The Culture Show Podcast

The Tony and Emmy-award winning actor, writer and singer Alan Cumming joins The Culture Show to talk about his hit reality TV series, “The Traitors,”  which kicked off season three last month. To keep abreast of everything Alan Cumming is up to, go here . From there the thrash metal band from Waipu, New Zealand, Alien Weaponry, joins  The Culture Show ahead of tonight’s 7:00 show at the Royale. To...

Courtney Swain, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist, songwriter and sound artist joined The Culture Show for an in-studio performance. We were also joined by Nicole Taney, Artistic Director at Celebrity Series. On February 11th Courtney Swain will be performing at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, as part of the contemporary music festival, Stave Sessions, which is presented by Celebrity...

Today Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week- in- review. First up, the Smithsonian Institution. They’re closing their DEI office and freezing federal hiring, following President Trump’s mandate. Even though the Smithsonian is not a federal agency, it gets  a big chunk of funding from federal appropriati...

Fabiola Méndez,  the celebrated Puerto Rican cuatrista and singer, joins T he Culture Show for an in-studio performance.  Méndez and her ensemble are performing February 8th, as part of CROMA Space’s 2025 season. CROMA Space, which is located in Boston’s historic Arlington Street Church, is dedicated to Latin American cultural diversity. To learn more about this upcoming show go here . From there,...

The musical “Funny Girl,” is coming to town by way of  Broadway in Boston. We get a preview with actress Hannah Shankman who stars as Fanny Brice. “Funny Girl” is onstage at Citizens Opera House February 4th through February 16th. To learn more go here . From there, the Boston Athenaeum has launched its newest exhibition, “Frank M. Costantino: Visionary Projects,” presenting the drawings of eminen...

Playwright Jordan E. Cooper  joins The Culture Show to talk about his play “Ain’t No Mo,’” a satirical take on racism in America, which garnered six Tony award nominations. “Ain’t No Mo’” is a co-production by SpeakEasy Stage Company and Front Porch Arts Collective. It’s onstage through February 8th at Roberts Studio Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion. To learn more, go here . From there, storied indepe...

Alton Brown, the television personality, food show presenter, food scientist, author, voice actor, and cinematographer joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book  “ Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations .”   It’s a debut collection of personal essays defined by his flair, wit, and insight. On February 8th at 1:00 you can catch Alton Brown at a book signing event at Harvard Book Store, mo...

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 Oscar nominations are out and “Emilia Pérez” breaks the record for the most Oscar nominations for a foreign language film. “Wicked” and “The Brutalist” aren’t far behind, with each movie garnering 10 Oscar nods.  We’ll look at the other surp...

The documentary film, “ Resistance: They Fought Back ”  tells the little-known story of how widespread and prevalent Jewish resistance to Nazi barbarism was during World War II. The film’s Executive Producer Paula Apsell joins The Culture Show to talk about it ahead of its premiere on PBS, January 27th, which is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. To learn more about how to watch it, go here...

The dynamic dining duo, Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa join the Culture Show to go over the local restaurant acne, from the latest openings, to the latest closings and must-have meals. Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa are co-hosts of NESN's "Dining Playbook" and "Meet Boston with Billy and Jenny.” Their  new book is  “A Taste of Boston: The Definitive Cookbook of the City We Love.”  From there it’s co...

“Forbidden Broadway,” is a Tony award-winning show that skewers Broadway musicals with love. It’s the brainchild of playwright and parodist Gerard Alessandrini.  Debuting in 1982, Alessandrini has created multiple iterations of  “Forbidden Broadway.” His latest  production is “Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song. “ Alessandrini, a Needham native and founding father of the spoof “Spamilton”...

Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III discuss President Trump’s inauguration through the lens of arts and culture. They’ll also focus on what Trump’s presidency will mean for the arts and culture sector. From there we mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a conversation about The Embrace memorial and sculpture on Boston Common, which honors  Martin Luther King...

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 Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision upholding a law requiring TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the platform in order for the app to continue operations in the United States. What could this mean for the social media juggernaut...

In 1991 New England Law Professor Mary Joe Frug was murdered in Harvard Square. More than 30 years on, the case remains unsolved. Michael Cassidy was a prosecutor in Massachusetts when the  crime was committed. He’s been haunted by  the slaying ever since.  One way to grapple with it, write a legal thriller based on the case. His inaugural novel is titled “‘ When the Past is All Deception .”  He j...

Pianist and composer Barron Ryan joins “The Culture Show” ahead of his January 17th concert at the First Congregational Church in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. His latest album is “There Arises Light in the Darkness.” To learn more about Barron Ryan’s concert go here . Tara Sellios is a Boston based artist whose  photographs highlight the beauty of the grotesque. Sellios creates still life vignettes f...

Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show to preview Embrace Boston’s Imari Paris Jeffries of Embrace honors MLK gala, which celebrates the legacies of outstanding civic, business, and community leaders in Boston and across the country. The gala is Sunday, January 19th, To learn more, go here . From there we get a preview of Le Prestige’s upcoming show at Li...

Choreographer Mark Morris   joins The Culture Show to talk about “The Look of Love,” which is an homage to the music of  Burt Bacharach. The show features music newly arranged by jazz pianist, composer, and Mark Morris Dance Group’s  musical collaborator Ethan Iverson. The show is a  fusion of dance and music with an ensemble of vocals, piano, trumpet, bass, and drums, led by singer, actress, and...

The Culture Show's co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III talk through the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review. First up - Southern California is ablaze, and unprecedented wildfires  have spared no one. Hollywood celebrities  - from Billy Crystal to Paris Hilton – are  posting images of how the flames have destroyed their homes. Could their platform help...

The movie “Maria,” the biopic about the famed soprano Maria Callas, has received mixed reviews from movie critics. We want to know what someone familiar with opera thinks about the film. Enter Jane Eaglen , a Grammy-winning dramatic soprano who’s performed on the world’s greatest stages.  She joined The Culture Show for her take on “Maria.” Jane Eaglen is on the faculty at New England Conservatory...

The City of Lynn, Massachusetts, has opened an application process to select its inaugural Poet Laureate.  LaCrecia Thomson, Arts and Culture Planner for the City of Lynn. joins The Culture Show , to talk about how this endeavor will help to deepen Lynn’s cultural legacy.  The application process is open through January 31st. To learn more, go here . From there it’s artist and designer Beau McCall...

Tomasina Ray, Director of Collections at RMS Titanic Inc., joins The Culture Show with an overview of “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.”  The exhibition brings us  face to face with the dramatic maritime disaster. Visitors encounter artifacts from all manner of life aboard the Titanic, all recovered from the ocean floor.  “ Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition ,” is on view at The Castle at Park Plaz...

The New Bedford Art Museum in partnership with the New Bedford Free Public Library and Look North Gallery presents: “Arctic Voices,” an exhibition representing artistic responses to the arctic region across time and cultures. One of the featured artists, Betsey Biggs , joins The Culture Show   along with Suzanne de Vegh, executive director of the New Bedford Art Museum. The exhibition features Bet...

The Culture Show's co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III talk through  the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review. First up, Popeye the Sailor  is famous for his  catchphrase “I yam what I yam.”  Now he’s whoever you want him to be. Popeye –along with Heminginway’s “Farewell to Arms,” and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” are  among the thousands of cr...

Curt DiCamillo joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book “ A British Country House Alphabet ,” which explores intriguing historical events tied to country houses in the UK, with stunning illustrations. Three volumes in total, the first covers the letters A through H. Curt DiCamillo is an American architectural historian and a recognized authority on the British country house. He is also th...

The three-time US Poet Laureate  Robert Pinsky has been lauded as one of the last civic poets. Yes, he’s an esteemed professor and renowned critic of poetry,  but he is first and foremost a poet’s populist. It has been his mission to bring poetry to the people and the people to poetry . Robert Pinsky joins The Culture Show to discuss a new collection of work called: “Proverbs of Limbo.”  From ther...