| The Scene In and Around Boston . . . By Hilda M. Morrill May 22, 2009  Many Greater Boston area residents have traveled to NYC to see "Billy Elliot - The Musical," which has been nominated for 15 Tony Awards. (Photo by Wayne Bethards)We recently enjoyed visiting The Big Apple, where we got to enjoy some great food and attend a couple of Broadway shows: "Billy Elliot," which we loved; and "Reasons to be Pretty," which we didn't. Not being theater experts, hubby and I depend on the noted Boston theatre critic R.J. Donovan to enlighten us via his outstanding Web site www.OnStageBoston.com. (Full disclosure: Bob is a longtime dear friend.) Bob was recently invited to be a guest on "The Jordan Rich Show," on WBZ-AM (1030 on the dial) for an hour and ended up staying for the entire three-and-a-half hours (midnight to 3:30 a.m.), chatting and taking listener calls (from as close as downtown Boston and as far away as Minneapolis). He was on the show with two other guests, Scott Wahle (formerly with WBZ News, but who does a lot of local shows and singing around town and is an avid theater lover), and Mark Reardon (an attorney from Worcester who is also an extremely knowledgeable theater fan). The group talked about the local theater companies big and small, the Norton Awards, the upcoming fall theater season in Boston, what's happening in New York, the entertainment economy, and their favorite shows. Bob also talked about his close-to-two decades doing PR for the South Shore Music Circus (and related a funny 70's story about working with Zero Mostel and going with him to a taping of "Elliot Norton Reviews" at Channel 2 followed by a visit to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum). In an interesting coincidence, the South Shore Music Circus (SSMC) box office was opening the same weekend he did Jordan's show, and Paula Gates from the Music Circus did a phone interview about their upcoming season. In order to avoid any hint of conflict of interest, Bob emphasized on the air that his days as an entertainment PR guy were "long ago," and that he only began writing about theater after he was no longer working directly in that arena. Aside from his SSMC days, Bob's other credits include: Writer for AOL's "Digital City Boston," former theater editor for "BostonNOW," and arts contributor to the "Boston Irish Reporter." So, if you want to learn all about the theater scene in Boston "and beyond," visit www.OnStageBoston.com. You'll be glad you did.
Concerts Scheduled for the Courtyard at the MFA The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) announces the "Elaine and Jerome Rosenfeld Concerts in the Courtyard" lineup for 2009. The summer's popular outdoor music series, held in the MFA's Calderwood Courtyard, features an exciting group of performers. Concerts are Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. as follows: June 24 - Bettye LaVette: One of the greatest soul singers of American music kicks off the summer series. July 1 - Marco Benevento Trio: Brooklyn-based jazz pianist performs from his critically acclaimed new album "Me Not Me." July 8 - Martha Wainwright: Singer-songwriter and daughter of folk legends Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. July 15 - King Sunny Adé and his African Beats: The legendary and undisputed king of Nigerian Juju music. July 22 - Grupo Fantasma: Hailed as the funkiest, finest, and hardest-working Latin orchestra to come from the United States in the last decade. July 29 - Alex Cuba: Sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks, and rock chords subvert commonly held notions of what Cuban music is. Aug 5 - The Holmes Brothers & Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens: Reinventing the way music is performed, from rock to gospel. Aug 12 - Kaki King: New York based musician evolved from an acoustic instrumentalist to a full-fledged, songwriter and vocalist. Aug 19 - Buika: Unique blend of flamenco, jazz, soul, and blues; called "luminous... magnificent... superb!" Aug 26 - Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys: Respect for tradition combined with a forward-looking vision, setting the standard for modern Cajun music. All tickets are for general admission seating and may be upgraded for "al fresco dining" on the Bravo balcony for an additional fee. The Calderwood Courtyard opens at 6 p.m. Courtyard seating is limited; low lawn chairs and/or blankets are recommended. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased in the Courtyard; state law prohibits the possession or consumption of alcohol purchased outside of the MFA. All bags are subject to inspection by Museum staff. All concerts are wheelchair accessible. Tickets may be purchased online, by phone, or at the MFA. For more information call 617-369-3306 or visit www.mfa.org. Enjoy! |
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