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MUSIC REVIEW

Orlando Consort takes a graceful final bow at Boston Early Music Festival

The venerable vocal group’s final performance was one among several memorable concerts on Wednesday and Thursday at BEMF.

Lot Lab wants to help mend Charlestown through public art
Local nonprofit Now + There — which curates public art exhibitions — introduced Lot Lab’s work at an opening reception on June 7, where attendees were encouraged to participate in a healing ceremony and create chalk murals. The Charlestown Navy Yard exhibit is free and open to the public.

TV CRITIC'S CORNER
Documentary recalls secret Rock Hudson kept, but ultimately awareness he raised about AIDS
As one speaker notes in the trailer for the film “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed,” Hudson’s death changed the course of history around AIDS, opening up the conversation that many people didn’t want to have and enabling much-needed funding.

MUSIC REVIEW
Sturdy, dependable Pixies take the stage at MGM Music Hall at Fenway
With its two opening acts, the Pixies brought three generations of alternative and indie rock to a sold-out Boston crowd.

SUMMER ARTS PREVIEW

10 concerts not to miss this summer, from Bruce to Beyoncé

The summer's standout concerts also feature Fall Out Boy, Madonna, LL Cool J, and Tori Amos.
30+ movies we’re excited to see this summer, from ‘Barbie’ to ‘Spider-Man’10 TV shows we’ll be watching over the summer10 comedy shows that’ll provide relief from the summer heat10 museum shows you’ll want to wander this summer More from the Summer Arts Preview
Your Week Ahead

Five things to do around Boston, June 12-18

Dance to Whitney Houston, attend a Juneteenth block party, and more.
STAGE REVIEW

The honeymoon is over in a delightful ‘Private Lives’ at Gloucester Stage Company

Although this production of Noël Coward's romantic comedy takes a while to find its footing, patience is rewarded with the ensemble’s escalating antics.

They wrote books to fill voids they felt growing up. Being banned has deepened those wounds.

This school year, hundreds of books like “Queer, There, and Everywhere” and “I grew up feeling unsafe” have been restricted, challenged, and outright banned in libraries and classrooms across the country.
MATTHEW GILBERT

Emmy voters, do not overlook these shows and stars

Do they care what I think? No. Am I going to keep pitching for my underdogs and favorites nonetheless? Absolutely.

Nineteen ways to celebrate the historical events of Juneteenth in Boston and beyond

The when and where on everything from the Embrace Ideas Festival, to community gatherings, to arts open houses and concerts.
BOOK REVIEW

‘Good Night, Irene,’ based on Luis Alberto Urrea’s mother’s experience, lays bare the double burden of women on the front lines during World War II

Eyewitnesses to death and destruction, they are expected to carry not only their own traumas, but also those of the men who see the women as their emotional pack horses.
Documentaries

‘Being Mary Tyler Moore’: Hats off to this new doc about the TV legend

It premieres Friday on MAX.

You can observe a lot by watching the Yogi Berra doc ‘It Ain’t Over’

Berra’s larger-than-life persona outbalanced his astonishing baseball achievements. This documentary recalibrates the scales.

When documentarian Davis Guggenheim met Michael J. Fox, the actor had one request: ‘No violins’

"Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" premieres May 12 on Apple TV+.

MORE RECENT ARTS HEADLINES

BOOK REVIEW

Chun Han Wong’s ‘Party of One’ offers a glimpse of China under Xi Jinping but limited insight into the man himself

The author simply does not have enough material to discuss Xi Jinping’s inner life in any detail, other than some of the early parts. So motives are scarce: We see what he has done, but not always why.

BIBLIOPHILES

Jennifer Ackerman on reading poetry before sitting down to write

The longtime science writer's new book is “What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds.”

BOOK REVIEW

In Andre Dubus III’s latest novel, ‘Such Kindness,’ a man struggles for redemption in the aftermath of addiction and financial collapse

Dubus has an uncanny ability to capture a certain type of New Englander whose aloofness stems not from rudeness but self-protection and insecurity.

THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

Ocean Vuong, in ‘Time is a Mother,’ writes from ‘the country of grief’

New England, the setting of Vuong’s acclaimed debut novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” also helped inspire his second poetry collection.

NEW ENGLAND LITERARY NEWS

Grolier poetry manager and graphic designer team launch new micropress; Bloomsday Boston 2023 celebrates Joyce and ‘Ulysses’; Annual breast cancer benefit brings authors together in person this year

News about books and authors from around the region.

BOOKINGS

Author readings around Boston June 11-17

All author appearances are in person and free unless otherwise noted.

BOOKS

Local bestsellers for the week ended June 4

Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the New England Independent Booksellers Association and IndieBound.

Who’ll win at the Tonys, and who should

For readers keeping score at home, here’s a glance at the contenders in the main categories and our predictions.

most read

Documentary recalls secret Rock Hudson kept, but ultimately awareness he raised about AIDS

Shereen Pimentel is dazzling as the flawed heroine of ART’s re-energized ‘Evita’

At the Worcester Art Museum, tracing Impressionism’s journey from France to the US

Emmy voters, do not overlook these shows and stars

CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

As the Tonys arrive, uncertainty for Broadway lingers in the air

From wildfire smoke that’s disrupted performances to a writers strike that threatened its awards show to uninspiring box office numbers, Broadway has taken some blows as it prepares for Sunday’s celebration.

In ‘Shucked,’ Tony nominee and Lynn native Alex Newell is bringing — and feeling — joy

As Lulu, Newell brings down the house every night. Now they're up for the prize for best featured actor in a musical.

Odie Henderson Review | ★★★

‘Flamin’ Hot’ prints the spicy legend of a Cheeto

Eva Longoria makes her feature directorial debut with this cheesy biopic starring Jesse Garcia as a Frito-Lay janitor with a brilliant idea.

Boston Early Music Festival is an embarrassment of riches

June 5 and 6 concerts featured operatic fireworks, a forgotten harpist, and a breakout soprano star

Odie Henderson Review | ★★★★

‘Past Lives’ asks what could have been and what may still be

Writer-director Celine Song’s feature debut is a poignant meditation on love, friendship, and fate spanning two decades.

Boston Globe Today wins three digital video awards

The Globe and NESN's new weekday tv show received a platinum award for its debut show on April 18 as well as two gold awards for short-form social media videos.

TV CRITIC'S CORNER

‘Perry Mason’ and ‘I Love That for You’ canceled

Showtime did pick up Neil Patrick Harris’s “Uncoupled” in February after Netflix didn’t renew it, however; maybe another outlet can rescue “I Love That for You.”

At the Worcester Art Museum, tracing Impressionism’s journey from France to the US

The movement’s blithe beauty remains the surest of bets for museums nearly a century and a half after it arrived on American shores.

WINTER ARTS PREVIEW

10 TV shows we’ll be watching this winter

Highlights this season include Mel Brooks helming "History of the World, Part II," a drama about a Fleetwood Mac-like rock group in 1970s LA called "Daisy Jones & The Six," plus new series starring Natasha Lyonne, Bob Odenkirk, Damian Lewis, and Connie Britton.

From SZA to the Boss, 10 concerts to heat up winter
Other highlights include Maggie Rogers, Margo Price, Ari Lennox, and Dropkick Murphys' annual run of St. Patrick's Day shows.

10 delightful dance picks to carry you through to spring
Hip-hop, ballet, flamenco, contemporary, and even acrobatics are on tap in Boston this season.

After all these years, Rennie Harris’s classic hip-hopera ‘Rome and Jewels’ leaves space for improvisation

Original dancers and young company members come together for the 2020 work that put Rennie Harris Puremovement on the international map. The performance will be held at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre on Jan. 28.

New England Philharmonic music director Tianhui Ng shares music through ‘human stories’

The volunteer ensemble premieres a new piece by Medfield-raised composer Matthew Aucoin during its next concert on Feb. 18.

A creator of experimental theater steps anxiously into the spotlight with ‘Made in China 2.0’

In Wang Chong's solo show, receiving its world premiere at ArtsEmerson, the director becomes the performer.

Aoife O’Donovan traverses the sparse terrain of Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’

The Grammy-nominated singer will play songs from the album at Sanders Theatre on March 17.

Explore all our winter arts critics' picks

At the MFA, ‘Hear Me Now’ tells the story of enslaved Black potters

Another first for Marlee Matlin with her directorial debut on ‘Accused’

10 dynamic classical concerts to wake you up this winter

10 delightful dance picks to carry you through to spring

10 TV shows we’ll be watching this winter

From SZA to the Boss, 10 concerts to heat up winter