Every week, WGBH Arts Editor Jared Bowen sums up the exhibitions, theater, movies and music you should check out in and around Boston.
KANSAS CITY CHOIR BOY, at the American Repertory Theater through Oct. 10
Synopsis: Grunge-rock icon Courtney Love and composer Todd Almond play a newly married, 1990s Kansas City couple in and out of carnal, ill-fated love. The two reflect on their relationship through whispered and soaring songs, backed by a string quartet, dance beats, and a chorus of sirens.
Jared says: “In real life, Courtney Love is such this mythic figure as the front woman of Hole, the widow of Kurt Cobain…to have her right in front of you—and she’s magnificent—is interesting.”
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, playing at the Gamm Theatre, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, through Oct. 25
Synopsis: The Gamm, with its 135 seats, revives Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play about sex and death in a dramatically intimate setting. Marianna Bassham stars as the fractured Blanche DuBois.
Jared says: “It’s an exceptional production…I was so bowled over between the lighting, the sets, and how they use music.”
Looking for more arts coverage? This week on Open Studio, Jared presents a rare chance to see two Vermeer paintings in Boston and looks back on the Wang Theatre's 90 years. And WGBH reporter Stephanie Leydon features a man using music to treat addiction.
