From examinations of our childhood to memorializing tragic events, how we mark important moments in our past—and sometimes confront those memories—can make all the difference in our present.
The Shape She Makes, Plays at the American Repertory Theater’s Oberon space through April 27th.
In this world premiere piece—the best show I've seen all year—a precocious 11-year-old seeks to understand what she’s inherited from her absent father and neglectful mother. It's a moving and heartrending production fusing dance and theater to explore how the echoes of childhood relentlessly shape our lives.
Tell It With Pride, On view at the Massachusetts Historical Society through May 23rd.
The exhibition celebrates Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ magisterial Shaw Memorial (1883–1900). The monument commemorates the July 18, 1863 storming of Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War battle was waged by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the first African American military units raised in the North. Although the 54th was defeated at Fort Wagner and almost a third of the regiment was killed—including Shaw himself—or wounded, the battle was seen as a turning point in the war: it demonstrated that African Americans’ bravery and dedication to country equaled that of the nation’s most celebrated heroes.
The Railway Man, In theaters Friday.
This film reveals the remarkable true story of Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who was tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II. Decades later, Lomax (Colin Firth) and his love interest Patti (Nicole Kidman) discover that the Japanese interpreter responsible for much of his treatment is still alive. The couple sets out to confront him, and the haunting past, in this powerful tale of heroism, humanity and the redeeming power of love.
Artist Giovanni DeCunto, His painting Cosmic Prayer will hang in Boston City Hall from April 22nd to May 30th.
DeCunto was raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts in less-than-ideal conditions. As a teenager, he struck out on his own. All he’s ever wanted to do it is paint. While at BU he obtained a scholarship opportunity that placed him Italy. Over the course of his career he’s been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide including the Bush White House. Get the full story about his painting in response to the Boston Marathon bombings this Friday (see below).
Coming up on Open Studio: Immediately after the April 15, 2013 bomb attacks at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, artist Giovanni DeCunto went to work on a painting. Jared visits DeCunto in his North End studio for a conversation about the artist's response to the tragedy, a painting titled “Cosmic Prayer,” now part of a special marathon exhibition at Boston City Hall. Also, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras' music director Federico Cortese sits down with Jared to talk about the upcoming Family Concert at Symphony Hall.
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