Episodes
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December 9, 2025 - Patti Smith, Charles Dickens at the Parker House, and Elisa Smith
Patti Smith, National Book Award–winning author of “Just Kids,” joins The Culture Show to discuss her latest memoir, “Bread of Angels.” The book traces her imaginative postwar childhood, her life with Fred “Sonic” Smith, and the years of loss and renewal that shaped her return to writing and performance. She appears at The Chevalier Theatre on December 17 for a Brookline Booksmith event exploring the new work. To learn more go here.Susan WIlson, the official house historian of the Omni Parker House, takes us inside Charles Dickens’s remarkable 1867 residency at Boston’s Omni Parker House — the hotel where he rehearsed, wrote, and prepared for readings that sent the city into a literary fervor. She traces how Boston became a temporary home for Dickens and why “A Christmas Carol" still resonates here during the holidays. If you want the full Dickens experience this holiday season, Crescendo Productions is presenting a “A Christmas Carol,” at the Omni Parker house December 19th -December 21st. To learn more go hereBoston-based Americana country artist Elisa Smith recently earned a Josie Music Award for Female Song of the Year for “Nashville Don’t Forget Me,” an honor presented at the Grand Ole Opry. She joins the show to talk about the new recognition and her forthcoming album, “Perfume,” which will be released this spring with a portion of proceeds supporting Rosie’s Place. To learn more go here. -
December 8, 2025 - Wonder: The Musical, Arms and Armor at the Worcester Art Museum, and Unsent
Playwright Sarah Ruhl joins The Culture Show to discuss writing the book for “Wonder,” the new musical premiering at the American Repertory Theater. Adapted from the bestselling novel and acclaimed film, the production follows Auggie Pullman, a boy with a facial difference navigating the trials of middle school with courage and compassion. “Wonder,” is onstage December 10-February 8, to learn more go here. The Worcester Art Museum has reopened its Arms and Armor Galleries after a decade of renovation and reinterpretation, unveiling a global collection that spans medieval Europe to Japan, India, Africa, and beyond. Featuring swords, helmets, shields, and full suits of armor, the galleries illuminate the artistry, engineering, and cultural histories behind these objects. Executive Director Matthias Waschek and curator Jeffrey Forgeng walk us through the museum’s ambitious reimagining and what it means to bring this collection back to public view. To learn more go here.Finally, we go inside “Unsent,” a new indie video game set in a 1970s-inspired post office where lost letters and feelings pile up. We’ll talk with creative director Brien Rondeau about conjuring this surreal bureaucracy. To learn more, go here. -
December 5, 2025 - Tom Stoppard, Spotify Wrapped, and the words of the year
Edgar B. Herwick III, Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons and Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik co-host this week’s arts and culture week-in-review.First up, the 2025 Words of the Year capture a moment shaped by online overload and cultural tension. Dictionary.com chose “67,” Cambridge went with “parasocial,” Collins selected “vibe coding,” and Oxford tapped “rage bait.” Together, they trace the emotional and technological currents running through daily life.And a familiar holiday argument has resurfaced, thanks to a ruling from across the Atlantic: British regulators have declared that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. The verdict has reignited a seasonal debate that refuses to melt away.Then JPMorgan’s new Midtown tower has made a dramatic entrance on the New York skyline, promoted as a sleek, future-forward skyscraper. Critics, however, see something very different—calling it an environmental “eco-obscenity” that overshadows its sustainability claims.Finally, Playwright Tom Stoppard, who died at 88, leaves behind one of the most influential bodies of work in modern theater. With five Tony Awards and screenplays like Shakespeare in Love, he brought precision, wit, and intellectual curiosity to both stage and screen. His legacy is defined by a rare ability to put language to the complexities most of us only sense. -
December 4, 2025 - Matt Doyle, Levain Bakery, and Cirque du Soleil's 'Twas The Night Before
Tony Award–winner Matt Doyle brings a burst of holiday warmth to Worcester with “Make the Season Bright,” a concert filled with seasonal favorites. Known for standout roles in “Company,” “Spring Awakening,” and “The Book of Mormon,” Doyle also has deep ties to Massachusetts, where he spent part of his childhood. He joins The Culture Show to talk about returning home, embracing the holidays, and the music that shaped him. “Make the Season Bright” is onstage December 10th at the BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. For tickets and information, go here. Levain Bakery’s cookies have earned a national cult following — oversized, craggy, irresistibly rich — but the story behind them is just as compelling. Co-founders Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald reflect on 30 years of friendship, baking, and building a community around a single, unforgettable cookie. They join The Culture Show to discuss their new book, “Levain Bakery: A Story of Friendship, Community, and Cookies,” and the phenomenon their tiny shop sparked. You can catch them tonight at 7:00 at Lovestruck Books and Cafe in Harvard Square. To get tickets go here. Cirque du Soleil reimagines a holiday favorite with “’Twas the Night Before” a high-velocity blend of circus artistry, dance, and storytelling. The production transforms Christmas Eve into a world of motion where nothing — and no one — stays still for long. Cirque dancer and dance captain Artem Tikhonenko joins The Culture Show to share how the troupe brings this kinetic twist on the classic tale to life. “’Twas the Night Before” is onstage at the Boch Center Wang Theatre through December 14th, to learn more go here. -
December 3, 2025 - Will and Georgia Lyman, REVOLUTION! at the BPL, and Gregory Maguire on Midwinter Revels
Actor Will Lyman takes on Ebenezer Scrooge in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “A Christmas Carol"at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, stepping into one of literature’s great holiday transformations. His daughter, actor and producer Georgia Lyman, is simultaneously shepherding “Yellow Bird Chase” to the stage with Liars & Believers, a whimsical, family-friendly piece that blends clowning, puppetry, and physical theater. Together, they talk about sharing a season, a craft, and a lifelong pull toward the stage. “A Christmas Carol” is onstage Dec. 6 - Dec. 23 at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. To learn more go here. “Yellow Bird Chase” is onstage at Central Square Theatre Dec. 12-Dec 21–two weekends only. To learn more go here.The Boston Public Library’s exhibition “REVOLUTION! 250 Years of Art + Activism in Boston” looks at how images, objects, and ephemera have captured moments of protest and possibility from the American Revolution to the present day. Drawing on the library’s vast archives, it asks whose struggles are remembered, whose are ignored, and how visual culture shapes our understanding of change. Curator Kristin Parker joins us to talk about the stories she wanted to bring forward and why this is a timely reexamination.This year’s “Midwinter Revels” turns to “Matchless,” Gregory Maguire’s reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl.” Directed by Debra Wise, the production weaves Maguire’s story into Revels’ signature mix of music, ritual, and communal celebration. Debra Wise, Interim Artistic Director for Revels and bestselling author Gregory Maguire join us for an overview. “Midwinter Revels” is onstage at Sanders Theatre, December 12–28 followed by a virtual encore. To learn more go here. -
December 2, 2025 - Jerry O'Connell on Stand By Me at 40, Joyce Kulhawik, and Illuminate Bach: A Holiday Celebration!
“Stand by Me,” the classic coming-of-age film, is turning 40. To commemorate the film’s anniversary, “Stand By Me: The Film and its Stars 40 Years Later,” takes place at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, December 6th. There will be a screening followed by a conversation with three of the film’s stars - Corey Feldman, Wil Wheaton, and Jerry O’Connell. Ahead of this event actor and television host Jerry O’Connell, who starred in the film as Vern Tessio, joins us to reflect on the film, what made it a classic and his reunion with his castmates. To learn more about the anniversary event go here.Joyce Kulhawik joins The Culture Show for our recurring feature, Stage and Screen Time–a look at the latest movies and plays in theaters now. Joyce Kulhawik is an Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter and president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association. You can find her reviews on Joyce’s Choices. Brian McCreath, director of production at GBH Music, host of CRB’s Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcast, and host of The Bach Hour on CRB Classical 99.5 and The Bach Channel stream joins The Culture Show for a preview of “Illuminate Bach: A Holiday Celebration!” It’s the first in a new GBH Music concert series, recorded live in GBH’s Fraser Performance Studio on December 3 at 8:00 PM. “Illuminate Bach” will first air as a radio program during In Concert on Sunday, December 14 at 7 pm. On television, Illuminate Bach will next air four times across Massachusetts on both GBH2, GBH44, and NEPM on these dates: Friday, December 19 at 9 pm. - GBH2 and NEPM Premiere, Saturday, December 20, at 8 pm on GBH44, Thursday, December 25, at 4 pm on GBH2 and NEPM, and Thursday, December 25 at 6 pm on GBH44. The full program will also be available for on-demand streaming on Classical.org and Passport. -
December 1, 2025 - Ethan Hawke, Peter Drummey, and Matthew Shifrin
For nearly fifty years, Peter Drummey has been one of the quiet forces making history accessible. As the longtime Stephen T. Riley Librarian and, most recently, Chief Historian at the Massachusetts Historical Society — the nation’s oldest historical society — he helped generations of researchers navigate one of the country’s richest archives and advised storytellers ranging from filmmakers to the late David McCullough. Now retired after a 47-year career, he joins us to reflect on the stories he’s spent a lifetime helping others uncover.Ethan Hawke has built one of the most varied careers in contemporary film, spanning Hollywood classics like Dead Poets Society and Training Day, as well as independent films such as Before Sunrise and Boyhood. He’s also an accomplished novelist, screenwriter, producer, and filmmaker. This week, the Coolidge Corner Theatre honors him with the 2025 Coolidge Award, where he’ll appear for a screening of Blue Moon and an onstage conversation about his lifelong creative evolution. To learn more go here.Culture Show contributor Matthew Shifrin joins us for his recurring segment “AI: Actual Intelligence.” This month he discusses the work that he’s doing with Think Outside The Vox to make music accessible to deaf people by turning instrumental music into stories that are then translated into ASL and performed by actors. Matthew Shifrin, founder and CEO of Bricks for the Blind, returns for our “AI: Actual Intelligence” series. His Boston nonprofit translates LEGO instructions for builders with vision loss. -
November 28, 2025 - Kwame Alexander, Elizabeth Strout and Oliver de la Paz
Award winning writer and poet Kwame Alexander joins The Culture Show to talk about the PBS Kids debut of “Acoustic Rooster.” Based on Alexander’s beloved children’s book “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band,” the “Acoustic Rooster” universe is now on PBS KIDS. To learn more, go here.From there the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Elizabeth Strout joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book “Tell Me Everything.” Finally Oliver de la Paz, the poet laureate of Worcester and associate professor at The College of the Holy Cross joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest collection of poetry “The Diaspora Sonne -
November 26, 2025 - The AAPI Holiday Market, The Funny Uncle Cabaret, and public art in Providence
Boston’s AAPI Holiday Market returns on December 3, 5–8 PM. Organized by The Boston Foundation’s Asian Business Empowerment Council, the event highlights the creativity and entrepreneurship of the region’s AAPI community. Irene Li and Qingjian Shi join us for an overview. Qingjian Shi is Senior Director of the Asian Business Empowerment Council at The Boston Foundation, and Irene Li, a celebrated chef, restaurateur, and community leader, is the co-founder of Mei Mei, a restaurant-turned-dumpling-company based in Boston, and co-founder of Prepshift. To learn more about the AAPI Holiday Market go here. Peter DiMuro brings his long-running alt-holiday show, Funny Uncle Cabaret, back to The Dance Complex on December 13 & 14. A variation on The Nutcracker, it blends dance, drag, storytelling, and live music, drawing on DiMuro’s own “gay avuncularity” and stories of chosen family. Tickets and details here.Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson leads a tour through Providence’s community-driven public art scene. Swanson — a multidisciplinary artist and creator of The Art Walk Project — spotlights the works created by and for the local community. -
November 25, 2025 - Natan Last, "Life on the Other Planet" with Vincent Straggas, and S---faced Shakespeare
Crossword constructor and writer Natan Last joins us to explore his new book, “Across the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle.” He traces the evolution of crosswords from early newspaper amusements to today’s culturally expansive grids. Last is a writer and immigration policy advocate. He writes bimonthly crosswords for “The New Yorker.” You can catch him at Harvard Book Store on December 10; learn more here.Filmmaker Vincent Straggas takes us inside “Life on the Other Planet,” his new documentary about Boston’s music scene in the 1970s and ’80s. Through interviews and archival footage, he captures the clubs, bands, and renegade energy that shaped a generation. To learn more about the film and upcoming screenings go here.Finally, Sh!t-Faced Shakespeare returns to Somerville’s Rockwell for its 10th anniversary season with a drunken production of “Hamlet.” Actors Brett Milanowski and Noelle Scarlett join us to preview the show, which runs November 29 through February 14; to learn more go here.
