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Four smiling people in the center of a colorful graphic with the words "The Culture Show" written beneath them
Weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m.

GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen and a rotating panel of cultural correspondents and co-hosts provide an expansive look at society through art, culture and entertainment, driving conversations about how listeners experience culture across music, movies, fashion, TV, art, books, theater, dance, food and more. To share your opinion, email thecultureshow@wgbh.org or call/text 617-300-3838.

The show also airs on CAI, the Cape, Coast and Islands NPR station.

Come see The Culture Show LIVE at the GBH BPL Studio every Friday at 2pm, and streaming on GBH News YouTube.

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Listen to previous shows

  • Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney. She has become an astute observer of the ever widening cultural divide in American politics. Now in her memoir, “Oath and Honor,” she paints a scathing portrait of the Republican party, condemning her former colleagues and party leaders who after the 2020 election were willing to violate their oath to the Constitution out of political expediency and loyalty to Donald Trump. From there, it’s poetry in motion. A traveling festival, celebrating the legacy of Edgar Allan Poe kicks off in Boston, launching its four-city tour. Dutch artist Erik van Loon, founder of the Poetry Downtown Festival joins The Culture Show with a previewFinally, Joyce Kulhawik is here for Balancing Acts, a look at the latest plays in the area with a focus on what to prioritize amid the bounty of productions. Joyce Kulhawik is an Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter, president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association and you can find her reviews on joyceschoices.com
  • Uzo Aduba, the award-winning actress spans television, film, and theater. Her road to success is explained in her debut memoir “The Road is Good: How a Mother’s Strength Became a Daughter's Purpose.” In the book, Aduba tells her own coming-of-age story, growing up in Medfield, Massachusetts and studying the Arts at Boston University, by simultaneously telling the story of her late Mother. She joins us ahead of her Harvard Book Store event this Friday.From there, we leap into the Dance Complex’s fall programming. Now in its 34th year, New England’s largest dance hub is kicking off its fall season this Friday with Fall Into Dance, a free public celebration in collaboration with Boston Dance Alliance. Peter DiMuro, Executive Artistic Director of the Dance Complex, joins The Culture Show to talk about the legacy of the Dance Complex and what is in store for dance enthusiasts this fall.Finally, Culture Show contributor, Pedro Alonzo joins us with an update on the Boston Triennial and a new public art installation that’s making a splash in Central Wharf Park, “Whale Song,” by artist Jean-Marie Appriou.
  • “Mamma Mia!” The musical’s 25th anniversary tour has arrived at the Citizen’s Opera House by way of Broadway in Boston. “Mamma Mia!” is full of surprise appearances, comic situations and misunderstandings that culminate in an unexpected wedding. It has all the makings of a Shakespearean comedy, only it’s told through ABBA’s greatest hits. Phyllida Lloyd, a theater powerhouse, known for putting women center stage, directed the hit musical and then the 2008 film. She joins us to talk about 25 years of “Mamma Mia!”From there, in her latest cookbook, “The Chinese Way,” Betty Liu debunks the myths about traditional Chinese cooking, breaking down the fundamentals and showing us how we can apply them to everyday meals.Finally, Paul Revere risked every farthing he owned to open the country’s first copper mill in the early 1800’s. A new exhibit at the Paul Revere Museum honors his innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Joyce Stenmon, the exhibition’s curator, joins us for an overview.
  • Writer Amor Towles is the bestselling author of “Rules of Civility,” “A Gentleman in Moscow,” and “The Lincoln Highway.” Now he has another bestseller, “Table for Two.” His latest book is a collection of short stories that land us in New York. The second part of the book moves us to Los Angeles in a novella set during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Towles joins The Culture Show ahead of his appearance at the Emerson Colonial Theatre on September 24th to talk about “Table for Two,” his creative process, and what it was like to see “A Gentleman in Moscow,” come to life by way of a Paramount+ limited series starring Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.From there Independent filmmaker Sabrina Aviles, founder and executive director of CineFest Latino Boston joins us for an overview of the annual film festival highlighting the Latino experience with films made by Latinos about Latinos. The festival kicks off on September 25th and runs through September 29th.Finally, as we wind up the countdown clock to America’s 250th anniversary, we’re launching a new series with historian Catherine Allgor leading the way. In her inaugural appearance she focuses on what Boston was like on the eve of the American Revolutionary War, and the people on the ground who ultimately became “we the people.” Allgor also has some book recommendations: “A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence” by Ray Raphael; “The Boston Massacre: A Family History,” by Serena R. Zabin; “This History of Boston,” by Daniel Dain.
  • Today Culture Show co-hosts Callie Crossley, Edgar B. Herwick III and Jared Bowen go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week in review.First up, we remember two music legends: Tito Jackson and JD Souther.From there we look at the lawsuit filed against Miley Cyrus alleging that her hit track “Flowers,” includes lifted passages from Bruno Mars’ “When I was Your Man.”Then we look at the rise and fall of music mogul Sean Combs who has been indicted by a New York Grand Jury on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering that date back well over a decade. From there, we head over to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum where their infamous Dutch Room, the gallery where a selection of Vermeers and Rembrandts were stolen, will get a major restorationFinally, a fight for better paternity leave in the UK gets the public art treatment. To advance their cause, men are strapping baby slings to bronze statues of famous men throughout central London.