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January 23 - February 05, 2012 |
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Archived Events
Release Your Inner Einstein
So it’s February vacation and you’ve missed the last flight to Pismo
Beach. Or maybe you neglected to take that “left toin at Albuquerque”
and ended up in Cambridge. Don’t worry, all is not lost—you’re
fortunate enough to have arrived in time for the Brattle Theatre’s 15th annual
Bugs Bunny Film Festival. This popular two-week repertory series features classic
Looney Tunes cartoons each day, including the All Bugs Revue (cartoons devoted to
everyone’s favorite wascally wabbit) and A Devil of a Time, a tribute to animator
Bob McKimson spotlighting his creations, including the Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn
Leghorn and Speedy Gonzalez. Along the way, catch up with Daffy Duck, Tweety and
Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner and the rest of these loony legends.
Hot Pot
If you’re one of the folks who spent January wallowing in those post-holiday, wintertime blues, get ready to break out of the doldrums. As the calendar flips to February, Boston is ready to laugh again, making it a perfect time for the Hub’s first-ever Magners Comedy Festival to take over local comedy clubs Nick’s Comedy Stop and Tommy’s Comedy Lounge. The three-day event, sponsored by the makers of popular libation Magners Irish Cider, unites veteran local comedians with up-and-coming yuksters for a series of showcases and stand-up shows sure to tickle even the most frozen of funnybones. On February 4, local stand-up legend Tony V. (pictured) hosts the Magners Comedy Stand-Off, in which 10 rising talents face off against each other in hopes of advancing to the Comedy Stand Off Finale (February 6 at 8 p.m.), with a performance slot at the Bulmers Comedy Festival in Dublin at stake for the winner. Other events in the Magners Festival include the Boston Favorites Showcase and the Boston vs. NYC Showcase (both on February 5), and the main event on February 6—the Magners Headliner Showcase, featuring sets by Graig Murphy, Greg Johnson and Beantown native Gary Gulman of HBO’s “Tourgasm.” Whether you attend one show or several, the Magners Comedy Festival is sure to be cider-splittingly funny. Visit www.magnerscomedyusa.com for a full schedule of events.
Boston gets roused from its winter doldrums with a burst of big-time diva fever
on January 30, as one of popular music’s most successful performers
of all time hits town for a show at the Citi Performing Arts Center’s Wang
Theatre. The incomparable Mariah Carey returns to Boston for the first time in three
years, bringing her phenomenal vocal prowess and voluminous catalogue of pop and
R&B hits to town as part of her Angels Advocate tour. The singular voice behind
hits like “Vision of Love,” “We Belong Together,” “Always
Be My Baby,” “Hero” and countless other classics, Carey is touring
in support of her new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Don’t miss
this chance to see and hear one of pop’s legendary vocalists in person.
This mouth-watering evening devoted to that most unpretentious and egalitarian of foods—the hamburger—unleashes 10 of the city’s most talented culinary minds upon that modern miracle on a bun. If you’re expecting the Big Mac, think again—Boston heavyweight chefs like Andy Husbands (Tremont 647), Michael Schlow (Radius, Via Matta), Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger), Brooke Vosika (The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons) and Ken Oringer (KO Prime) go head-to-head in a battle royale (with cheese) to see whose gourmet burger reigns supreme. Admission to the event is $25, entitling burger fans to taste all 10 of the competitors’ creations before filling out scorecards ranking their favorites. Proceeds from the event go to Autism Speaks, a national organization dedicated to funding autism research. For more information, visit www.koprimeboston.com; reservations for the Burger Bash can be made at 617-772-5821.
On January 30 & 31, a slew of fine Boston-area eateries are ensuring that by enjoying their delicious cuisine you’ll also have a chance to help feed those less fortunate. That weekend, 20 local restaurants—including Bin 26 Enoteca, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Stella, L’Espalier, Tosca (pictured above), Sibling Rivalry and Blue Ginger—are donating 100% of the proceeds from their prix-fixe brunch service on either Saturday or Sunday to the GBFB. So, by enjoying a delectable meal, you’ll in turn help the more than 300,000 needy Massachusetts residents that turn to the GBFB for assistance every year—which makes the Super Hunger Brunch a perfect way to nourish your soul as well as your body. For more information, including a full list of participating restaurants, visit www.superhungermonth.org.
Such Great Heights
There’s no need to head to New York to see one of Broadway’s most acclaimed
recent musicals, because this month New York comes to Boston with the arrival of
the vibrant song and dance of In the Heights. This passionate musical, a love letter
to Manhattan’s predominantly Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights, allows
audiences to share the ups and downs of a varied cast of characters struggling to
achieve their hopes and aspirations while straddling the thin line between ethnic
tradition and the march of modern progress. The 2008 Tony Award-winner for Best
Musical features a high-energy score infused with salsa and merengue, and provides
a heartfelt glimpse at a secret world within the New York you only think you know.
The Grape Escape
And because nothing makes a wine-tasting experience better than the addition of delicious gourmet cuisine, the Wine Expo also features live cooking demonstrations from acclaimed local chefs such as Rachel Klein (Aura), Jamie Bissonnette (Coppa), Raymond Ost (Sandrine’s Bistro), Andy Husbands (Tremont 647), Peppino (Da Vinci Ristorante) and many more. If you happen to miss out on Wine Expo weekend, you don’t have to miss your chance to celebrate some of the world’s most lauded wines. The Boston Wine Festival 2010 at the Boston Harbor Hotel should be prominently marked on any Hub oenophile’s social calendar. This series of special food-wine pairings and educational seminars takes place from January 8–April 2, and features the hottest names on the wine scene and the newest offerings from acclaimed domestic and international vineyards. Chef Daniel Bruce of the BHH’s restaurant Meritage crafts delectable wine dinners like the Battle of the Cabernets on January 14 & 15 and the Ravenswood showcase on January 20, treating diners to the best of both worlds. Finally, if you like your wine packed with effervescent bubbles, Cambridge plays host to a fantastically fun and fizzy event on January 30. The Tour de Champagne returns to the Boston area for the third consecutive year, uniting some of the region’s top chefs for an evening of delicious cuisine and samples of top-notch bubbly at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, all benefitting The Greater Boston Food Bank. For more information, visit www.tourdechampagne.com.
Wham-Bam, Thank You Clam
Welcome to Fenway Puck
On January 1, Fenway Park welcomes 2010 by hosting this year’s NHL Winter Classic—a recent NHL tradition that pits two pro hockey teams against each other in an outdoor, regular-season game. This year, Fenway Park was chosen to host the game, in which our own Boston Bruins match up against the Philadelphia Flyers at 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day. The rink has been laid out across the Fenway infield, stretching from third base to first, and fans lucky enough to get seats along the baselines will be right on top of the action—a testament to the already-intimate dimensions that ballplayers have become accustomed to at Fenway. Tickets for this unique afternoon of spectator sport went faster than a goal rocketed off the stick of Bruins star Zdeno Chara (pictured above), but ticket resellers like Ace Tickets and StubHub.com are expected to be selling ducats—if you’re willing to pay a premium price—up until face-off. While the temporary rink is in position, Fenway is staging some other related once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for hockey fans. On January 2, the day after the Winter Classic, the Boston Bruins host their own event—the Boston Bruins AT&T Legends Classic at 2 p.m. This exhibition match unites a slew of famous ex-Bruins players (including Cam Neely, Terry O’Reilly, Rick Middleton and Lyndon Byers) with former NHL greats Brian Leetch and Pat LaFontaine, as well as celebrity guests Denis Leary and Tim Robbins, in a charity event benefiting the Boston Bruins Foundation, the Red Sox Foundation and Hockey Fights Cancer. Tickets are $10–25 and are available through www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. And on January 8, Fenway plays host to a collegiate Hockey East doubleheader—Boston University and archrivals Boston College face off at 7:30 p.m., preceded by a match between the Northeastern University and University of New Hampshire’s women’s teams at 4 p.m. After all, where is it written that only the Boys of Summer can take advantage of America’s most beloved ballpark?
You’ll Remember Mamma
Sure, Christmas carols spread their share of musical joy, but you’ll be hard-pressed
to find sunnier tunes being sung this December than the ones in the musical smash
Mamma Mia!, which returns to the Colonial Theatre on December 15.
As fans of the musical (and its recent film version) know, Mamma intertwines two
dozen masterpieces by Swedish pop megastars ABBA into the frothy and fun tale of
Sophie, a bride-to-be who invites three of her mother’s past lovers to her
wedding on a sun-drenched Greek island in an attempt to unveil her father’s
identity. Hilarious mayhem predictably ensues as sparks fly between old (and new)
flames and the audience is swept into a singing and dancing frenzy to classic songs
like “SOS,” “Chiquitita” and, of course, “Dancing
Queen.”
Mice on Ice and Everything Nice
Plenty of us would like to spend the holidays in the Happiest Place on Earth, a.k.a
Walt Disney World. However, if a trip to the Magic Kingdom isn’t in the cards
this year, why not let Mickey and the gang come to you? Disney fans get a chance
to see all their favorite characters when Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic skates
into the TD Garden. Featuring more than 65 favorite friends—from Mickey, Minnie
and Goofy to the Disney princesses to Pixar film characters like The Incredibles
and the Toy Story gang (pictured)—the show promises to awe audiences
with graceful skating routines, accompanied by classic Disney tunes, in an unforgettable
evening of family fun.
The 101 Dalmatians Musical
It won’t be hard to “spot” the most popular musical for families
in Boston this December, as audiences get the chance to experience a beloved favorite
“tail” in a whole new way. Taking its cue from the children’s
book by Dodie Smith, The 101 Dalmatians Musical brings Pongo, Perdida and
their pups barking to life with a cast that includes 15 real live Dalmatians, as
well as actress Rachel York as the venemous Cruella de Vil. Add in a score by former
Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung and the result is a show sure to have adults and children
on the edges of their seats and howling with delight.
Home for the Holidays
From December 17–19, folkstress Lori McKenna returns to her
old stomping grounds at Club Passim for a series of shows, followed by Berklee College
of Music alum Melissa Ferrick doing two shows of her own at Passim on December
27. Meanwhile, the House of Blues hosts two major multi-platinum groups
that emerged from Boston in the ‘80s and ‘90s, respectively: former
teen idols-turned-grownup pop stars New Kids on the Block perform for their
local fans on December 20, while reunited ska-punk combo The Mighty Mighty
Bosstones (pictured above) take up residence at the HOB from December 26–28
for their annual Hometown Throwdown. The Hub’s Aglow for the Holidays
Festivities kick off November 21, at Boston’s most popular outdoor shopping and dining destination, when Faneuil Hall Marketplace celebrates its 25th annual Holiday Tree Lighting (pictured). This daylong extravaganza features outdoor performances throughout the marketplace by street performers, carolers and dancers from Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker. At 1 p.m., Santa arrives on his sleigh, and later there’s more music from all-girl pop/R&B group Jada and blues/rock combo Ernie & The Automatics, all leading up to the 5:30 p.m. lighting of the 85-foot-tall Douglas fir and some 300,000 lights throughout the Marketplace. Not far outside the city, in suburban Stoneham, the Stone Zoo gets in on the holiday fun when Zoolights kicks off November 26. This popular annual event allows visitors to stroll the zoo after hours down paths illuminated by thousands of twinkling lights to Santa’s Village, a winter wonderland filled with model trains, fairytale characters and the dude with the big red suit himself. On November 27, the holiday cheer makes its way to Downtown Crossing, where Macy’s lights its own 50-foot-tall Christmas tree from 5–6 p.m. Meanwhile, the Shops at Prudential Center light up consumers’ eyes on December 4 with its special Gift holiday shopping event—for a $5 ticket that benefits local charities, shoppers get 10–20% discounts and other special deals from the Pru’s array of great shops and restaurants. Cambridge gets in on the fun beginning November 28, as Harvard Square kicks off its Sparklefest celebration. Festive events include the lighting of the Charles Hotel Christmas tree on November 28, the season opener for the Charles Hotel Skating Rink on December 6 and the chance to partake in a delicious Hanukkah favorite at the Everyone Loves Latkes Party on December 13. For a complete schedule of Sparklefest events and more information, visit www.harvardsquare.com.
North End shops like A Matter of Face, Bobbles and Lace, High Gear Jewelry, Shake the Tree, Sol Optics, The Wine Bottega and more than a dozen others are offering special sales and discounts that night, on everything from designer clothes, to jewelry, to artwork for the home, gifts, cosmetic products and much more. Light refreshments and seasonal entertainment will be present for shoppers as they stroll the streets of the North End, and should you decide to stop for dinner at some point during your travels, expect to be spoiled for choice by a seemingly endless array of the city’s top Italian restaurants. Maps of the event and “passports” that allow participants to be entered in a raffle for a special holiday gift basket are available at the various participating shops up until the day of the event. —Josh B. Wardrop
Party Time
Boston is a city (ahem) steeped in history, with perhaps the most famous single
historical event being the 1773 revolutionary tax uprising known around the world
as the Boston Tea Party. On December 13, the Old South Meeting House Tea
Party Players bring Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and other Tea Party
participants to life at an interactive town meeting debating the colonial tea tax.
Audience members are invited to weigh in on the fate of three shiploads of British
tea before getting a chance to witness a dramatization of the fateful act of rebellion
that made the waters of Boston Harbor resemble the world’s biggest cup of
Earl Grey. Visit www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org
for more information.
Gumdrop Mountain or Bust
Forget the Stanley Cup, the Final Four or the World Series of Poker—any grade-schooler
knows there’s no more cutthroat competition than a no-holds-barred, high-stakes
round of everyone’s favorite childhood board game, Candy Land. That’s
why your young ones will have to be at the peak of their abilities on December 12,
as Faneuil Hall Marketplace hosts Boston’s fifth annual Candy Land Tournament
to benefit the Pitching in for Kids Foundation. Appropriate for children ages 3
and older (check the box!), as well as fun-loving adults, the tournament invites
gamers to spend the day with Gramma Nutt, Princess Lolly and Lord Licorice while
enjoying a day of face painting and gingerbread house-building, all in support of
a great cause.
You’re never too old for a puppet show—especially when said puppets
are primarily concerned about money woes, establishing a career and sorting out
their sex lives. The puppet characters of Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q certainly
wouldn’t fit in on “Sesame Street,” but that doesn’t mean
these outspoken puppets, monsters and humans from the wrong side of the tracks won’t
simultaneously delight your inner child and your outer adult with hilariously inappropriate
jokes and clever songs like “What do You Do with a BA in English?” and
“Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist.” For a coming-of-age story packed
with belly laughs, take a stroll down this Avenue.
A Fiddler’s Swan Song?
Fiddler on the Roof
For four decades, theater aficionados have associated one name with the role of
Tevye, the beleaguered titular character of the beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof—Israeli
actor Chaim Topol. Since his first stint as Tevye in the 1967 inaugural British
production of Fiddler, Topol has frequently returned to the role of a traditional
Hebrew father struggling with his daughters’ choices of husbands—including
in the 1972 film (for which he earned an Oscar nomination) and stage revivals in
1983, 1990 and 1994. Now, Topol is touring the world in his Fiddler “farewell
tour,” arriving in Boston on November 3. Don’t miss your last
chance to hear classics like “If I Were A Rich Man” and “Sunrise,
Sunset” performed by musical theatre’s most accomplished Fiddler.
Refer to theater listing.
Halloween Happenings
—Meredith Wilson  Book this Date
Boston Book Festival
Home to famous authors since the days of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Boston celebrates its literary past, present and future on October 24 with
the first-ever Boston Book Festival. The daylong salute to the written word welcomes
an array of talented authors—some with local ties to the Hub—including
mystery writer Dennis Lehane (pictured), “Heroes” creator Tim Kring,
novelists Andre Dubus III and Tom Perrotta, poet Robert Pinsky, documentarian Ken
Burns, actress/cookbook author Alicia Silverstone and many others. Workshops, discussion
panels, lectures, writing competitions, children’s programming, spoken word
and music performances and more take place at the Boston Public Library, Old South
Church, and other Boston locations. So if anyone invites you out on October 24,
just tell them you’re “booked.” Refer to
special events listing.
Jumpin’ Beantown
Each year, Boston aims to give jazz hotbeds Chicago and New Orleans a run for its
money, as Berklee College of Music hosts the annual Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival.
This year, the weeklong event features concerts at music venues throughout Boston
and Cambridge by jazz artists like Kurt Elling and Ahmad Jamal (visit
www.beantownjazz.org for a full schedule of events), all leading up to the
main event: Boston’s largest outdoor music festival, featuring three stages
of shows by Berklee students and national names like Donald Harrison and Joe Louis
Walker, as well as 80 food and craft vendors, carnival games, face painting and
other amusements for the kids. Bring the whole family and bop your way into autumn
in Beantown.
 Looking Good, Boston!Boston Fashion Week 2009 Various locations September 25–October 2
Fashionistas and style mavens may flock to New York every chance they get, but for
one week, the Hub competes with the Big Apple for glam and fabulosity. Boston Fashion
Week, a city-wide festival for fashion plates, takes place September 25–October
2, when the city hosts events ranging from the seriously fashion-forward
(the Emerging Trends runway show on October 2, the Wearable Art exhibit at
Massachusetts College of Art, and fashion shows by designers like Denise Hajjar,
Bless By Bless and Sam Mendoza) to the silly, like a free screening of Zoolander
at the Boston Public Library on September 21. Lectures on fashion, trunk
shows and glittering parties fill out this week of superb style in the Hub. Visit
www.bostonfashionweek.com for a full
schedule of events.
The Honeymoon’s Over  Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Woolf?
Publick Theatre Boston Beginning October 1
Looking for an evening of theatre that will make you feel better about the state
of your romantic relationship? Then check out Publick Theatre Boston’s production
of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee’s dark and incisive
exploration of what can best be described as “date night in hell.” Diego
Arciniegas directs Publick’s version of the 1963 Tony Award-winning play about
aging history professor George and his acerbic wife, Martha, who host hapless youngsters
Nick and Honey over the course of a boozy evening in which the older couple vents
their rage and dissatisfaction with each other in a lacerating, pitch-perfect depiction
of marital strife.
September Song
Few of us celebrate the end of warm weather, backyard barbecues and trips to the
beach, but the gaiety of the Revels’ 6th annual RiverSing may make you change
your tune. On September 20, more than 2,000 people are expected to welcome
the autumnal equinox with a giant public sing on the banks of the Charles River.
The festivities begin at Harvard Square’s Winthrop Park with a marching band,
puppets, face painting and crafts, followed by a grand procession down to the John
W. Weeks Footbridge at the riverbank. As dusk falls, Boston area choruses like the
Revels Singers, the Family Folk Chorale and the Halalisa Singers lead audiences
in communal song to welcome autumn and bid a festive farewell to another glorious
summer.
CLUB SCENE
It was a wise man who once said, “Stop thinking, let things happen and be
the ball.” (Okay, it was Chevy Chase in Caddyshack, but the point is
still valid.) The participants in this year’s Deutsche Bank Championship—Massachusetts’
highly anticipated annual PGA Tour event, taking place Labor Day weekend—may
take those Zen-like words to heart, but they’ll more likely rely on their
skills as some of the world’s top golfers. Big names—including defending
champion Vijay Singh, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and some fellow named Tiger Woods
(pictured)—participate in four days of tournament play, preceded by pro-am
tournaments and practice rounds, in pursuit of a first prize of $1.26 million.
The fantastical and magical world of Cirque du Soleil returns to Boston this August,
when the ground-breaking modern circus brings its resurrected 1994 classic Alegría
to Agganis Arena. Alegría—named for the Spanish word meaning joy and
jubilation—tells the story of a kingdom in upheaval as an allegory for the
constant struggle of age vs. youth and strength vs. weakness, expressing the vibrancy
of youth and the pitfalls of power through stunning acrobatics, elaborate costumes
and a Grammy- nominated score. It’s a jaw- dropping production in true Cirque
tradition that you won’t stop talking about—once you get your breath
back, that is.
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Show Me the Bunny
A
Funny February on Tap
Saturday
Night Diva
A Meating of the Minds
A Beneficial Brunch
Boston
Opera House
Few have mistaken Boston for the Napa Valley (especially in wintertime!),
but lovers of the grape who find themselves in Boston this January will find they’ve
struck upon an ideal vintage point (er...vantage point) from which to enjoy some
of the world’s most delicious and renowned wines. For 19 years, lovers of
fine wine and delicious food have flocked to the 
In this issue of Panorama, we’re spotlighting
some of the newest names on the local restaurant scene (see 
Boston
sports fans are used to filling Fenway Park—one of the nation’s
most venerable baseball stadiums—to watch the Boston Red Sox take on all comers.
While Fenway has been the site of plenty of mammoth home runs, called strikes and
even the occasional no-hitter in its 98-year history, that “lyric little bandbox”
(as John Updike famously dubbed it) is significantly less familiar with slap shots,
hat tricks and penalty boxes—but that’s about to change.
Top
Dogs
It’s only natural to find your way home when Christmas,
Hanukkah and New Year’s roll around—and that’s apparently true
even when you’re a big-time rock ‘n’ roll star. Throughout the
month of December, a plethora of notable musicians with Hub connections are back
in town, making time in between holiday get-togethers with friends and family to
play shows at area clubs.
Shopping and Strolling
310 Washington St.
Faneuil
Hall Marketplace
Q
Rating
Looking for some spooky, family-friendly
fun this Halloween? Check out where all the groovy ghouls in Boston will be getting
down in October:
Winthrop Park in Harvard Square and near the John Weeks Footbridge
at Memorial Drive
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