March 2007 Archives

Hi all,

Here's what's happening in New England this week.

The weird event of the week is Mineral Madness. It's an annual event at the Harvard Natural History Museum, where you get to learn all about geology. Cambridge, MA. http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu. 9am-5pm. Mar 31.

OK, that's not overly weird. Fun though. Here's another, the Big Apple Circus comes to town for their annual performance! I am going and am very excited about this. Also I have a cancellation if anyone wants my spare ticket for Sunday Apr 8 at 4:30. City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA. (800) 922-3772. Buy tickets in advance. Mar 31 - Apr 26.

I don't think I've ever seen a Turkish cultural event in the Boston area, so I'm glad to report the Boston Turkish Film Festival. Mar 29 - May 11, kind of a long stretch for a "festival", at the MFA. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. http://www.mfa.org.

I picked this up and have no idea what it is. Call that serendipity. I am always on the prowl for corkboards with flyers, if you are wondering where I get a lot of the stuff I post weekly. It's Fantasia - Dark Culture Fetish Event, Mar 31, at the Down the Street Café, 25 Market St. Lowell. 10pm-2am. It claims to be a birthday party at a cafe, but it is clearly a goth/fetish dance event at a nightclub. This is an important distinction because if you got all dressed up to dance and it turned out it was just basically a coffeehouse, that'd be embarassing, especially as they claim to be "the" dark culture fetish night of New England, which is reaching. Decide for yourself. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=59559426.

Radical Jesters is a film about pranksters, check it out, Mar 31, 11:55pm. I don't usually list film events but for this one, the director and cast will be there for Q&A. And don't forget that Apr 1 is April Fools Day! Come prepared for the unexpected! Brattle, 40 Brattle St., Cambridge. http://www.brattlefilm.org.

In the category I would call Disappointment, is the WCRB Classical Cartoon Festival at Symphony Hall. I was imagining a silent film where the orchestra would play the classical music! But no such luck. However, they will have musical booths and demonstrations for kids, so it is also more than just a film event. Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA. http://www.bso.org/singleTickets/perfDetail.jhtml?id=25300018.

Also it's the annual Artists Ball at the Boston Center for the Arts. I bet this will be a good one. 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. 617.426.5000, http://www.bcaonline.org/artistsball.htm. $35. Buy in advance.

Another event caught my eye and I don't have time right now to research it. Rhythm @ ICA, basically the ICA is Boston's newest and possibly hippest museum, and you should go. It doesn't even bear researching. Just go! 100 Northern Avenue, Boston, MA. 617-876-4275. Date: sometime soon, see http://www.icaboston.org. Oh hey Mar 29 they are showing all the animated shorts that were nominated for the Oscars. And the Mark Morris dance group is coming in May. Just go!

In terms of performances, Christina Aguilera plays Mar 30 at the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA. 617-624-1000.

Miss Witherspoon is a Pullitzer Prize finalist comedy about the afterlife and reincarnation. Mar 23 - Apr 21, Lyric Stage Company, Boston, MA. http://www.lyricstage.com.

Titus Andronicus is Shakespeare's earliest tragedy. Mar 29 - Apr 7, The Basement of the Garage, 38 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA. I don't know about you, but I can think of more appetizing venue names than "The Basement of the Garage". http://www.artsboston.org/tickets/show.asp?shcode=1414&param2=&param3=&param4=&param5=&param6=&param7=&param8=&param9=&param10=

It's CraftBoston, Mar 30 - Apr 1, http://www.craftboston.org. 617.266.1810. It's an arts show. It's a big bazaar. Take your pick. This week's commercial marketing event dressed up as a festival is being hosted by the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston. (Usually the prize goes to the Bayside Expo Center).

Oh wait, not to be outplaced, the Bayside Expo Center is hosting Boston Antiques Weekend. Boston, MA. Mar 31 - Apr 1, http://www.bostonantiquesweekend.com.

Continuing stuff, the Museum of Science still has Darwin to Apr 27, and the "Animation" exhibit on cartoon-making to May 16.

Go the DeCordova Museum and have a picnic on the lawn. http://www.decordova.org. Walk the Boston Freedom Trail, http://www.thefreedomtrail.org. Both are good early Spring destinations because they combine outdoor and indoor. That's all I have the energy for today! But note you can always find more to do at http://serpermethod.com/blog in my big spreadsheet, and check my personal blog http://make-you-laugh.livejournal.com for last minute additions. :)

-Johnny

Late breaking news!

Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with a panel discussion featuring director John Hughes, March 26, 7pm, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, www.coolidge.org.

Dance Marathon, Mar 24, http://www.bc.edu/dance

Kink Karnival @ Boston Ramrod, Mar 24, 1254 Boylston Street, Boston. Google it. :)

Hi!

This was so interesting I thought it warranted a post by itself.

There will be a festival of short silent comedies Sunday March 25, 3-5pm, with live music on piano and flute. That's at the Concord Scott House, 74 Walden Stree, Concord, MA. 978-369-3455. www.concordscouthouse.org.

-Johnny

Hey-o,

Quick one today.

The Boston Tea Party - Swing Dance Festival, Mar 22, The Sheraton Ferncroft Resort, 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA. 978-777-2500. http://www.teapartyswings.com. It's an entire weekend of workshops, classes, and dance parties for swing, lindy hop, ballroom dancing. Also competition. Register in advance.

Elton John performs Mar 22, Dunkin Donuts Center, http://www.ticketmaster.com/venue/8231.

Evolution performs Mar 22-25, at the Roxbury Community College, Boston, MA. http://www.artsboston.org/tickets. It's an Urban hip hop dance performance and looks pretty cool.

Arms and the Man, the drama by George Bernard Shaw, Mar 22-25 is being produced by Theatre At First, Church at 89 College Avenue, Somerville, MA. 877-557-5936. http://www.TheatreAtFirst.org.

I don't really believe in film festivals -- too much sitting and not enough socializing. But it's still Winter, barely, so go for it. Boston Underground Film Festival, Mar 22-25, http://www.bostonunderground.org, Boston, MA. 617-202-5059.

I've just heard that there will be a STUDENT DISCOUNT for the following event. It's the Midnight Seduction Party, March 24 in Boston, should be a real blast. So far 40 people have signed up. This a flirting contest with some roleplaying thrown in, sort of a Spin The Bottle for grownups. So if you're flirty and would like more information, email anon@midnightseduction.com. This is a private game but he is a friend, tell him Johnny sent you. http://www.midnightseduction.com.

In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella is back, and this time it's the regional finals. March 24, Kresge Auditorium, MIT, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA. http://www.varsityvocals.com/icca/. 8pm. The regional finals for the biggest national a capella competition.

This is a cute event, so I couldn't resist. Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunt @ MFA. You walk all through the MFA not picking up items (illegal!) but gathering information... the team that does it the fastest, without knocking over anything priceless, wins. Boston, MA. http://www.watsonadventures.com. 2 to 4:30 p.m. Price $28 includes museum admission. A murdered curator has left a trail of clues connected with secrets in works of art. They also have events May 12, June 16, and some in Salem I'll mention later.

The Harlem Globetrotters are back for their annual performance. I've never seen it but I really want to! Basically they do stunts and tricks all involving basketballs. Mar 24-25, http://www.ticketmaster.com, TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA. Order through AAA website for discount. And a separate show at DCU Center in Worcester, MA.

Boston Zine Fair, Mar 24-25, http://www.bostonzinefair.org, Boston. Bringing magazine editors and producers together.

Boston Gift Show (Spring) is a marketing event, not a festival, let's face it. It's a tradeshow that retail stores with products to sell go to, but you can to, if you like shopping! http://www.bostongiftshow.com, Boston Convention & Expo Center, (800) 272-SHOW. Sat-Mon 9:30-6, Tue 9:30-4. This event will be slightly lame.

Also, Justin Timberlake performs, Mar 26, Verizon Wireless Arena, New Hampshire. http://www.verizonwirelessarena.com, 603-644-5000.

Christina Aguilera, Mar 30, Boston Metro, TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA, 617-624-1000.

Continuing event: the New England Spring Flower Show is Mar 17-25. I went last year and it was surprisingly fun! Gardeners force-grow flowers in hot houses all summer and create works of arts from floral dioramas. And all the stuff to buy you could ever dream of. Bayside Expo Center, Boston. 617-933-4983. Rt 93 exit 15. All day. http://www.masshort.org.

And Oliver Twist is see playing, but ends Mar 24, http://www.amrep.org/, Zero Arrow Street Theater, Cambridge.

Ciao!

-Johnny

Hey-o,

Plenty of weird this week. The strangest thing is probably the Evacuation Day Ceremony, which re-enacts the day in the American Revolutionary War when the British, who were holed up in Boston as the last place of refuge, got on ships and left entirely. Friday March 16 and Saturday March 17. http://www.evacuationday.com.

Let's not forget the St. Patrick's Day Parade, which occurred early last week and one day late this week, March 18, in Holyoke, Scituate, and Manchester, NH. And Boston! The parade starts at 1pm, from Broadway T stop (Thomas Park) to Andrew Square. See http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/boston/boston.htm
and http://www.irishmassachusetts.com/events-March07.htm. For Holyoke, way out in Western MA, see http://www.holyokestpatricksparade.com.

Insider's secret about St. Pat's: whiskey. Other secret: the Dropkick Murphys are performing, and then marching in the parade. Avalon, March 16 & 18, Agganis Arena at BU, March 17, charity breakfast in Dorchester March 18.

In the "Where did your parents go wrong, horribly horribly wrong" category, there is yet another crash test dummy event happening at a ski resort, the Mount Sunapee Dummy Big Air Contest, March 18, http://www.skinh.com/events.cfm?MonthChange=None&eventid=943&LastDate=03/14/2007.

Heads up, there is going to be a Midnight Seduction Party, March 24 in Boston, should be a real blast. This a flirting contest with some roleplaying thrown in, sort of a Spin The Bottle for grownups. So if you're flirty and would like more information, email anon@midnightseduction.com. This is a private game but he is a friend, tell him Johnny sent you. http://www.midnightseduction.com.

Speaking of roleplaying, swap out sensuality and swap in medieval garb and you have the SCA's The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses. The Society for Creative Anachronism hosts only a couple of big events every year close to Boston, recreating what times might have been like in the Middle Ages with food, music, and fighting. Fake fighting, don't get alarmed there. First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA. http://www.carolingia.eastkingdom.org/events.html

Speaking of seriously geeky, check out the Boston Comic Book Convention! March 18, Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St, Boston. http://www.bostoncomiccon.com. As usual, the dealers are the focus of the event, but you can meet others with your primal lust for Spiderman and a few famous artists will be there as well.

Talking about saving the earth, or at least its chimps, is Jane Goodall. She's the only notable advocate for chimpanzees, so if you've heard of somebody doing this, it's her. Mar 18, Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA. 617-496-2222. http://hmnh.harvard.edu.

Also on earth-saving, the Building Energy Conference, at the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, Mar 13-15. http://buildingenergy.nesea.org. They claim to be the biggest trade show in renewable energy and other green fields.

Another conference, or un-conference as they call it, is BarCamp, which has nothing to do with alcohol. Instead it's a highest of the high tech conference for people to drop by, chat about the future of technology, without fees or registration needed. http://barcamp.org/BarCampBoston2. Mar 17-18, MIT Stata Center, Cambridge.

Every weekend there are juggling clubs where you can stop by and learn something about defying gravity. Sundays 3:30-6:30pm at MIT bldg 10 lobby, http://world.std.com/~juggler/. Sundays 2-3:30pm at Tercentenary Theater, at Harvard, http://hcs.harvard.edu/~juggling/. And Fridays 4-6pm also at MIT bldg 10 lobby, http://web.mit.edu/juggle/www/.

However! This weekend is special because it is Juggle Mania, the annual event run by the MIT Student Juggling Club. March 18 at 6:30pm in MIT room 54-100. Free. http://web.mit.edu/juggle/www/meetings.html.

The weird is just not going to stop this week. Another movie sing-along is happening at the Somerville Theatre. This time, sing along to West Side Story! Mar 18th, http://www.somervilletheatreonline.com/somerville/schedule/events.php.

And this is a heads up for next week, Revels: Spring Sing is March 21. Revels is a choral group which is open to the public for sing-alongs. http://www.revels.org/coming_events/SpringSing.html. Yes, it's a Wednesday. 7-9pm in Watertown, at the church at 80 Mt. Auburn St.

More sedately, the New England Spring Flower Show is Mar 17-25. I went last year and it was surprisingly fun! Gardeners force-grow flowers in hot houses all summer and create works of arts from floral dioramas. And all the stuff to buy you could ever dream of. Bayside Expo Center, Boston. 617-933-4983. Rt 93 exit 15. All day. http://www.masshort.org.

Also boring, Paradise City Arts Festival (Spring) is Mar 16-18, is a thinly disguised gallery where basically, you buy stuff and leave. Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA, 800.511.9725. Rt 495 to exit 24B (Rt 20W). F 10-6, S 10-6, S 11-5.

Theater stuff, Oliver Twist to March 24, http://www.amrep.org. Orson's Shadow to Mar 18, http://www.newrep.org. The Grapes of Wrath plays to Mar 18, at the Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham MA. http://www.stonehamtheatre.org. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, about Dust Bowl exiles rebuilding their lives during the Great Depression. Cirque Eloize - Rain is a circus and acrobatic performance, Mar 13-18, Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston. http://www.celebrityseries.org.

Also Blue Screen, which is an improv show where the actors make up an entire movie from cues from the audience, Mar 16, http://www.improvboston.com, Inman Square, Cambridge. I don't normally list classical events, but Bach's Mass in B Minor is being performed Mar 16-18, at NEC's Jordan Hall in Boston. http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=4mvrq6bab.0.aqhr78bab.qxqb7zbab.6462&ts=S0235&p=http%3A%2F%2Fbostix.org%2Ftickets%2Floader.asp%3Ftarget%3Dshow.asp%3Fshcode%3D1274.

This week's bonus weirdness is America's Stonehenge in New Hampshire, a cool stone circle of dubious authenticity. And alpacas. Just see the site to believe it. Or better yet, don't believe it, but it's worth a visit if you're in the area. http://www.stonehengeusa.com.

Finally, don't get fooled into taking the Irish Heritage Trail walk, which is mainly a series of small outdoor monuments which won't teach you much about immigration or Ireland. Just go straight to the JFK Library, http://www.jfklibrary.org. It's got a museum on former president John F. Kennedy. The bad news, they idolize the fellow and don't mention his nearly causing World War III with the Cuban Missile Crisis, and they manage to omit his infidelities. The good news, it's a good museum and they hold numerous lectures and events at the museum in a huge conference area. http://www.jfklibrary.org.

See you on the flip side.

-Johnny

Hey-o,

Quick one this week. This weekend is Daylight Savings Time, set your clock forward one hour.

The weird event this week is an Adult Spelling Bee in Brookline. Mar 11, http://www.brooklineeducation.org. 2-6pm I believe. Also a children's spelling bee.

Also weird, the St. Patrick's Day parade. The big events all happen next weekend (March 18th), but this week Mar 11 expect parades in Worcester, Abington, and Lawrence. http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/boston/boston.htm.

Not weird enough? How about the Crash Test Dummy Race at Mt. Cannon in New Hampshire. http://www.skinh.com. Watch homemade dummies cruise down the slopes and "die". Someone in public relations thought underscoring the potential fatal nature of skiing would attract people to ski more, go figure!

Obviously not reading each others calendars, there are two a capella competitions competing this weekend for competition lovers' attention. The Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Competitions, have regionals at Cohen Auditorium, Tufts University, 40 Talbot Avenue Medford, MA. 617-627-3493. 7:30pm. This is "only" a national competition.

Pumping it up worldwide is the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, Mar 10, http://www.varsityvocals.com/icca. 8pm, Wellesley College, Houghton Memorial Chapel. This is only the "quarterfinal" whereas the semifinal is coming up March 24, and is bound to be better (watch this space). So I would pick the Harmony Sweepstakes instead.

As if that weren't enough, March 11 is the WERS All A Cappella Live concert, making us wonder who exactly is going to be performing at WERS that won't be exhausted by their previous concerts. WERS is Emerson College Radio, 88.9fm and they have a great a capella program Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Ah, I have just learned the concert is sold out, but you can listen to it on the radio live so I'll keep this listing. Sunday 2pm.

Also in the competing calendar category, Balkan Music Night is March 10th, and the Israel Folk Dance Festival of Boston is March 10-11. To be fair most of the Israeli program is on the Sunday. Both offer participatory dancing and music. See http://www.facone.org/programs/program/balkanight.htm and http://www.bostonfestival.org.

Cirque Eloize, which is a circus acrobat thing but not the same as Cirque du Soleil, performs March 13-18 at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Tuesday-Friday | 7:30pm, Saturday | 2pm & 8pm, Sunday | 3pm.

Peter Mayer is a musician, a Minnesota singer-songwriter who plays guitar and sings spiritual and comic songs. Mar 10, 7:30pm at the church at 630 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA.

Nickelback plays Mar 11, in Worcester, http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/8205/710632/?brand=dcucenter.

Continuing stuff, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, a musical I liked, based on the movie, to March 11. Opera House, Boston. The Chieftains play in CT, http://www.thechieftains.com/news/tour_2007.asp. Oliver Twist to Mar 24, http://www.amrep.org. Orson's Shadow to Mar 18, http://www.newrep.org. And Boston Restaurant Week continues to Mar 9.

Finally, a club report. OK so it turns out any concert that ends after 11pm must now be 21+. This is a bummer for a lot of people and I got a special request to dig up some dirt on this. The bad news, this is real. The good news, sort of, it is limited to the City of Boston. So, for example, XMortis, a goth/fetish dance event at TT The Bear's on March 9th, that is 18+ because it is in Cambridge. http://www.myspace.com/xmortisnight. I am working up a huge-o list of clubs (have a dance floor, not just a bar) outside of Boston proper. More on this later.
Have fun!

-Johnny