Go Sooth Your Soul by Coby Goodrich

            The Boston Symphony Orchestra delivers power, grace, respite, and sooths your soul. On a chilly night on March 19^th, the critic crew traveled into Boston to watch the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony’s theater was impressive, with two balconies over an expansive base section, and a clean stage backed with white walls and outlined in an intricate pattern of gold design. The orchestra played three different pieces from Mozart; his 39^th, 40^th, and 41^st symphonies. The stage was dominated by violins, but also held many other instruments such as drums, basses, flutes, brass instruments, and a couple more.

            Music has a way of soothing and calming people (depending on what genre), and the BSO did just that. The orchestra was sharp on their timing, and kept their time beautifully. The music captivated not just me, but as I looked around it was evident on the faces of many others that it was captivating to them as well. I don’t know much about the specifics of music but I can say that it sounded very professional and very good. The music wrapped the audience up in a blanket and held them comfortably for the entire performance.

            If possible, I would definitely advise going to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra, although I would not recommend taking young kids as they might think it boring. The music will take you from reality and offer you respite in its soothing and powerful sound.

                   

The Beehive Will Get Your Taste Buds Buzzin’ by Coby Goodrich

The Beehive Will Get Your Taste Buds Buzzin’ 

Descending a dim staircase and through a heavy curtain, the feel of the restaurant immediately matched the quality of the food. The Critic crew traveled into Boston again on March 19 to see the show Big Fish. Before seeing the play however, the crew had to refuel at dinner. Next to the theater is a restaurant called The Beehive, and we went in to eat and try the food. 

Upon entry, the Beehive is a very quaint restaurant. Old brick walls enclose a softly lit upper dining area, with impressionistic paintings hanging around the room. We were greeted by enthusiastic and polite waitresses, who led us down a wide staircase to the lower level. Heavy dark curtains masked the lower level from above, and when we passed through, more soft lighting and a quaint appearance again welcomed us. A central bar also took up extra space, which resulted in a cozier setting and a good use of space. A small simple stage was also located in the back of the room, which holds live jazz music some nights. We were then seated and a very friendly waiter took care of us for the rest of the night. He told us about the food and answered all questions regarding unknown food names, as well as actively engaging with us. When the food came, its presentation was very attractive. The setup showed that the cook had taken time to put each plate together and the food not only looked good, but tasted good as well. With recommendation from the waiter, I went with the Beehive Burger (very original). It was very far from your basic burger however, and was cooked perfectly with a special sauce on top that caused the flavor to enhance even more. The meat was well seasoned and the juices were “bomb” (an expression taken from our waiter). 

This is easily my favorite restaurant thus far and if you find yourself in Boston for dinner this is a place you should definitely consider. Its old-fashioned appearance and feel is very welcoming, the food is great, and the service is friendly and fun. 

Come See Jesus by Coby Goodrich

Come See Jesus 

Deep in the mountains just outside the distant land of Vermont, a small town offers a wealth of artistic talent and (somewhat creepy) character. On a rainy March 16^th day, the drowsy Critic Crew arrived on sight in Williamstown at the Clark Museum. Morale remained high, but the hot tub had definitely taken its toll on the energy of the crew. A lovely lady of a tour guide led us on a brief tour of the museum, and then we were released to explore. The Clark Museum is the collection of Sterling and Francine Clark, who spent the wealth of their family collecting paintings and other works of art. 

The majority of the paintings in the museum were still life and nature scenes, but one small gallery held a collection of religious paintings. One of these paintings was called “Virgin and Child with John the Baptist” by Sandro Botticelli and Studio. The painting was done in a gold circular frame, which relates to the time period in which it was painted. The circular frame also compliments the smooth edges and faces of the characters in the painting. The characters pictured are the Virgin Mary, young John Baptist, and baby Jesus. The painting was done with oil paints and a vast stretch of green hills and a river in the background. The Virgin Mary is standing and holding her baby, while young John the Baptist prays by her side. Her face shows a calm and tender emotion as she gazes at her baby, who is clinging to her hair. Almost attached to each of the heads of each person are circular discs. It is unclear what the discs are supposed to be, however they look like halos and give the painting a more sacred feel because of it. The sun also appears to be rising because the light is a pale yellow, and the sky is a lighter blue than black, meaning the sun is coming up. 

I would recommend seeing this painting to any religious person interested in art, as it is also part of a gallery containing religious artwork and could be more interesting to a religious viewer. The museum as a whole is very complete and full of good artwork and presentation. It should be visited by anyone looking to view good artwork. 

Throwback Comedy by Coby Goodrich

            The Color Museum was explosive, well acted, but only funny at the beginning. With moral high, we traveled to see this performance on March 12 in Boston. The Color Museum’s goal was to showcase African-American racial stereotypes through uncomfortable comedy.  It did this with a cast of six talented members, in nine different skits. The skits ranged from casual everyday events, such as cooking and flying (on a plane), to more abstract ideas and explosive musicals.

            The acting was very good throughout the performance. Each character used lots of energy in their voice and expressive body language. One different thing about this performance is that in some scenes, the characters appeared on stage standing completely still. So still in fact, that at first they appeared to be statues. The beginning of the play was killer. It opened with a stewardess giving directions on a “slave plane.” The racial stereotypes were clear and uncomfortably funny, and the actress did a very good job delivering the scene. A cooking scene that was equally as uncomfortably funny followed this scene, and the stereotypes were still clear. After these first two scenes however, the stereotypes and jokes became vey unclear, in part because I was too young to understand the old references. As the performance progressed, the music became louder and the scenes more confusing.

            I would recommend this play if you are looking for something more on the comedy side, but be prepared to feel a little uncomfortable. I also believe that to enjoy the performance one should be older in age because the majority of the racial stereotype references are older and therefore less clear to younger viewers.

You Gotta Regatta by Coby Goodrich

            A collection of dots formed into a masterpiece, leaving the viewer swimming in the painting’s ocean and sailing in the graceful boats. On another beautiful day on March 12, the group walked to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Although school groups are required to remain with the teacher, we were deemed old enough to handle ourselves and thus we ventured out into the world of art. During our travels, my group stumbled upon a small gallery of outstanding paintings. One such painting, titled The Regatta by Theodore Van Rysselberghe, particularly struck me in its color, picture, and technique. Theodore painted the Regatta during a cruise in the Mediterranean with another well-known painter named Paul Signac. The painting is done using oil paints and a technique known as pointillism.

            The pointillism technique used was easily one of the more defining features of the painting as it brought out the painting’s true color and beautiful lines. The technique also gave the painting two different looks, one from afar and one from viewed up close. From up close, the painting exhibits an array of colors all over the piece. There are red and orange dots in the ocean, and blue and white and orange dots in the grass. Of course these colors are mixed with the normal colors one would expect to find in these locations, such as blues in the ocean and greens in the grass, but up close it appears that the painting is made up of colors from all over the color wheel. The different colored dots bring out the lights and darks of the piece and blend together beautifully, especially when seen from afar. The sailboats seem to be gliding gracefully across the piece, while sun (not included in the painting) seems to be setting as it casts an orange hue over the cliffs and capped waves. The painting kept me captivated in its scene, making me feel as if I was standing on the elegant cliff watching the boats race the setting of the sun.

            The Regatta is a must see at the Museum of fine arts. It’s style and color gives immediate appeal, as well as the scene it portrays. It gives the viewer many aspects to observe and a picture to enjoy. I may have a bias as I enjoy anything to do with the ocean, however I still believe anyone would find The Regatta very appealing and enjoyable. It is a must sea.

           

Misguided Leadership by Coby Goodrich

             The small stage held many big ideas, but many of the ideas failed to communicate. On the 11^th of a beautiful March day (the first after many days of cold snow), we traveled into Providence just after breakfast to watch the show The Glass Menagerie. It took place on a small open stage, with the audience seated in chairs all around. The cast included everyone seen and heard, from the characters to the musicians, and even the stage crew. The play contained four characters, three of which were family members, and the fourth a friend of the older brother in the family. The family consists of a mother, an older brother, and a younger sister. It is clearly evident that the family is struggling and there is lots of conflict within the family. Tom, the older brother and narrator of the play, struggles with his internal problem of providing for the family and his wish to leave for adventure and escape his demanding mother.  

            I’ll start with the positives. The play was very open in that no character, stage crewmember, or piece of stage equipment was hidden from the audience. This allowed the audience to see everything that was going on around the stage (not a good thing as it turns out for this play), giving the performance a different “closer” feel. The character’s of the play were very believable and carried out their roles with well executed comedy, sadness and power. The talented actors seemed to enjoy themselves, and the play held lots of potential, its only flaw was the director. The director caused many issues with the play. Throughout the performance, there were distractions by actors off set as they were busily doing something related to the performance but the intention of what they were doing was unclear. There were also some stage directions that remained unexplained and confusing, such as characters standing on chairs for no reason, and blowup animals. During a question and answer at the end of the performance, one of many confused audience members asked what the blowup animals had been for. The response was that the blowup animals had been a past idea of the director, and he had kept some in the play simply because he liked them. In the play, the blowup animals had made no sense and kept the audience guessing what they were supposed to be representing. The whole play seemed to be a muddle of the director’s ideas, almost none of them fitting together. The result was a confusing play with good characters but a bad script to follow.

            The Glass Menagerie kept the audience guessing, in a bad way. The play was a collection of muddled ideas that masked the true talent of the characters in the performance. The play left me confused and with a headache. I would not highly recommend a friend to see this play, however art is meant for interpretation and people will interpret it differently. So if your feeling adventurous and don’t mind feeling let down, try this play out. Otherwise, see a different play.

 

It Should Be the Number 1 Hit on itunes by Coby Goodrich

It Should Be the Number 1 Hit on itunes by Coby Goodrich

 

            Right away the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus established a powerful message and then continued the theme throughout the performance in many catchy and moving songs, accompanied by an outstanding piano player. We took a Sunday trip to see the performance on March 8^th at the Groton Public School.

The songs included music form the popular Broadway show Wicked, and music from a couple of Disney movies, such as Pocahontas and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. A powerful message of “one love” and “you’ll never be alone” formed from these songs, and also a song put together with lyrics made from the sad messages of children that felt alone. The song with these lyrics was emotionally charged and powerful, having much of the audience in tears throughout. The message that “no one is alone” was supported in every song and every expression of every member on stage. The choir members maintained lively expressions and body language, as well as having outstanding duets and solos during many songs. The choir kept the audience engaged with their body language, and the conductor of the choir did as well as he was funny and paused between some songs to address the audience.

The performance was a huge success, in the engagement of the audience and singers, to the clearly and well-delivered message of “never being alone” and “one love.” The singers, pianist, and conductor were all very good, having the audience in tears. Go to be inspired and moved, the performance is a must see.