White Christmas, Plays at the Wang Theatre through December 28th
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn, and finding their perfect mates in the bargain. Full of dancing, romance, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written, including "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Happy Holiday," "Sisters," "Blue Skies," and the unforgettable title song, Irving Berlin's White Christmas promises to be a merry and bright experience for the entire family!”
Mark Rothko's Harvard Murals, On view at the Harvard Art Museums through July 26th
This new presentation of Mark Rothko’s Harvard Murals features innovative, noninvasive digital projection as a conservation approach. The exhibition returns this mural series to public view and scholarship while also encouraging study and debate of the technology. The technique employs a camera-projector system that includes custom-made software developed and applied by a team of art historians, conservation scientists, conservators, and scientists at the Harvard Art Museums and the MIT Media Lab. The digital projection technology restores the appearance of the murals’ original rich colors, which had faded while on display in the 1960s and ’70s in a penthouse dining room of Harvard University’s Holyoke Center (now the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center), the space for which they were commissioned. Deemed unsuitable for exhibition, the murals entered storage in 1979 and since then have rarely been seen by the public. Featuring 38 works from 1961–62, including the murals and many of the artist’s related studies on paper and canvas, the exhibition also explores Rothko’s creative process. A sixth mural painted for the commission—brought to Cambridge by Rothko but ultimately not installed—will be presented publicly for the first time. Many of the works on paper contain relevant sketches on their reverse, which will be displayed during the second half of the exhibition beginning in March 2015. The studies on canvas provide perspective on Rothko’s process as he worked from small to large scale.
2014 Holiday Pops Season, Presented at Symphony Hall through December 31st
“The Boston Pops season presents some of the most beloved holiday music including sections from the 2013 popular recording A Boston Pops Christmas—Live From Symphony Hall. The program kicks off with Randol Bass’s “Gloria” and the spirit-raising “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah.” Concert-goers will also be treated to the instantly recognizable “Waltz of the Snowflakes” from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” The centerpiece of the 2014 Holiday Pops program is the first-ever performances of “A Soldier’s Carol: The Christmas Truce of 1914,” which pays tribute to a brief special episode during one of the darkest periods of human history. This new work by Tony-award winning Broadway composing team Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (“Ragtime,” “Seussical”) celebrates the remarkable display of humanity during WWI, when widespread impromptu ceasefires spread across the Western Front during Christmas, 1914. “Soldier’s Carol” will feature narration by actors Karen MacDonald and Amelia Broome at concerts throughout the season.” The second half of the concert will feature selections from Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams’s film score to the comedic holiday film “Home Alone.” Keith Lockhart will also lead the Pops in performances of the full score to accompany the full length film in three post-Christmas concerts on December 26 and 27… Closing the concert is a sing-along of assorted Holiday favorites including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Jingle Bells.””
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, In theaters Friday
“Get ready for the wildest and most adventure-filled Night At the Museum ever as Larry (Ben Stiller) spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever. Cast: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Dan Stevens, and Ben Kingsley. Also starring: Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Rebel Wilson.”
This week on Open Studio I’ll be talking with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart on the Pops Holiday season including its Home Alone concerts and the newly commissioned “A Soldier’s Carol.”
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