Eight Must-See Arts and Entertainment Events in October 2014
Photograph by Eva Heyd, ©Estate of Diane Itter
1.
FINE ARTS
If you liked this summer’s yarn-bombing of the Mass. Ave. Bridge—during which kaleidoscopic woven art blanketed the railings spanning the Charles River—you’ll love this colorful retrospective at the ICA, which showcases the range of contemporary fiber art. The medium was popularized in the 1960s, when artists around the world began crafting abstract sculptures from such materials as combed wool, jute, sisal, and even mop heads, goat hair, and metallic lace. The resulting pieces, with their variegated hues and textures, are impressive. The ICA explores the history of this relatively unheralded art form with works by 33 artists—from cascades of color by Sheila Hicks to African-influenced geometric forms by Xenobia Bailey to ghostly webs by Ernesto Neto. The pieces themselves may cover a diverse range of subjects, but all are woven and knotted from man’s oldest, most utilitarian materials.
October 1 to January 4,The Institute of Contemporary Art, 617-478-3100, icaboston.org.
2.
COMEDY
The creator of the hit TV comedy Girls just released her first book, Not That Kind of Girl, in which her hilarious confessional essays about family and dating read like a cross between David Sedaris and Nora Ephron. This month Dunham brings her book tour to the Wilbur, where she’ll discuss it with The Liars’ Club author Mary Karr.
October 2, The Wilbur Theatre, 617-248-9700, thewilbur.com.
3.
ROCK MUSIC
The Boston Music Awards aren’t until December, but organizers are already promoting the event with this free show featuring such Bay State–bred acts as the Both, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, and Speedy Ortiz.
October 4, The Lawn on D, lawnond.com.
4.
BOOK
In contrast to colleagues like the polarizing Dan Shaughnessy or the nationally focused Peter Gammons, sportswriting legend Bob Ryan has managed to stay both widely loved and fiercely local since joining the Globe in 1968. His new memoir, Scribe, is an acerbic, enlightening history of big sports moments over the past 40-plus years.
October 7, Bloomsbury, $27.
5.
DANCE PARTY
EDM may stand for “electronic dance music,” but these days it really just means Top 40. And at UMass Lowell’s Tsongas Center, 103.3 AMP Radio is hosting three of today’s biggest hitmakers: Zedd (the Grammy-winning “Clarity”), Calvin Harris (Rihanna’s “We Found Love”), and Duke Dumont (international chart-topper “Need U”).
October 16, Tsongas Center, 866-722-8780, 1033ampradio.com.
6.
THEATER
Set at Mass General in 1846, this new play by Elizabeth Egloff explores what happened after William T. G. Morton performed the first public medical operation with anesthesia in the hospital’s surgical amphitheater. Spoiler alert: It changed the face of modern medicine forever.
October 17 to November 23, Huntington Theatre Company, 617-266-0800, huntingtontheatre.org.
7.
MUSICAL THEATER
Mozart’s fantastical opera about the trials of true love in a land of sorcerers and child spirits gets a major makeover by the Isango Ensemble. The South African troupe, which draws most of its performers from the townships around Cape Town, has transposed Wolfgang Amadeus’s score to an orchestra of marimbas. The production comes to ArtsEmerson after winning an Olivier award when it ran in London.
October 21 to 26, Cutler Majestic Theatre, 617-824-8400, artsemerson.org.
8.
BALLET
Boston Ballet opens its season with the world premiere of Mikko Nissinen’s overhaul of the Tchaikovsky classic. The production features a new prologue, an update of the iconic choreography, and even fresh costumes and sets by Robert Perdziola (who also worked on the new Nutcracker).
October 30 to November 16, Boston Opera House, 617-695-6955, bostonballet.org.
