Shakespeare on the Common Has A Blog

Shakespeare on the the Common has a blog. And their blog has wayyy better pictures of the set than mine does (here). They're using the blog as a rehearsal journal. Here's a brief excerpt from their latest entry:

We started technical rehearsals on the common on Saturday afternoon! It’s going well. Takes a long time to figure everything out, but we’re being super productive and are right on schedule.

We’ve worked up through Shakespeare’s Act 4 Scene 1, meaning that tomorrow night we need to push ahead through the end of the play so that we can do a dress rehearsal run-thru on Wednesday night.

Props to all the actors and behind-the-scenes folks that are working hard to put this together for us. I can't wait to see the show.

Click (here) to go to their blog.

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Improper Bostonian - Best of Boston 2008

The annual "Best of Boston" issue put out by the Improper Bostonian is now out on newstands. I picked up my copy today and leafed through it on my long, long plane ride to CA.

Even if you don't agree that their choice is the "best" most of their choices are up there around the top. It's like having a very well-versed friend give you suggestions on things to try out.

I pick up my issue each year and end up holding on to it for at least six months before I throw it away. A few places that I've been meaning to go to but haven't yet: Hammersley's Bistro; Craigie Street Bistrot, and Zaftigs. All three of them were amongst the "best of."

There's also a bunch of other categories like shopping, salons, and spas - that I usually leave untouched.

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Cirque Du Soleil Student Tix for $31

So Cirque Du Soleil comes through Boston every year or two with their traveling show. I've seen my fair share of shows over the past several years: Quidam (my favorite), Dralion, Corteo ... now they're going to be coming to Boston in September with their new show Kooza.

Just in the past few weeks, I've seen some posters around the city advertising student discount tickets for the show for $31.

The tickets are normally $55, but with your student discount you can get them for $31. Not too shabby.

*Available to Students only. Need to show valid student ID upon entrance to the Grand Chapiteau. Not available on previously purchased tickets.

Click (here) for a link to the special Cirque website.

PS. Yes, I know all of you students just finished classes and are hoping to enjoy the summer and the last thing thing on your mind is coming back in September. BUT, if you haven't seen a Cirque show, I recommend you check it out.

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Review: David Copperfield Is Amazing

David Copperfield was in town this past weekend to do a few performances at the Opera House. I had the pleasure of going to his Sunday afternoon performance yesterday and it was amazing. It's the first time I've ever seen a magic show in person and I found it to be highly entertaining.

I still can't figure out how he made a full sized Lincoln Convertible appear on stage out of nowhere. I was sitting pretty close to the front of the stage and was doing my best to peel back my eyelids so I didn't blink and I still couldn't see where it came from. Logic tells me the car had to have been there the entire time - but I just can't figure out how. Those crazy illusions - so neat.

The highlight of the show was the fact that I was chosen at one point to be an audience participant in one of the tricks. I got to be up on stage with David Copperfield! It was awesome. I wish I could have gotten a picture with him, but alas I was not able to.

If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend you check out one of his shows. According to his tour schedule, he'll be in Providence tomorrow evening and then do a brief stint in NY and PA and then it's back to Vegas.

Click (here) to access his website and look at his tour dates.

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Dream Destinations: Lenox & Freedom Trail

A new book coming out today (May 1) called "Dream Destinations" is a compilation of the world's best vacation spots and two of them are MA destinations: Lenox, MA and The Freedom Trail.

Lenox, the site of Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is mentioned as a top destination in the "Culture Vultures" category along with Giverny, France.

The publication recommends history buffs explore Boston's Freedom Trail. It also touts Captain Cook's Polynesia and the Greek island of Crete in the history category.

I dunno about you but Captain Cook's Polynesia and Crete sound like a whole lot more fun. I've done the Freedom Trail - I wasn't that impressed - but then again I'm not a history buff.

Click (here) to pick up a copy of the book. It looks like it'll probably have some pretty pictures in it.

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Free Access to A Few Museums This Weekend

Thanks to a promotion that starts this weekend (5/3-5/4), anyone with a Bank of America card can get free access to a number of museums throughout the country during the first weekend of the month.

There's four museums in MA that are participating:

The MFA in Boston
The Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge
The Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln
The Danforth Museum of Art in Framingham

Click (here) for more information on this promotion or get a list of the other museums that are participating.

Looks like the promo is going to run through April of next year. That should be plenty of time to check out all the museums I'm interested in. First off is the MFA - I want to see that El Greco exhibit.

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Rhys Gallery Opening Reception Tonight

Happy Thursday everyone! For those of you that want something to do prior to the Jay-Z & Mary J Blige concert tonight - perhaps you'd like to swing by the Rhys Gallery in the South End.

Tonight from 5pm to 8pm, they're hosting an opening reception for their new exhibition featuring Darren Foote and Ali Smith.

PS. For those that didn't get tickets to Jay-Z but want to go, I bet there will be tons of scalpers tonight selling below ticket value. I was trying to sell my tickets on stubhub because I originally wasn't able to go tonight, but tickets were already being sold below ticket value - so I rearranged my schedule. It might be worth swinging by the TD Banknorth Garden and checking it out.

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Nutcracker Ballet Promotional Discounts

Tis the season for secret promotional links. Did anyone out there get tickets to the Drowsy Chaperone yesterday using the presale link? I did - got great seats too: Row F. Now I just hafta hold onto them until April to enjoy them.

Anyway, here's another set of secret links, this time for the Nutcracker - put on by the Boston Ballet. Here are your choices:

Magical Date Night: Buy 1 get 1 50% Off
Sugar Plum 4 Pack: Get 4 for the price of 3

Click (here) for the secret link to access either of these two promos.

OR.......

For if you're a spur of the moment type of person, there is a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale for tomorrow's show (11/29) which can be accessed through the secret link (here). You can get up to 6 tickets with this offer. Use the password "Turkey" to get the promo price.

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Half Price Sweeney Todd Tickets - 10/31

Sweeney Todd has been getting rave reviews in all the papers. Here's your chance to see it on Halloween for HALF PRICE!

I just checked the link and they definitely still have tickets available for the Halloween Promotion. Click (here) for the link to Ticketmaster and choose the Half Off Halloween Offer.

The legendary demon barber, hell-bent on revenge, takes up with his enterprising neighbor in a delicious plot to slice their way through London's upper crust. Justice will be served-along with lush melody, audacious humor and bloody good thrills.

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Russian-American Relations Exhibit

Here's your chance to exercise some of those brain cells. Starting tomorrow and running for about a month, the Massachusetts Historical Society is hosting an exhibit on the history of diplomatic relations between Russia and America.

How much do I know about this particular topic? Next to nothing, I can throw out buzzwords like: Sputnik, Cold War, and Space Race. But other than that, I'm drawing a blank. Anyone else feel like they've gotten dumber every day since they've left college? Maybe it's just me.

This exhibition concentrates on eyewitness accounts in letters and diaries of men and women from Massachusetts present at momentous events in modern Russian history, and their role in Russian-American diplomatic relations.

The exhibit will run everyday from September 27, 2007-October 31, 2007 from 1pm-4pm. Click (here) for the official website and more information.

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Boston Dragon Boat Festival

It's been a tough weekend. It's been a very gloomy Saturday. But fear not, tomorrow should be sunnier (but still a little cold). And, I have the perfect event for you to checkout while you're outside.

The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival of Boston will be taking place tomorrow, Sunday June 10th. Boat racing starts at 9am so don't party too hard tonight if you want to be there for the start. Offical website and events schedule can be found (here).

A Little History Lesson:

Traditionally held on the fifth day of the fifth moon on the lunar calendar -- late May to mid June on the solar calendar (June 19th for 2007) -- the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the life and death of the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan who lived from 340-278 B.C. Qu Yuan was a minister who advocated reforms in his home state of Chu. The King refused to listen to Qu Yuan's advice and instead banished him from the state of Chu. In exile, Qu Yuan wrote poetry expressing his concern for his country and people. In 278, when Qu Yuan heard that his home had been invaded, he drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.

So if you're free tomorrow, go out and get yourself a lesson in the Chinese culture. Racing starts at 9am and food, arts & crafts, and other entertainment starts around noon.

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