This week, GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen gets a lesson on the Boston Public School system, musical memories and poetry.

Mr. Parent, a new show presented by the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, tells the story of Maurice Emmanuel Parent. While fans of Boston theater may recognize him from his many on-stage roles, for five years, Parent's leading role by day was as a real-life teacher in the Boston Public School system. This production explores the dynamics of teaching in an underfunded environment while trying to pursue creative passions.

Bowen tells GBH listeners, "This is a very raw one-man performance, a raw reconciliation, actually, from Parent, who is absorbing the problems plaguing an urban school and its overlooked population."

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Maurice Parent assisting a student during his time as a Boston Public School teacher.
Courtesy of Maurice Parent

Mr Parent is now showing at the Lyric Stage Company through Feb. 6

Pretty Woman: The Musical arrives in Boston for the first time on national tour after a stint on Broadway. With a powerhouse cast and crew, including two-time Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, the musical pays tribute to the ’90s hit film. Bowen says “it was like hitting shuffle play. You’ll get random moments you’ll recognize and adore.”

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Amma Osei and The Company of Pretty Woman: The Musical
Image courtesy of Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

Pretty Woman: The Musical is now showing at the Citizens Bank Opera House through Jan. 30

Book cover with two adults, one animated and indignant looking, wearing a white T-shirt and pointing to his own chest, and the other carrying a young child, maybe three or four years old.
Cover of Martín Espada's award winning book, Floaters.

New England resident Martín Espada is a Latino poet and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also the Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry for his latest book, Floaters. The collection gets its name from the image many saw of two migrants, a father and his young daughter, face down in the Rio Grande in 2019, which Espada transforms into what Bowen calls “a beautiful remembrance.”

“He’s somebody who told me that he uses all five senses when writing his poetry, whether it’s looking at social justice, love or what’s happening in the world. To immerse himself, that it really makes sure that the reader or the listener, when he’s doing readings, has that feeling,” Bowen said.

Floaters (National Book Award Winner) by Martín Espada is now available.

Who is your favorite New England poet? Tell Jared about it on Facebook or Twitter!