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Exclusive: BSO President Chad Smith defends decision to oust Andris Nelsons
In his first broadcast interview, Smith told GBH’s The Culture Show that the decision to part ways with Nelsons stems from "a need for alignment."
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October 28, 2026 - Wednesday Watch Party: Hocus Pocus
For this month’s Wednesday Watch Party, Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Joyce Kulhawik revisit Disney’s 1993 comedy Hocus Pocus. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy conjure up a wicked brew of sorcery and high camp. It was a box-office flop that rose from the grave to become a Halloween hit. We’re dusting off the broomsticks (and vacuum) and asking: Thirty-three years later, is Hocus Pocus still a Halloween treat, or is nostalgia playing tricks on us? Callie Crossley is a Culture Show co-host and host of Under the Radar with Callie Crossley; Joyce Kulhawik is a Culture Show Contributor, an Emmy Award-winning arts and entertainment critic, president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association, and you can find her reviews at joyceschoices.com. -
October 27, 2026 - Aaron Tang on Breaking the Deadlock, Everett McCorvey, and Halloween decor
Can artificial intelligence transform society without putting our jobs, privacy, and safety at risk? Aaron Tang, constitutional law professor at UC Davis and moderator of PBS's Breaking the Deadlock, joins us to discuss the latest episode, AI: Who's in Control?, premiering October 27.Operatic tenor, conductor, and founder of the American Spiritual Ensemble, Everett McCorvey has dedicated his career to preserving and celebrating America's musical heritage. As Music Worcester's artist-in-residence, he'll lead concerts celebrating Gershwin and Ellington on November 1 and featuring Margaret Bonds and Beethoven on November 6.Halloween transforms Greater Boston's neighborhoods into an open-air exhibition of public art. Multidisciplinary artist, award-winning photographer, and Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson, creator of The Art Walk Project, explores the creativity behind the season's spooky spectacles and how this could be the most democratic expression of public art. -
October 26, 2026 - Matthew Aucoin on Music for New Bodies, Donna Ferrato, and Amy Hwang on Women Laughing
Matthew Aucoin, the MacArthur Fellow and composer, explores mortality, technology and a planet in distress in his vocal symphony Music for New Bodies. Its first studio recording arrives October 30, ahead of a November 6 Boston Modern Orchestra Project concert featuring his music.Donna Ferrato, the pioneering photographer, has spent five decades documenting women's lives, from domestic violence to sexual freedom. Her work is on view in Donna Ferrato: “Living with the Enemy” and the Power of Women at the MFA through February 28, 2027.Amy Hwang, an award-winning New Yorker cartoonist, discusses Women Laughing, a documentary exploring the women who transformed the magazine's humor. The film screens tonight at MassArt, followed by a conversation with Hwang and filmmaker Liza Donnelly. -
October 23, 2026 - Week in Review: You Can See Everything, Christiane Amanpour, and Bigfoot
This week on The Culture Show, Jared Bowen is joined by Culture Show Culture Show contributors Joyce Kulhawik and Lisa Simmons. 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. Lisa Simmons is Artistic and Executive Director of the Roxbury International Film Festival and program manager at Mass Cultural Council. Elizabeth Holmes: Filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim turn the cameras on the Theranos founder in You Can See Everything, a box-office sensation that blurs the lines between documentary and manipulation. Apu Returns to The Simpsons: After years of silence, Apu returns to The Simpsons, now voiced by Indian American actor Sunil Malhotra, following Hank Azaria's departure amid criticism of racial stereotyping. Bigfoot: The documentary Capturing Bigfoot uncovers apparent rehearsal footage suggesting the legendary 1967 sighting was an elaborate hoax. Liberty Biberty: A 19-year-old YouTuber has organized a protest outside Liberty Mutual's Boston headquarters on Sunday, October 25, targeting its fuzzy yellow mascot, which has also drawn the ire of comedian John Oliver. -
October 22, 2026 - Bill Barclay on The Chevalier, Sarah Trad, and Michael Cyril Creighton
Bill Barclay, founder and artistic director of Concert Theatre Works, discusses The Chevalier, his musical play about Joseph Bologne, the celebrated 18th-century composer and fencer whose life unfolded against the upheaval of the French Revolution. Featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Boston and musicians from Project STEP, the production comes to Emmanuel Church October 24–25 at 7 p.m.Sarah Trad, author of A House in the Lebanese Mountains: Recipes and Stories from Beit Trad, explores Lebanese cuisine, family traditions and the restoration of her ancestral home into a guesthouse. She joins chef Ana Sortun for a book event and tasting at Sofra Bakery and Cafe in Allston on October 22 at 6:30 p.m.Michael Cyril Creighton, known for Only Murders in the Building, discusses his unconventional acting career and the award-winning comedy web series Jack in a Box, inspired by his years working in a theater box office. The Emerson College alumnus returns for a master class moderated by Jared Bowen on October 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Paramount Center.
