The Culture Show Podcast

Tina Turner, The Sex Pistols, David Bowie….to have seen these legends perform –and hundreds of others– is one thing. To make a career out of covering them, interviewing them and in some cases sharing ribald moments with them… is another. And that has been the life of writer Jim Sullivan. He’s observed and experienced so much of the Rock and Punk scenes that he needed to write a second anthology. He joins us to talk about “Backstage and Beyond, Volume 2 - 45 years of Modern Rock Chats and Rants.” Then we’re hitting the high note with countertenor Reginald Mobley. He’s had a whirlwind of a year, from a crowning achievement–performing at King Charles’ coronation– to earning a Grammy nomination for his latest album. Finally, we’re getting uncorked with an overview of this year’s Boston Wine and Food Festival.

The British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen forced us to look at the atrocities of slavery in his film, “12 Years a Slave.” An offshoot of that undertaking is “Lynching Tree,” a photograph of a large oak tree, which McQueen took while on location in America’s south. At first glance, it presents as a tranquil landscape. Until you recognize the tree has survived centuries and was used for lynchings on the Deep South plantation on which it’s stood. The image had a profound effect on Boston Foundation President Lee Pelton when he encountered it at the Yale Center for British Art. He then worked with Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Director Peggy Fogleman to bring it here. They both join us to talk about the installation. From there we preview Black History month on film, with Lisa Simmons of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council. Last weekend, puzzle enthusiasts convened in St. Paul, Minnesota for the largest competition of its kind in the nation, where 500 teams assembled to put their speedy puzzling to the test. I’ll sit down with Tiffany Medieros, a nationally ranked jigsaw puzzle competitor.

Among the English courses being offered at Harvard this semester there’s “Sex, Gender and Shakespeare;” an exploration of British romantic poetry titled “Keats Isn't Dead” and a course that goes deep on Swift. No, not the satirist Jonathan Swift, but the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. In a class titled “Taylor Swift and Her World.” Professor Stephanie Burt is bringing an analytical approach to the lyrics of Taylor Swift, her musical precursors and other writers who are Swift’s literary kindred spirits. We’ll talk to her about why she loves Swift’s music and what it means to bring academic rigor to the Taylor Swift Era. From there, Company One Theatre is kicking off their 25th season, with a new model where tickets are free OR people pay what they can. How they’re making it work when other theaters are just trying to make it is next on The Culture Show. In 2014, Mount Auburn became the first cemetery in the United States to establish an artist residency program, which supports the creation of new work by contemporary artists who have been inspired by their experience at Mt. Auburn. Joining us to talk about the program and the imminent deadline is Julie-Anne Whitney, Public Events Producer at Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg secured a legacy as a crusader for women’s rights. Later in life she secured another legacy…as a vaunted cultural icon. She is forever associated with hip-hop as the “Notorious RBG,” her first gender discrimination case inspired the biopic, "On the Basis of Sex," and now she is the subject of the one-woman show, “All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” Ahead of its limited run in Boston, I talk to actor Michelle Azar about assuming the persona of RBG. From there, writer Raj Tawney. Growing up in a multicultural household, his coming-of-age story happened in the kitchen, helping his mother and grandmother cook recipes from their homelands. Themes of food, memory, and identity come together in his new memoir, “A Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey through a Mixed American Experience” Finally, I’ll be joined by Cerise Lim Jacobs, an opera maker and the founding artistic director of White Snake Projects, which is producing the second annual “Shout Out Boston!”

It’s our arts and culture week in review. First up, the Oscar nominations –the surprises, usual suspects, and snubs that are sparking controversy in Barbieland. Plus, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art featuring nude performance artists intending to pose questions about comfort levels, instead resulted in assault allegations. From there, Jon Stewart is jumping into the 2024 race, resuming his role on The Daily Show for what seems like an inevitable Trump and Biden rematch. But will his return feel more like an “also ran?” Then we offer an amuse-bouche with a look at the local James Beard Awards semifinalists. Finally, how tone deaf is Hollywood? Now musicians are threatening to strike if the movie industry doesn’t secure streaming residuals and protections from AI.

During her State of the City address, Mayor Michelle Wu made the personal policy. She talked about how formative it was, as a Chicago kid in a family of few resources, to be able to attend museums for free. Exposure to a vast universe of art and ideas that could transport her to other places–both real and imagined - changed her life. Now she is working to do the same for children here. She joins me to discuss a pilot program, kicking off next month, that will give Boston Public School students and their families free admission to a handful of local arts institutions. But first, actor Danny Burgos is here to talk about performing in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” and about his personal life, which has had a major plot twist of its own. He’ll break down how being a full- time nurse informs his work on the stage and why being an actor makes him a better RN.

We’re wrapping up our series of interviews with the ICA’s 2023 Foster Prize Winners with artist Venetia Dale. As a metalsmith and sculptor, Dale’s work looks at objects— their utility, people’s relationship to the things in their lives—what they need, what they delight in, and what they’ve relegated to the junk drawer. Dale is also interested in the incomplete and the imperfect — themes that she’s been exploring since she became a mother–and an artist interrupted. Then we segue into a Celtic Sojourn. The Burren is keeping the legacy of Brian O’Donovan alive by way of an ongoing legacy series. We’ll talk to local musicians Matt and Shannon Heaton about their upcoming performance. Finally, independent curator Pedro Alonzo is here to talk about Keith Haring and how his influence lives on today in the street art that is breathing life into our public spaces and shaking us out of our complacency.

The battle between the bomb and the blonde bombshell is over. Barbenhiemer has officially uncoupled with Oppenheimer dominating Barbie, earning 13 Oscar nominations. Arts and entertainment reporter Joyce Kulhawik joins me to sort through this, the snubs, surprises and snoozers. And, will the Grammys ever create a category for best song recorded by a state auditor? If so, Diana Dizoglio’s newly mastered release “This Is The Time” could be a winner. The auditor joins me to talk about her relationship to music and how singing has made her voice known –and heard–on Beacon Hill. And finally, we feel the Burn. This Thursday the whiskey will be flowing and the Haggis will be steaming as people celebrate the Scottish Poet Robert Burns. The British Consul General to New England, Peter Abbott joins us for an ultimate Robert Burns explainer and to preview an upcoming event that not only celebrates Burns but elevates Scottish Culture.

Shostakovich’s opera, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” It made its premiere in 1934 and became an overnight sensation. Then it all but vanished after Stalin banned it from what was then the Soviet Union and he sent Shostakovich into a state of fear that he would be arrested. Now the Boston Symphony Orchestra brings the piece to Symphony Hall this week, before playing Carnegie Hall. In between rehearsals, I caught up with the BSO’s conductor Andris Nelsons, and their head of artistic planning, Tony Fogg, for a behind-the-scenes look at this hugely ambitious undertaking. From there we look at a reworking of the classic ballet Raymonda. Boston Ballet’s artistic director Mikko Nissinen joins me to talk through what it took to scale the grand ballet down to one act. And along the way, ahead of tomorrow’s Oscar nominations, GBH’s Haley Lerner takes us through the cameo appearances Greater Boston and its bookstores have made in some of the likely nominees.

First up, What do the alternative rock band R.E.M have in common with hip-hop giant and superproducer Timbaland? They’re both among this year’s Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees. We’ll take a listen to the lyrics that have landed them this honor. Then it’s onto the lost and found department, from a priceless Picasso going up in flames to a stolen Picasso being recovered after a months long covert police operation. We’ll look at the value of physical artworks in an age of digital dominance. Plus the Oscar nominations are coming and it’s a paradox of choice thanks to a blockbuster of a year, from Oppenheimer to the box office blonde bombshell that is Barbie. Finally, the Bay State wins big time at the Emmys. With a handful of Massachusetts natives claiming awards this week – we’ll take a beat to bask in their reflected glow.

When it comes to reality TV is there really such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen? We’ll ask Chef Jason Santos, who enters another season of Hell’s Kitchen as Gordon Ramsey’s sous chef. But that’s not all he’s up to, as chef and owner of a string of celebrated famed restaurants including Buttermilk & Bourbon, he joins us to talk about how he’ll continue to boost Boston’s flavor profile by way of a new restaurant slated to open this Summer. From there it’s artist Robert Freeman. In 1981 he painted “Black Tie, ” The painting shows a gathering of Black Americans at a formal event. Set in a segregated America where black people forged their own place in society, it is fitting that “Black Tie” now hangs in Governor Healey’s office. In her commitment to create a sense of belonging and inclusion, she selected Freeman’s work to showcase the diversity of the Commonwealth. He joins me to talk about the work. Finally, Tony “Hamstank“ Hamoui is a professional music producer and educator. Tomorrow, from 2:00-5:00 at the Lab at Teen Central - he’s teaching “Music Production with Hamstank: Beats, Recording, Mixing & Mastering.” This will be at the Boston Public Library’s Copley Square branch. To learn more, go to the events page at BPL.org.

Just as cities were wrestling with America's history with slavery -- and the people and places tied to that past-- the legacy of Faneuil Hall came under scrutiny. Before slavery was abolished in Boston, slave auctions were held at Faneuil Hall. Artist Steve Locke proposed an installation to reckon with that. But after Boston’s NAACP chapter and others voiced their opposition to Locke’s proposal, he withdrew it and moved on, literally. Now he’s based in New York, but Boston just can’t quit him. He joins me to talk about his latest installation at MassArt and his upcoming appearance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. From there co-host Callie Crossley talks to Sowmya Krishnamurthy about her new book, Fashion Killa, which connects how record labels, magazines, designers and models converged to make Hip-Hop a revolutionary force in fashion. Finally, it’s different keystrokes for different folks. The Boston Typewriter Orchestra is here to preview their upcoming concert.

The plight of public defenders. How do seven beleaguered lawyers offset the burden of their Family Defense caseloads? And a fear that the judicial system won’t deliver justice? AND the burnout that seems to be careening their way? They eat lunch. This isn’t stress eating. In the comedic play “Lunch Bunch’ the midday meal is a gathering where breaking bread is an act of affirmation. Only an hour-long, this production at the Apollinaire Theatre company, may be snack-sized but it’s packed with flavor. I’ll talk to two of the actors that bring this story to life. From there we continue our conversations with the ICA Foster Prize winners. Today it’s recipient Cicely Carew whose art celebrates movement, mindfulness, and color, and whose vibrant sculpture, which she describes as “Flying paintings.” are cloudbursts of something both ethereal and exuberant. Finally, it’s the public art program WINTERACTIVE, which gives new meaning to Clown around. We’ll get the lowdown from the organization bringing three months of interactive art to downtown Boston. Including those colossal clowns turning heads in Downtown Crossing.

Today marks the first anniversary of the unveiling of The Embrace on Boston Common. While the sculpture is a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King and their fight for civil rights, the enormity of it is also a testament to the design and architectural teams behind it. It was crafted by MASS Design Group in partnership with artist Hank Willis Thomas. Jha D. Amazi, a Principal at MASS Design Group joins us to talk about the Embrace undertaking and the power of memorials. From there we take a tour of the other public art dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. that’s hiding in plain sight–from Brookline to the BU Campus. Julia Swanson of the Art Walk Project will lead the way. Finally, we make ourselves at home at The Culture House. The non-profit that turns empty storefronts into community spaces has launched a new pop up in Somerville’s Union Square.

The best things in life ARE free and in Boston, that includes the arts. This February Mayor Wu will launch a pilot, making a handful of arts and culture institutions free for Boston Public School students and their families. Could/Should this experiment become permanent? From there it’s a darker reality–in Massachusetts and beyond, natural history museums are reckoning with their collections of human remains. From how they acquired them to what it will take to repatriate them. And, we knew it was trouble when the New York Times published an opinion piece speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality. We’ll look at the backlash. Plus, AI takes the stage this week–from a George Carlin standup under the AI influence to all the new tech toys emerging from the Consumer Electronics Show. AND, is receiving an honorary Oscar an honor? Or an asterisk? Finally, we give respect to The Sopranos which premiered 25 years ago and forever changed our expectations of what TV could be.

It’s been nearly a year since The Embrace literally changed the landscape of Boston and challenged all of us to think about the purpose of public art. Now that we’ve moved on from the immediate reaction to this towering tribute to the Kings, what is The Embrace a commitment to and how is it shaping Boston beyond Boston Common? Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston joins me. From there, should opera be burdened with the reputation of being elite, arcane and unapproachable? After all, it is an ancestor of a very common genre of entertainment: the soap opera. And how does our relationship to opera in America compare to other countries? Are the latest local innovations and contemporary productions opening up the form? Dramatic soprano Jane Eaglen joins us for that. Finally, on Martin Luther King Day at the Peabody Essex Museum, something we like talking about this week: admission is …free.

The Boston Children’s Chorus is on a mission to give the city’s youth a voice by giving them the power to transcend social barriers by celebrating a shared love of music. Part of the mission includes the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Concert. Ahead of this year’s event at Symphony Hall, we’ll talk to the chorus’ Executive Director Andrés Holder. Then, it’s an entirely different performance, one that literally makes concert goers a captive audience: Madonna’s Celebrate Tour. Why does she notoriously make fans wait hours before she takes to the stage to express herself? GBH’s Haley Lerner joins us to recap the Madonna experience at TD Garden. From there we’ll talk to Giselle Byrd, the newly appointed leader of Boston’s Theater Offensive, which makes art by and for queer and transgender people of color. Finally, we’ll increase your origami awareness by way of MIT’s Beyond The Fold event.

It’s been nearly a year since The Embrace –the larger than life tribute to Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King–was unveiled on Boston Common. As we approach this anniversary, Tufts history professor Kerri Greenidge joins us to talk through the power of public art –how it can connect us to our history and introduce us to the people who have shaped who – and where – where–we are today. From there we look at how central memory, history and identity is to artist Yu-Wen Wu. Her work wrestles with immigration, examining what it means to assimilate, to be subsumed by another culture and to hold on to your roots. My conversation with her kicks off our series of interviews with the ICA’s foster prize winners. Finally, it’s the return of the Silver Screen. As we head into Oscar season, we look at how one beleaguered and beloved movie theater has rebounded with a Hollywood ending.

The pharaoh of the opera. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo has made a name for himself starring in the MET’s production of Akhenaten – earning a Grammy award along the way. He’s also figuratively found his voice and the freedom to have fun by collaborating with cabaret performer Justin Vivian Bond in their hit performance and accompanying album, “Only an Octave Apart.” Now Anthony Roth Costanzo is bringing it all to Boston –from cantatas to camp, in an upcoming Celebrity Series recital that ranges from Verdi to Barbra Streisand. From there, it’s flour power. James Beard Award winning chef Joanne Chang joins us to dish on all things baking. And the winner of the Moby Dick Marathon is….. Herman Melville. Who else could inspire hundreds of people to read aloud for 25 consecutive hours? Edgar B. Herwick III joins us for a recap of this epic undertaking.

They’ve attacked governments, utilities and retail…and now hackers are escalating their assaults on museums. A ransomware gang has targeted software, bringing down online collections along the way. Then, after only 24 hours in the public domain, the first iteration of Mickey Mouse goes to the dark side, starring in slasher films and horror games. We’ll look at what it means for him and other prominent works from 1928 that are now copyright free and open to adaptation. From there when it comes to the silver screen, has Hollywood been putting up a smoke screen? Even though Barbie was last year’s top-grossing film, a new study finds the film industry’s pledge to put more women and people of color behind the camera has been an empty promise. Finally, when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie with pineapple, is that still amore? A pizzeria in Naples serves up a slice of controversy with its pineapple pizza.

One of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic was the arts industry. By 2021 the prolonged closure cost Massachusetts close to 600 million dollars. Now that we’re on the other side of the shutdown, how are the arts sector and the creative ecosystem faring? Michael J. Bobbitt, head of the Mass Cultural Council, joins us for that and more. From there, a conversation about music as memory. The Boston Globe’s Jeremy Eichler joins us to talk about his new book, which looks at how four composers used classical music to not only articulate the unspeakable horrors of WWII but to also memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. Finally, it’s an adaptation of Moby Dick with strings attached. Told with 50 puppets, seven actors and video projections and in a minnow-sized 95 minutes, the artistic director behind this innovative show previews the upcoming ArtsEmerson production..

A Massachusetts marathon that might be more rigorous than Boston’s famed 26.2 mile road race - This is a 25-hour, non-stop epic endeavor where the equivalent of Heartbreak Hill is reading Herman Melville to a live audience at 2:00 AM, or even 3:00 AM. I’m talking about the annual Moby-Dick Marathon. Though it’s been centuries since a whaling ship sailed out of New Bedford, the literary legacy of Herman Melville enshrines New Bedford as a thriving whaling port where no end of Meville aficionados convene for this annual read-a-thon. Amanda McMullen, head of the New Bedford Whaling Museum joins us to talk about this upcoming winter ritual. From there we get a satirists’ take on the 2024 presidential race, with the comedy duo known as The Good Liars. If there is indeed truth in jest, their hijinks reveal some ugly–and uproarious realities about America’s powerful, political institutions. That’s next on The Culture Show. Stay with us.

Director Igor Golyak, founder of Needham’s Arlekin Players Theater, was born in Ukraine. Understandably, themes of displacement and war are often woven throughout his work. Now Golyak is embarking on a play recounting horrific real-life events: the massacre of 1600 Jews in a small Polish town in the summer of 1941. Titled, “Our Class,” it follows 10 Polish classmates — five Jewish and five Catholic —who grow up as friends and neighbors. But they turn on one another with life-and-death consequences. It’s a story with deep resonance today, From there, It’s telly time and an anglophile’s paradise for lovers of British TV. The forces behind GBH Drama are here to preview MASTERPIECE’s new season and to guide us through other can’t miss shows from across the pond streaming now on Acorn, BritBox and beyond. Grab your biscuits and put the kettle on. That and more is next on The Culture Show.

Content warning - discussion of domestic violence Today on our week-in-review, it’s the ghost of Christmas future haunting Hollywood. Will the double feature that was the actors’ and writers’ strikes take a toll on the film industry in 2024? Then it’s the stratospheric rise and fall of actor Jonathan Majors – a conviction on domestic assault charges has brought down the action film A-lister. With Marvel studios severing ties, is the film industry signaling a zero-tolerance policy for criminal behavior? Plus, after a 29-year run, Bryant Gumble’s “Real Sports” airs its final episode. Is this a final score for hardcore sports journalism? And first-time author Cait Corrain gives new meaning to “cooking the books.” The writer admits to creating fake profiles on Goodreads as a way to boost ratings for her forthcoming book. And if that wasn’t enough, she tried to take down other authors along the way. Finally, with Kwanzaa approaching, we’ll look at the origins of a holiday that was conceptualized as a celebration of community and African and African American Culture.

A story of a true underdog. Ricky the rescue chihuahua goes to Broadway for the role of a lifetime: playing Bruiser – the canine costar of Elle Woods, the rich ditz who charms her way through “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Ricky might be small, but he steals the spotlight for a two-year run. Now “Legally Blonde” has landed in Boston. We’ll talk to Animal handler and actor, Brian Michael Hoffman, about getting a larger than life performance from the pint-sized pup, and how rescue animals really can have a true Hollywood ending. From there, we fast track it to Malden. Edgar B. Herwick III takes us to Charles Ro Supply Company. The nation’s largest model train store doubles as a museum and depot for train hobbyists and holiday shoppers. Finally, it’s radio on the rocks. We top the show off with Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash, and his recipes to solve your cocktail conundrums.

What does it mean to be at sea? Literally, it means to be away from land. Figuratively it means to have no path. It means confusion and disorientation. This is what is captured in a 1915 Japanese work of art by Hashio Kyoshi. Titled “Morning Sea” It’s a silk on silk embroidery of waves– these are aggressive, savage waves that create a sense of total turbulence. Writer Gish Jen describes the experience of seeing this expanse of ocean as overpowering and profound. At the time, Japan, which had deliberately kept isolated, was opening its ocean to trade. It was starting to westernize and the pillars of society that had anchored Japan were collapsing. Gish Jen joins us to talk about why this work of art resonates today and the hope art can give us amid these turbulent times. From there, it’s the FUN that art can bring us, we’ll talk to the creative forces behind a Provincetown inspired holiday album with a queer twist. Finally, the show wraps up with a call from Victor Infante, features editor of the Worcester Telegram and editor of the Worcester Magazine, who discusses the arts and culture scene in central Massachusetts.

Is the action film “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? Though there are some Yippee Ki NAYsayers – from film critics to Christmas traditionalists– there’s a case to be made that it is. Sure, there are explosions, terrorists and gunfire – BUT it does take place on Christmas Eve and Bruce Willis’s hero cop wants nothing more than to bring his family together for the holidays. There are even Santa jokes and the movie cranks up the volume on one of the best Christmas songs thanks to Run-DMC. Now, a die hard, “Die Hard” fan has spun this into an unauthorized parody titled “Yippee Ki Yay.” In time for some unconventional holiday fun, The Huntington is bringing it to Boston. We’ll talk to the actor leading this one-man show. From there, the founder of the Koji Club–Boston’s first sake bar– joins us to reframe sake. Not just for sushi, it actually pairs perfectly with your Christmas fare. That’s next on The Culture Show.

For his newest work, Playwright Lloyd Suh relied on maternal instincts. His works often take place during pivotal moments in Asian American history – examining the immigrant experience and how history exact can take a toll across culture generations. So for this one, he had long conversations with his mom. They surface in his comedy “The Heart Sellers,” where two young housewives grapple with the isolation that comes from moving to a new country. Lonely in a foreign land, they forge a friendship while undertaking a very American tradition: preparing the Thanksgiving turkey. Suh joins me to talk about this production, onstage now at the Huntington. Then it’s a Public Art, Public Service announcement– artist Julia Swanson gives us a guide to the art hiding in plain sight. Finally, local filmmaker John Stimpson–his new film, “Letters to Santa”, is included in Hallmark’s countdown to Christmas canon. We’ll find out, when it comes to making a holiday movie, what exactly is in the secret Santa sauce. That’s next on The Culture Show.

Today on our week in review: Is Netflix going the way of Neilsen? The streaming service has been described as a “black hole” for keeping its viewership data under wraps. But the battle for transparency became a key issue during the Hollywood strikes. Now, in a first for Netflix, they’ve released reams of of data on thousands of titles and the billions of hours that people spent watching it all. We’ll look at how this could change the industry –and what shows have emerged as their greatest hits. From there we’ll look at the span of Andre Braugher’s career, which was defined by redefining the role of the TV cop––from Homicide’s cerebral and conflicted Detective Frank Pembleton to the deadpan humor and humanity of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Raymond Holt. And , is the Queen of Christmas the Queen of Copyright Infringement? Mariah Carey is being sued –again, for her holiday hit, “All I want for Christmas is You.” That and more is next on The Culture Show.

We are steeped in American history, marking the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Fed up with the tyranny of taxation without representation, American colonists took matters into their own hands–literally: tossing three shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor. The theatrics alone–the vision of angry patriots hurling 90,000 pounds of cargo overboard–has made it one of THE most celebrated rebellions. But to understand the ideals and motivations behind it, we turn to the Massachusetts Historical Society, where a current exhibition takes a nuanced view of a society on the verge of revolution. From there we brew another cup of rebellion by way of the Boston Tea Party & Ships museum. We’ll get a preview of the grand-scale reenactment of the historic protest taking place this weekend. Finally, Lisa Simmons joins us for her take on more recent local history, the legacy of ImprovBoston.

Coming up on The Culture Show, the extraordinary events of a Christmas truce between Germany and the Allies during World War I come to life in the musical “All is Calm” We talk to the creative team at Greater Boston Stage Company who have made this a holiday tradition. Then it’s everything you need to know about the live music scene. Edgar B. Herwick III leads a roundup of performances in and around Boston.

Much of Alex Edelman’s comedy springs from his Jewish upbringing. He takes on Jewish identity, bigotry and ignorance–but there’s no malice in his material. Instead the Brookline native uses humor to process and even dismantle the complexities and the hate that plague our world. His recent Broadway hit, “Just for Us”--was inspired by his experience of attending a white nationalists meeting. Amid a surge in antisemitism and discrimination, “Just for Us” has a new urgency. But the laughs come just as hard–maybe even harder. He joins me ahead of his performances at the Emerson Colonial Theater. From there, we hit the pause button on the Santaland soundtrack to make room for Blue Heron. The vocal ensemble takes us back to 15th century England with medieval music that will put you in the holiday spirit of yore. Finally, ImprovBoston will literally be having the last laugh at the end of the month. After 40 years, the comedy colossus is closing up shop.

It’s a modern spin on a fairy tale classic: The Urban Nutcracker. By mixing hip-hop, streetscapes, and strains of Duke Ellington –all of it propelled by the heartbeat of Tchaikovsky– choreographer Tony WIlliams has created a contemporary classic. We’ll talk to him and Drag artist Patty Bouree about this holiday season’s production. And local art curator Pedro Alonzo gives us the lowdown on producing an arts festival in Saudi Arabia. All that and more - on The Culture Show.

It’s our arts and culture week-in-review. First up, pioneering producer Norman Lear. He dismantled TV’s nuclear family, taking on radioactive topics instead – bigotry, abortion, poverty, politics—all of it was up for grabs and it landed lots of laughs along the way. We’ll look at how his slew of successful sitcoms revolutionized Television–and changed the way we see ourselves. Then it’s time for cognitive dissonance, and the opposite of Norman Lear- The Golden Bachelor. How is it that amid acute ageism– a 72-year-old man rescued the flailing Bachelor franchise? From there, did Mattel make a misstep? Their new Barbie Doll honoring Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller is getting mixed reviews and churning up mixed emotions in the Cherokee Nation. And we’ll look at how this year’s Art Basel Miami is a flashback to the Reagan-era culture wars–when provocative art was considered obscene and arts funding was hard to come by. That’s next on The Culture Show.

I’m Jared Bowen. This is The Culture Show. First up, what do you call three lost souls left on a prep school campus during the holidays? The holdovers. That’s also the title of Alexander Payne’s new film. Set in the 1970’s, Paul Giamatti plays a scrooge-like New England teacher–stingy with good grades and generosity. But over the winter holiday break, his heart thaws –slightly –and he forges an unlikely fellowship with a student who has been abandoned by his family and the school cook who has just lost her son– a soldier fighting in Vietnam. I’ll talk to the Oscar-winning filmmaker about the making of what could become a holiday classic, shot here in Massachusetts. Then it’s onto a bibliophile’s bliss. We bring you the ultimate holiday booksellers guide in Boston and beyond. Finally, Tufts professor Kerri Greenidge looks at the life and legacy of Phillis Wheatley – an enslaved person who became one of the best-known poets in 18th century America. That’s next on The Culture Show.

First up, we remember the titan of TV: Norman Lear. He not only changed television, he changed the way we see ourselves by doing away with the traditional sitcom that idealized the nuclear family–instead finding humor in the messiness of life. From “All in the Family to Maude.” From there, MassArt is celebrating its 150th anniversary by celebrating others with the inaugural Common Good Awards. MassArt president Mary Grant joins us to talk about the artists and advocates they’re honoring. Then, what happens when you combine the band Guster, with the band the Zambonis? You get the Jewish rock band The LeeVees. They write songs about Jewish identity–and they have a lot to say about latkes and the struggle to correctly spell Hanukkah. Finally, in these ever darkening days of December. SOLSTICE, a large-scale light and sound installation is a cure for the winter blues. That’s next on The Culture Show.

“The Band's Visit” is one of the most captivating musicals about…nothing. Though it might not be action packed, it packs a punch for maximizing everyday moments and making them feel momentous. The Tony-winning show follows the adventures of a touring Egyptian band stranded in an Israeli village. With nowhere for the musicians to stay, the locals take them in for the night. The overriding sentiment of “The Band’s Visit” is captured in the song Something Different: “Nothing is as beautiful as something that you don't expect.” Coming up, I talk to the man behind those words, David Yazbek, the composer and lyricist for the hit musical which is now onstage at The Huntington. From there it’s two scoops of Scrooge. I speak with actors David Coffee and Karen MacDonald about what it takes to play Charles Dickens’ iconic character Finally, we continue with the holiday spirit, previewing a one-of-a-kind Hanukkah celebration.

This is the Culture Show. Coming up: Tracy K. Smith. Through her poetry, the Pulitzer-prize winner probes the meaning of life. She meditates on what happens to our souls when we die. She communes with the dead. And ultimately, she makes the personal universal. Smith’s poems scrutinize oppression, the contradiction that is the American dream, and the injustices that plague our nation. All these themes converge in her new memoir “To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul. ” It’s lyrical, it’s urgent and in this work –as Smith puts it–she is looking at Black strength and asking the question: where are we now, 400 years into the American Experiment? From there, It’s onto ‘Balancing Acts.’ With local theaters presenting a paradox of choice, from Holiday classics to world premieres, theater critics Joyce Kulhawik and Chris Ehlers join me to preview --and prioritize—the must-see productions of the season.

First up, what happens when a people’s cultural identity becomes a casualty of war? Throughout history monuments, cultural sites, artworks and artifacts have become collateral damage. Now Gaza is surveying the wreckage of Israel’s airstrikes, which have reduced more than 100 landmarks to rubble. Then a new docuseries excavates Boston’s fraught history of racism and segregation by way of the 1989 Charles Stuart murder scandal. It reflects on how law enforcement and the media fueled a race-baiting falsehood. And, move over Barbenheimer, it’s time for Beyonswift. That’s what happens when one mega star lands in London to support The Queen Bee’s Renaissance premiere. From there we’ll look at Spotify’s latest feature called “Sound Towns,” which in an entirely new, sonic, way, puts Burlington on the map. Finally, we remember the Pogues' punk poet…Shane MacGowan. That’s next on the Culture Show.

Today we are going to look at four pillars of holiday entertainment: the 1946 classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Then the contemporary classic “Love Actually. Plus “the juggernaut of jingle bells: The Hallmark Channel, which has 40 new holiday films this season. And finally, we break down Bah Humbug-ery, ranking the top adaptations of “A Christmas Carol.”

Congressman Joaquin Castro is calling for a federal investigation into Warner Bros. for scrapping its own film: Coyote vs. Acme. From there, rap legend Andre 3000 releases his first album in nearly 20 years–and it’s an 87 minute ode…to the flute; Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial is now on stage, as a musical. The feminist website Jezebel has folded. And just in time for Thanksgiving, season 2 of Julia is streaming on Max.

The Grammy nominations are here, women dominate the album of the year with SZA, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo topping the list. And yet, with nearly 100 categories, there are still snubs. And they say there’s no business like Show business, but for months there was no business IN show business. Now that the actors’ strike is over, what does this mean for Hollywood and another major production hub: Massachusetts? From there, is Homer Simpson vying to be America’s number one dad? After 34 years, why is the primary colored patriarch adopting progressive parenting? Then it’s the D-word: deaccessioning. A Swiss museum is the latest to auction off masterpieces in order to stay financially solvent. It’s an act of survival that’s sparking controversy. Finally, funny girl Barbra Streisand’s new memoir is no laughing matter. At nearly 1,000 pages, it is truly a tell ALL.

In the first episode of "The Culture Show," hosts Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III, and Callie Crossley discuss this week's arts and culture news.