Arts and Entertainment
One of the liveliest places in town this month will be Robinson Theatre in Waltham as The Reagle Players present "A Little Bit Of Ireland." Conceived and directed by Reagle Executive Producer Robert J. Eagle, the impressive revue of uniquely Irish... Read more
The confetti has just settled at The Charles Playhouse following the 30th-anniversary celebration for "Shear Madness." Set in present-day Boston, "Shear Madness" is all about the scissor-stabbing murder of a famous concert pianist who lives above a... Read more
It seems hard to imagine, somehow, but more than a decade has passed (almost 14 years to be exact) since the debut album of Solas, whose members at the time included guitarist John Doyle and lead singer Karan Casey. To many ears, Solas was a revelation,... Read more
IT'S TIME -- The 7th annual BCMFest is all set to go, with a weekend full of music and dance showcasing some of Boston's best performers in the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic-related traditions. The festival, which runs January 8 and 9,... Read more
Seaghan McKay is a man of many talents. Born and raised on the Cape, he attended both Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Boston College. For the past decade he has been on staff at Brandeis University, where he designs multimedia content for the... Read more
It seems so natural, such an everyday event, says Lindsay O'Donovan, for an adult to share music with a child, to sing and dance together – as O'Donovan has, whether with her own four children or the kids of relatives and friends.
But there are far too... Read more
One month to go - Just a few more weeks to go before the 7th annual BCMFest on January 8 and 9, including performances by The Makem and Spain Brothers; Tina Lech and Ted Davis; David O'Docherty; The Gobshites; Liam Hart; Sean and John Connor; Tri; Colm O'... Read more
"Christmas Revels," one of Boston's most beloved holiday traditions, returns for its 39th season on December 11. Celebrating the winter solstice, "Revels" includes holiday carols, dancing, storytelling, folk songs, and the production's signature piece, "... Read more
Sometimes, the craziest-sounding ideas turn out not to be so crazy after all. Case in point: last year's "A Christmas Celtic Sojourn."
Given the dire economic situation last fall, it would hardly have been surprising if the annual holiday offering of... Read more
"Fine Winter's Night," the holiday album and live show by Irish duo Matt & Shannon Heaton, features traditional, updated, and original Irish music to help usher in Christmas. The Heatons will perform throughout the Northeast and Midwest this December... Read more
On January 8 and 9, 2010, the Boston Celtic Music Fest (BCMFest) will mark its seventh year of warming up the chilly Boston winter with a showcase of some of the area's finest performers in the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, and other Celtic or Celtic-... Read more
His was a classic rags-to-riches story, almost too good to be true: the 4th of 11 children, raised in a row house in Athlone, Ireland, who by his mid-30s became an international singing star adored by millions.
John McCormack (1884-1945) earned worldwide... Read more
Don't you hate it when you're sitting across the room from someone who refuses to answer their cell phone? Inevitably, you do a slow burn while they nonchalantly let it ring. And ring. And ring.
That's the jumping off point in Sarah Ruhl's comedy, "Dead... Read more
Ah, Columbus Day Weekend in New England. Crisp autumn air, beautiful foliage, football – and some toe-tapping Celtic music, courtesy of BCMFest. This year's Columbus Day Weekend begins and ends with BCMFest, literally: on Friday, Oct. 9, the third BCMFest... Read more
Transcribing an interview with Girsa – the all-female, high school/college-age Irish-American band from Rockland County, NY, that is catching ears and turning heads in ever-increasing numbers – is a prospect only slightly easier than, say, reforming the... Read more
Are you one someone who sings at the drop of a downbeat? Aside from the social aspects of sharing a tune, would you like to explore the skills involved in traditional Irish singing? Then the Irish Song Circle Workshop at Springstep in Medford may be for... Read more
Bonny "Babes" - There'll be a distinctive Caledonian feel to this month's BCMFest Celtic Music Monday concert, which features some of Greater Boston's most outstanding female musicians in the Scottish tradition. "Babes in Scotland," which takes place Sept... Read more
One of these mornings
You're gonna rise up singin'
You're gonna spread your wings
And fly to the sky...
-- From "Summertime," composed by George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess (1935).
Jerry Holland did just that last month: rose up singing, flew to the sky... Read more
Eileen Ivers ranks as one of the world's premier Irish fiddlers. Although born in the Bronx (her parents are from County Mayo), she spent her childhood summers in Ireland, winning nine All-Ireland Fiddle Championships.
The three-year-old girl who once... Read more
For more than 30 years, Seamus Kennedy has presented his distinctive blend of Irish folk songs and ballads, contemporary and popular songs, and stage patter that invariably elicits belly laughs, chuckles, groans, and the occasional "did-he-really-say-that... Read more
