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‘Home of egg rolls, jazz and blues,’ Chan’s celebrates 120 years in Rhode Island
Music lovers put this Woonsocket music venue and restaurant on their bucket lists.
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November 3, 2025 - Chris Grace, Crispin Glover, and Matthew Shifrin
Comedian and actor Chris Grace returns to The Culture Show to talk about Sardines (A Comedy About Death), his autobiographical one-man show now at the Huntington Theatre through November 16. To learn more go here.Then actor, author, and filmmaker Crispin Glover joins The Culture Show to discuss his latest film, “No! You’re Wrong. or Spooky Action at a Distance.” For nearly two decades, Glover has been making and performing in films that defy convention—films that he writes, directs, and presents himself. He screens the new film tonight at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. To learn more about this and future screenings go here.And 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. Today he discusses how technology might help the visually impaired read facial expressions—and the emotions behind them. -
October 31, 2025: Week in Review - David Drake's pottery, Halloween, and the Louvre
Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has returned ownership of two monumental stoneware vessels to the descendants of David Drake — an enslaved potter.. It’s the first U.S. museum to resolve ownership for art made under slavery, linking creativity to accountability and justice.From repatriation to restitution — another story of art and accountability is unfolding overseas. French police have arrested additional suspects in the daylight robbery that stunned Paris last month, when thieves made off with royal jewels worth millions from the Louvre.From the galleries of Paris to the corridors of power in Washington: President Trump has fired all six members of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the body that advises on the design of national monuments, memorials, and federal buildings. And, grab your candy stash — The Culture Show is getting into the Halloween spirit. Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley, and Edgar B. Herwick III dig into the season’s spookiest trends, from the hottest costumes of 2025 to the great candy controversies — plus a few ghost stories haunting New England’s history. -
October 30, 2025 - The Wang Theatre at 100, Elaine Sciolino on the Louvre heist, and Manual Cinema's The 4th Witch
A century ago, the Wang Theatre—now part of Boston’s Boch Center—opened as a lavish movie palace, a cathedral to the golden age of entertainment. Since then, it’s hosted everything from vaudeville to Broadway, rock legends to symphony orchestras. As the Boch Center celebrates its 100th anniversary, President and CEO Casey Soward joins The Culture Show to reflect on the theater’s storied past and the next century of live performance in Boston. To learn more about their upcoming shows and events go here.For more than eight centuries, the Louvre has stood as both fortress and museum—home to masterpieces and mysteries alike. Journalist, former “New York Times Paris” bureau chief, and bestselling author Elaine Sciolino explores its history and allure in her new book, “Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World’s Greatest Museum” She joins us to unpack the recent high-stakes jewelry heist and what it reveals about art, identity, and intrigue in modern France.What happens when Shakespeare’s witches get a modern reawakening? In “The 4th Witch,” Chicago-based collective Manual Cinema conjures Macbeth’s world through light, shadow, and live music—telling the story of a young refugee who transforms grief into power. Co-founder and Co-artistic Director Ben Kauffman joins The Culture Show to discuss the company’s handmade cinematic style and how this haunting new work reinvents one of literature’s darkest spells. “The 4th Witch,” is in Boston by way of ArtsEmerson, onstage at Emerson Paramount Center through November 9th. To learn more go here. -
October 29, 2025 - Alysia Abbott, Anthony Barboza's "I Return With a Feeling of Us," and Allison Miller
After her mother’s death, writer Alysia Abbott was raised by her father—poet Steve Abbott—in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury during the height of counterculture. Her memoir “Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father” captures that vivid, unconventional childhood and the complexities of growing up amid both liberation and loss. Now adapted into a feature film produced by Sofia Coppola, Abbott joins us to reflect on seeing her story come to life on screen. On November 1st there will be a special screening of “Fairyland” at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.” To learn more go here.Photographer Anthony Barboza returns to his hometown of New Bedford for a career-spanning retrospective at the New Bedford Art Museum. From James Baldwin to Betty Carter, his portraits have helped shape how Black creativity and culture are seen. The exhibition, “I Return With a Feeling of Us,” is on view through November 23 and celebrates his decades-long impact on American photography. Anthony Barboza and the New Bedford Art Museum’s Executive Director Suzanne de Vegh join The Culture Show for an overview. To learn more go here. Finally, acclaimed drummer and composer Allison Miller joins The Culture Show. She defies category, blending jazz, rock, and folk with fearless originality. A longtime bandleader and collaborator with artists like Brandi Carlile and Ani DiFranco she recently joined Berklee’s Harmony and Jazz Composition Department as the Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies. Her latest album is “Big & Lovely” by Allison Miller with the One O’Clock Lab Band. -
October 28, 2025 - The Massachusetts Veterans Legacy Trail, Lesley Ann Warren on Clue at 40, and Kiernan Schmitt
As part of our ongoing “Countdown to 2026” series, we explore how Massachusetts is commemorating 250 years of American history. Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago joins us to discuss the new Massachusetts Veterans Legacy Trail, a statewide digital map linking more than 1,200 monuments and memorials that honor generations of service. Created by the Healey–Driscoll administration for the MA250 commemoration, the trail invites residents to engage with the Commonwealth’s military past — from the Revolution to today. To learn more about the trail go here.From there actress Lesley Ann Warren joins “The Culture Show” to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the cult classic film “Clue.” The Oscar- and Golden Globe–nominated performer, who played the unforgettable Miss Scarlet, will be in Boston to host a special anniversary screening at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. To learn more go here.Finally travel writer Kiernan Schmitt takes us on a Halloween-inspired journey through the hidden and haunting corners of the city. His book “Secret Boston: An Unusual Guide”uncovers the eerie and unexpected — from ghostly convents to abandoned zoos and the bizarre sculpture garden known as Ponyhenge. Schmitt, who co-hosts the travel podcast “Out of Office,” returns to the show to reveal the stories and curiosities hiding in plain sight.
