Performing Arts

The company of the North American Tour of "& Juliet." (Courtesy Matthew Murphy)

Musical '& Juliet' offers a joyously fresh take on an old tale

In David West Read's reimagining of a Shakespeare classic, the young Capulet goes on a hilarious journey of self-discovery set to pop music by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Katy Perry...

Arts & Culture

9 hours ago

Karen MacDonald in SpeakEasy Stage Company's "Pru Payne." (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

'Pru Payne' explores love amid memory loss at SpeakEasy Stage

The long-time critic at the center of Steven Drukman’s fervent play is at the zenith of her career when memory troubles arise and threaten to dismantle her reputation and her...

Arts & Culture

Oct 22, 2024

Jared Bowen in the Huntington's production of "Nassim." (Courtesy Mike Ritter)

At the Huntington, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour fosters connection

Each night, Soleimanpour invites a different VIP guest onstage who reads the script — without rehearsal — for the audience. The show offers an exercise in anticipation and harnesses the...

Arts & Culture

Oct 11, 2024

Paola Ferrer, Brogan Nelson and Rebekah Rae Robles in "Laughs in Spanish" at SpeakEasy Stage Company. (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

SpeakEasy's 'Laughs in Spanish' is a good time in any language

Local playwright Alexis Scheer provides more than laughs in a fun production directed by Teatro Chelsea's Mariela López-Ponce. Theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair dances along.

Arts & Culture

Sep 24, 2024

Brenda Meaney and Nael Nacer play the lead roles in Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt" at the Huntington Theatre Company. (Courtesy Liza Voll)

Tom Stoppard tells a personal Holocaust story in the Huntington's epic 'Leopoldstadt'

Director Carey Perloff leads a large ensemble in the British playwright's latest play. Theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair salutes the effort.

Arts & Culture

Sep 20, 2024

From left: Joomin Hwang, Rachel Webb, Bobby "Pocket" Horner, Lorna Courtney and Virgil Gadson in "& Juliet." (Courtesy Matthew Murphy)

14 theater productions to see this fall

This fall is chock full of theater productions that tackle everything from love to memory loss to friendship. Theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair shares the plays she's looking forward to this...

Arts & Culture

Sep 18, 2024

The Boston Symphony Orchestra opening the 2023-24 season at Symphony Hall. (Courtesy Robert Torres/BSO)

A sweeping guide to Greater Boston's fall classical music performances

From the world premiere of White Snake Project's opera "Is This America?" to a performance from the Australian Chamber Orchestra, WBUR arts critic Lloyd Schwartz shares the concerts and productions...

Arts & Culture

Sep 17, 2024

Martha Graham Dance Company in Agnes deMille's "Rodeo." (Courtesy Luque Photography)

11 dance events to revel in this fall

From North Atlantic Ballet's "Dracula" to performances from Martha Graham Dance Company, this season brings a variety of performances that transport and inspire.

Arts & Culture

Sep 16, 2024

Jaime José Hernández, Luis Negrón and Arthur Gomez in "Hombres." (Courtesy Jason Grow Photography)

'Hombres' is a nuanced take on male friendship

Critic Jacquinn Sinclair calls the production between Gloucester Stage Company and Teatro Chelsea a "thoughtful examination of male friendships through the lens of race, economics and sexual orientation."

Arts & Culture

Sep 13, 2024

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, pictured beside BSO music director Andris Nelsons, returns to perform at Symphony Hall for a concert on Sept. 21. (Courtesy Robert Torres)

Mayor Michelle Wu will return to Symphony Hall as a guest soloist

Free tickets for the Sept. 21 Concert for the City will be available beginning Thursday. The mayor will play Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" to mark the piece's centennial.

Arts & Culture

Sep 10, 2024

Rudy Pankow (Romeo) and Emilia Suárez (Juliet) in A.R.T.’s 'Romeo and Juliet.' (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios and Maggie Hall)

Movement powers a fresh 'Romeo and Juliet' at A.R.T.

Shakespeare’s words are enlivened in a different way at American Repertory Theater’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” a visually and physically stunning offering made more relatable through movement, inflection and...

Arts & Culture

Sep 10, 2024

From puppetry to drag shows to immersive theatre, ArrowFest features more than 40 performances and events throughout the week. (Cristela Guerra/WBUR)

ArrowFest launches with experimental and whimsical performances

Over the next week in Cambridge, audiences will be introduced to more than 40 performances by hundreds of artists in Harvard Square's newest venue, Arrow Street Arts, the former site...

Arts & Culture

Sep 9, 2024

Emilia Suárez plays Juliet in the new A.R.T. production. (Courtesu Ken Yotsukura)

A.R.T. brings a reframed 'Romeo and Juliet' to the stage

Directed by Diane Paulus, the show draws inspiration from the bond between the title characters, rather than the divisions and societal ills that keep them apart.

Arts & Culture

Aug 29, 2024

Kristin Chenoweth as Jackie Siegel in "The Queen of Versailles" at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. (Courtesy Matthew Murphy)

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams with 'The Queen of Versailles'

The Broadway-bound musical reunites Kristin Chenoweth and musical composer Stephen Schwartz, who previously worked together on “Wicked.”

Arts & Culture

04:52Aug 19, 2024

The cast of Gloucester Stage Company's production of "Wish You Were Here." (Courtesy Jason Grow Photography)

At Gloucester Stage, 'Wish You Were Here' centers female friendship

Set in Karaj, Iran, Pulitzer Prize-winner Sanaz Toossi's play spans 13 years of friendship amid the Iranian Revolution and the First Gulf War. With superb direction and acting, "the war...

Arts & Culture

Aug 13, 2024

From left: Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham in "The Queen of Versailles." (Courtesy Matthew Murphy)

'The Queen of Versailles' dazzles in pre-Broadway run at Emerson Colonial Theatre

Based on the 2012 documentary of the same name, Kristin Chenoweth stars as the ambitious Jackie Siegel who has champagne wishes and caviar dreams. The musical is "funny, heartwarming and...

Arts & Culture

Aug 2, 2024

John Williams leads the Boston Pops at the 2023 Tanglewood Film Night. (Courtesy Hilary Scott)

From 'Jaws' to 'Star Wars,' John Williams' memorable and masterful film scores

Audiences at Tanglewood in Lenox will have the chance to commune with lost aliens, dinosaurs and Darth Vader as the Boston Pops Orchestra performs conductor laureate John Williams’ iconic music...

Arts & Culture

05:17Aug 2, 2024

From left: Omar Robinson, Marianna Bassham and Nael Nacer in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's production of "The Winter's Tale." (Courtesy Nile Scott Studios)

On Boston Common, 'The Winter's Tale' is a well-acted story of forgiveness

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's annual free Shakespeare production brings a modernized retelling of one of Shakespeare's "problem plays." WBUR theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair reviews.

Arts & Culture

Jul 26, 2024

Portrait of a smiling white man with his arms crossed over his body.

Boch Center names Casey Soward as new director

Casey Soward, currently the executive director at the Cabot Theatre in Beverly, succeeds Joe Spaulding who led the organization for 38 years.

Arts & Culture

Jul 23, 2024

Singer Diana Ross poses for a portrait session in 1975. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)

In praise of hoops

For people of color, hoops are a visual representation of individuality. Whether they're a delicate gold pair or the cheap ones you buy at the beauty supply store, hoops have...

Arts & Culture

Jul 18, 2024