Seven Can’t-Miss Events in Boston, July 2017

Photograph by Elsa Dorfman

FILM
The B-Side

When this heartwarming documentary opens in the Boston area this month, viewers will witness a summit between two of our region’s most iconic image-makers. Over the past 40 years, Academy Award–winning, Cambridge-based filmmaker Errol Morris has explored subjects as varied as pet cemeteries, the Vietnam War, and Abu Ghraib. Now he profiles legendary Cantabrigian artist Elsa Dorfman, who’s spent decades photographing cultural icons such as Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan, not to mention well-known locals like her husband, famed civil rights attorney Harvey Silverglate. With works in the MFA and the National Portrait Gallery, Dorfman is known for her medium, the now-archaic 20-by-24-inch Polaroid film. Only six massive cameras for such film were built, and Dorfman’s is bigger than she is. But as her hoard of discontinued film stock dwindles, the now-octogenarian photographer knows her time left is limited. So she revisits her life and archives in front of Morris’s cameras in a way that is less elegiac than quirky and celebratory.

Out July 14, bsidefilm.com.

Photograph by Kenojuak Ashevak

FINE ARTS
“Follow the North Star”

Drawn from the collection of legendary Boston photographer Yousuf Karsh and his wife, Estrellita, the MFA celebrates Inuit prints made with handcarved soapstone and featuring such themes as family, hunting, and shamans. Most of the prints come from Cape Dorset, near Canada’s Baffin Island, more than 1,300 miles north of Boston.

July 1–December 31, Museum of Fine Arts, 617-267-9300, mfa.org.

BOOK
Wooly

Bestselling nonfiction author Ben Mezrich returns with a new challenge: making DNA sequencing entertaining for the masses. In this case, he details the efforts of Harvard scientist George Church to “de-extinct” the wooly mammoth by splicing its genetic code with a modern elephant’s. And yes, it’s already slated to become a movie.

Out July 4, $26, Atria Books.

ROCK
Boston

Tom Scholz and crew return to their eponymous hometown to belt out FM golden nuggets like “More Than a Feeling” and “Don’t Look Back.” The show’s opening act is no slouch, either: Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

July 13, TD Garden, 800-745-3000, tdgarden.com.

FESTIVAL
My Caribbean One World Expo

This celebration of all things Caribbean takes over Dewey Square with music, folklore, and food that reflect the diverse cultures of the isles. Now in its fifth year, the festival benefits the Authentic Caribbean Foundation, which helps children with HIV/AIDS and other health issues.

July 15, Rose Kennedy Greenway, 857-271-6006, mycaribbeanoneworldexpo.com.

THEATER
Romeo and Juliet

The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company returns with perhaps the Bard’s most popular play, directed by Allegra Libonati, currently resident director at the American Repertory Theater. All you need to do is pop open the prosecco, sit back in your lawn chair, and watch Verona’s famous young lovers hurtle toward their doom.

July 19–August 6, Boston Common, 617-426-0863, commshakes.org.

Photograph by Nina Westervelt

MUSIC
Newport Folk Festival

Bob Dylan infamously went electric here in Rhode Island 52 years ago, but let’s face it, this festival hasn’t been all acoustic and tweedy in a long time. Thankfully, that means it features a stellar lineup of both indie rock and soul music, including Fleet Foxes, Wilco, Regina Spektor, Suzanne Vega, Michael Kiwanuka, and the Berklee Gospel & Roots Choir.

July 28–30, Fort Adams State Park, newportfolk.org.