Beehive, reviewed by Catie Wildman

Jazz music is Best in the Beehive 
by Catie Wildman

There is live music playing on an exposed stage surrounded by seating, with a mixture of jazz, blues, and other genres. Downbeat Magazine rated the Beehive one of the “Top 100 Jazz Clubs in the World”. Although the night I attended there was no live music playing, captivating jazz music was played while dining, and videos of musicians were projected onto a wall. Throughout the restaurant there was unexpected forms of art, such as manikin hands placed next to the bottles in the bar, and luxurious tapestry curtains on walls on the stairs headed downstairs. Many different styles of art were used, resulting in a modgepodge of art and forms of expression scattered through the restaurant.

The restaurant is equipped with two bars, one upstairs and another downstairs. The menu has a variety of foods from around the world including eggplant spinach Parmesan, prime burgers, to seared duck breast, and even Moroccan cigars. There were things I had never heard of in dishes, such as tabouli, and tzatziki. I ordered the roasted Scottish salmon with parsnip-mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach, and red wine sauce on the side. A surprise to me was the bits of baked sweet potato on top of the salmon; the sweetness complimented the dish harmoniously which I was not expecting. Parts of dishes were unexpected, yet the perfect addition that helped all the flavors to blend into food worthy of the gods. For example the plum sauce that was paired with the seared duck breast was raved about, and purple carrots were a pleasant surprise to be found in the lamb and chicken couscous. The food at the Beehive is prepared with such detail and the flavors combine to form perfection, and the art and music create an upbeat and pleasurable atmosphere. 

MFA Boston, review by Catie Wildman

The Greeks: They're Watching You by Catie Wildman

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has many complete and immense collections that enable one to draw connections between exhibits and time periods. Alexander the Great of Greece invaded Egypt, and added Egypt to his expanding empire. Greek and Roman style had an influence and intertwined with Egyptian art and culture. “The Influence of the Classical World” is a portrait of a man that has been dated to the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods between 332 B.C and 395 A.D. This painting can be found in the ancient Egyptian exhibit, placed next to mummies and masks for these mummies for their journey to their next life.  “Portrait of a young woman” is located in the ancient European art including Greek and Roman pieces. This painting has been dated back to the first or second century A.D, and is from Egypt. It is a young Egyptian woman that has been painted as a mask for a mummy. After the invasion of Egypt, the Romans and Greeks adopted Egyptian burial methods. The difference in time between the two portraits shows how Egyptian art was influenced and became comparable to Roman and Greek art.

There are numerous similarities between the two portraits regardless of the different origins. Both paintings have enlarged, doe-like brown eyes, elongated necks, and short brown hair. The eyebrows are dark, defined, and arched on both the male and female. The two portraits both include pouty lips. The two styles are also very alike, both being a realistic portrayal of the human form, with visible brush strokes. The sizes of the portraits are related, the canvas being long and thin, showing the head down to the chest, and excluding the shoulders. Despite the great number of similarities, there is one noticeable difference in the two works of art. The portrait of the woman has a dark, even toned background that creates contrast against her skin. However the portrait of the man has a similarly red colored background to his skin and clothing, which in turn did not create contrast and helps him to blend into the background. The Museum of Fine Arts has an expanse of art from varying time periods and places in the world, which helps to create links between the past and the present. 

Kiki Smith’s Daisy Chain by Catie Wildman

Kiki Smith’s Daisy Chain by Catie Wildman

Daisy Chain by Kiki Smith

            Kiki Smith made the sculpture Daisy Chain in 1992 and it is now located WHERE? This sculpture is made with 100 feet of steel chain and dark metal. Daisy chain depicts a woman with severed limbs connected by metal chain sprawled on the floor like a dead body. The artist, Kiki Smith, was a known feminist, and at the time the sculpture was made there was violence in America towards women. The sculpture illustrates women’s fight for freedom during a time of sexism and violence. The hands in the sculpture are reaching out, almost as if this woman is waiting for something to come to her, anticipating freedom. The name of the sculpture, Daisy Chain, suggests innocence and youth, however the chains and severed limbs, contradict this initial message. The use of chains represents the struggle for freedom from oneself, and from others in a society of oppression.

            Although the name hints at innocence, the sculpture portrays a woman caught in the battle for her freedom from herself and society’s wrath. The chains and severed limbs show that this woman was a casualty in the countrywide women’s equality movement. 

Music Transforms a Play About a Cockroach Into Something Beautiful by Catie Wildman

Music Transforms a Play About a Cockroach Into Something Beautiful by Catie Wildman

            The play Metamorphosis was codirected by David Faar and Gisliron Gardarsson and was located in the Paramount Theater. The music used provided a rhythm for the play, and amplified emotions portrayed by the actors. This play was about a man, Gregor, who had to support his parents and little sister that he loved dearly, until he turned into a giant cockroach. This transformation wrecked Gregor’s and his family’s lives, who he could no longer support. In the beginning of the play, right after the curtain went up, the actors entered stage and went about the daily lives of their characters. The music playing at this time had a beat that easily could be found, and this beat acted as a playground of sorts for the actors. The actors were able to synchronize their movements to the flow and beat of the music, manipulating their timing to match up with the music. This enforced the organization of the family’s life, and the flow of the music became one with the flow of the play.

            The play Metamorphosis was executed in such a way that the audience could feel the flow and tempo of the play and the emotions being portrayed.  The actors played off the music and interacted with the set in a way that intrigued the audience.  The execution of this play stood out over the plot and added an original feeling to the old tale that is Metamorphosis.