The Arts Fuse Newsletter, February 26
Come to the "Climate Crisis Cabaret: The Warm-up". Reviews of "John Lewis: A Life", the Huntington Theatre Company's "The Grove," Satoko Fujii’s “Altitude 1100 Meters”, and "The Monkey".
From The Editor's Desk:
Donald Trump bellows that climate change is a hoax, and his cabinet is a cast of characters poised to deliver on the promise of our self-proclaimed king to ‘drill baby drill’ as he wipes out the environmental legacy of the past decade or so, ripping up whatever international climate commitments that stand in his way. Boston’s opera companies and music schools are mounting productions that sound the alarm. The city’s theater troupes are, as usual, snoozing at the switch. Until now, that is. Come to the Climate Crisis Cabaret: The Warm-Up at Arrow Street Arts on March 24 and 25. This innovative gathering will fuse the arts and climate activism through a lively mix of theatre, comedy, song, and readings that tap into the wealth of emotions stirred by the environmental crisis. Debra Wise and David Keohane are at the directorial helm; John Kuntz will be the M.C.
How can I be sure that CCC will deliver? I am one of the show’s Lead Organizers, along with Wise and dramatist Joyce Van Dyke. The idea was to bring together local stage artists — actors, writers, musicians, etc — to address the climate emergency in vibrant, innovative ways. The cabaret will be followed by a post-show conversation among performers, scientists, and activists. Also helping to get the word out about what can be done: a lobby street fair of groups engaged in environmental issues. The goal of the evening is to inspire our community to act while also encouraging more climate crisis programming from local theaters. And there is an expectation that his “warm-up” will be the first installment in a series of cabarets on the environment that draws on the talents of Boston-area theater artists.
The Climate Crisis Cabaret: The Warm-Up is funded in part by the Puffin Foundation, with generous administrative support from Arrow Street Arts. I am not only one of the cabaret’s organizers, but a part of the show, reading Ted Hughes’ poem “How Water Began to Play” (think “water sings the blues”). It has been 50 years since I have appeared on stage; in 1976, I was cast as a doctor’s assistant in a Bowdoin College production of Arthur Kopit’s Chamber Music. It was important to me to be in front of the footlights, and not only because of my apprehensions about the future of the planet. This cabaret could serve as a model for other stage efforts. Theater artists strengthening community by putting together pointed entertainments that reflect on contemporary realities, such as defending democracy. May a thousand cabarets bloom.
Check the website for info on CCC: The Warm-up. Seating is limited in the Arrow Street Arts Studio space, so reserve your Pay-What-You-Can tickets pronto. I will be writing more on this effort — and other stage productions that meet the moment — in the weeks to come.
—Bill Marx, Editor-in-Chief
Archive: From the Editor's Desk
Theater Review: “The Grove” — Nurturing Ancestral Connections
By Bill Marx
Revelatory reunions are a standard dramatic set-up, which explains why it takes quite a while for The Grove to gather some theatrical steam..
Book Review: “John Lewis: A Life” — A Sense of Intimacy
By Roberta Silman
David Greenberg has brought to life not only one unusual man but also the tumultuous racial history of our country in the second half of the 20th century and into the early years of the 21st century.
Jazz Album Review: The Timeless Stillness of Satoko Fujii’s “Altitude 1100 Meters”
By Jon Garelick
Music is one of the ways we experience time — Satoko Fujii and the musicians in GEN make it disappear.
Film Reviews: DocTalk — Legal Briefs at the 2025 Oscars
By Peter Keough
This year the Academy selected a stronger slate of nominees than usual in the short documentary category, perhaps because the timely theme of justice, in one form or another, inspires each..
Film Reviews: At the Berlin Film Festival — Hostage Heartbreak and Arab Acrobatics
By David D’Arcy
Two heartfelt documentaries about the Hamas attack and hostage-taking have premiered at this year’s Berlinale and have been received respectfully, even welcomed.
Film Review: “The Monkey” — A Hilariously Sinister Simian
By Michael Marano
The Monkey is a delightful exercise in black humor.
Help Keep The Arts Fuse Lit!
Precious few independent online arts publications make it to double digits. Please give us the resources the magazine needs to persevere at an essential cultural task.
Keep the Fuse lit and support our 70+ writers by making a donation.
The Arts Fuse also needs underwriting for the magazine to continue to grow.
And…tell your friends about the in-depth arts coverage you can’t get anywhere else.
Questions, comments, concerns?
Editor-in-Chief
Bill Marx
wmarx103@gmail.com
