties present and ready to proceed? 

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Columns

K-Weekly: Black appropriation in K-pop (Part 2) 

By Odessa Gaines | October 19

Let’s talk about CocaNButter.

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Columns

Looking Through the Met: Camp

By Ryan Fairfield | October 19

Inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp,’” the 2019 Met Gala theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” with a dress code of “studied triviality.” The night was defined by eccentric, extravagant clothes featuring bold, bright colors and often highlighted by sparkling jewels or fabrics. Definitely one of the most memorable Met Galas of recent years, “Camp: Notes on Fashion” was a fabulous night of striking outfits. 

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TV

Netflix's 'Dahmer' sends shivers down viewers' spines

By Megan Reimer | October 18

There has been considerable buzz around  “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (2022) on Netflix, created by Ryan Murphy, who is known for his creepy and stylistic anthologies like “American Horror Story” (2011–) and “American Crime Story” (2016–) as well as the less chilling but equally unconventional hit show “Glee” (2009–2015). Dahmer stars Evan Peters, a usual suspect in Murphy’s shows, appearing frequently as main characters in seasons of “American Horror Story.”

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Columns

Queeries: Showcasing queer visibility on the silver screen through 'Rocky Horror'

By Saba S. | October 18

Many of us would say that nothing necessarily good came out of the ‘70s. Yet it was the peak of the gay liberation movement and the cultural changes that took place following the 1969 Stonewall Riots prevailed nationwide. This period — though dominated by homophobia, violence and death — was the conception of queer pop culture. Although transformative, the new cultural emergence during this decade remained primarily underground. It remained frowned upon to embrace queerness and queer expression, so how did “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975) teach entire generations to celebrate queer culture and drag history?

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Local

Winkler's Weekly Symphony Guide: It’s okay to like Mozart too

By Matthew Winkler | October 18

In my column, I’ve talked about the importance of performing non-canonical classical works and including modern and contemporary voices. While I stand by that position, I also acknowledge my bias towards non-diatonic modernist tonalities. After all, my favorite composers to listen to are John Adams and Gustav Mahler, not Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. And while I’ve argued for orchestras to move beyond the meritocracy, I want to also stress that this should not be achieved with destruction. There is beauty that must be preserved within the canon. It would be a disservice to let Mozart fall into obscurity in the interest of progressive sounds, which I was made acutely aware of at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Oct. 14 Casual Friday performance.  

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Arts

'Derry Girls': the perfect ending for a perfect show

By Ryan Fairfield | October 17

After 19 episodes total, “Derry Girls” (2018–22) has finally come to a close with the third and final season of the show, which landed on Netflix on Oct. 7. The comedy, set in the Irish town of Londonderry, or Derry depending on who you ask, during the Troubles, the Northern Ireland conflict that spanned a majority of the second half of the 1900s follows a group of five friends as they navigate high school, adolescence and the political unrest of their country. 

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Arts

'Blonde': Exploiting Marilyn Monroe’s legacy

By Erin Zhu | October 14

Content warning: this article briefly mentions sexual violence and abuse.

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Column

Looking Through the Met: A Lexicon of Fashion

By Ryan Fairfield | October 14

The last time the Met Gala was not held on the first Monday of May was in 2004. Since Anna Wintour took charge of the event, it has been held on that day of the week for years, so much so that “the first Monday in May” has become synonymous with the gala. Due to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Met Gala was held on the second Monday of September with the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and a dress code of “American Independence.” The 2021 and 2022 galas were part of a two-part exhibition, which is why the 2022 theme was also “In America.” 

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Column

K-Weekly: What are the Bangtan Boys up to?

By Odessa Gaines | October 14

On June 14, just four days after dropping their anthology album “Proof,” BTS (방탄소년단) announced that they would be taking a break from group activities. 

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Arts

Weekender: Heroes, gods and monsters: A recap of this year in Marvel

By Nate Hall | October 13

Over the last 14 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a cultural juggernaut. The release of “Iron Man” (2008) marked the beginning of a decade-long saga that spanned nearly 30 movies, peaking with the record-breaking hit “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), in which fan favorites such as Iron Man, Black Widow and Captain America departed from the franchise. Although “Endgame” provided a satisfying ending to the MCU’s narrative, Marvel has kept the story going with a host of new movies and TV shows.

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Arts

Let Hugh Hefner rest in peril

By RaiAnn Bu | October 13

Chilly air, leaves falling, an ominous wind. Fall season is upon us again and one of the spookiest days of the year is imminent: Halloween. Don’t let the ghosts distract you from the real fear of Halloween: ugly costumes. 

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Arts

The tragedy of ‘Bros’

By Henry Chandonnet | October 12

It’s a crushing sight to see the first major-studio gay rom-com flop so publicly. “Bros” (2022) opened to a deeply underwhelming $4.8 million at the box office, cementing its fate as a failure in the public eye. Pundits and commentators alike have theorized on the shortcomings of the film, with creator Billy Eichner himself blaming that proverbial “homophobic weirdo.” So who’s to blame for this tragedy of queer media? The answer may be just about everyone.

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Columns

The Art of Good Soup: Are udon(e) yet?

By Ellie Lester and Cole Reese | October 12

This is a message for Shanghai Moon Restaurant in Medford, Mass. If you are not Shanghai Moon, or our Uber Eats driver, Diamond, keep scrolling. This does not concern you. 

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