I attended my first class with the Paint Bar yesterday and couldn't be more delighted. I'm…read moreimpressed how they were able to quickly bring the program online in light of the unexpected challenges of the virus. They even offered to deliver the supplies until shipping was available so people could participate. The teacher broke the steps down to simplify a complex painting, and carefully demonstrated each of the techniques. They even broke the class out into breakout rooms so friends could work together from home. Overall, it was a terrific experience.

The Paint Bar is a lot of fun, and no matter how little talent you have (I can't draw a circle…read morewithout Powerpoint), you can indeed create a masterpiece (ok, maybe it will only sell for $2 at your garage sale in 10 years, but your very small children will be impressed). I suggest arriving 30 minutes early, so that you don't get stuck in the line waiting for paints and can focus on importing things like buying a glass of wine. It also helps to be seated near the small stage in front so that you can easily see the example completed painting on the wall. They rotate through a selection of different ones, which are specified on the website when you buy your tickets, so don't pick a class that will paint a lame one like the happy dolphin! Also, you need to see the instructor, who will demonstrate painting an additional example on the stage. The instructor was quite funny, and fairly clear in explaining the individual steps one by one, although she went pretty quickly. The full 2 hours are necessary to complete the painting, and if you fall behind, you will miss some of the tricks or paint combinations. If you bring a date, be sure to praise how much better his or her piece is than yours, over and over again. Artists are sensitive, and who knows, you might get lucky later. If you have talent, maybe your painting will end up in Somerville's Museum of Bad Art, and not in a garage sale!

Beautiful! Carole King... I saw this show twice in two…read moreweekends and I'd see it again! Olivia Palmer as Carole King was phenomenal, and Shad Hanley brought depth to Gerry's role. Martinez Napoleon, as the lead Drifter, had an absolutely amazing voice and stole every scene he was in. The entire cast was strong, the music was timeless, and the staff at Reagle were welcoming and professional. The show exceeded my expectations and was an unforgettable experience from start to finish!

The Reagle Theatre is a hidden gem a few miles out of downtown. I have been to the theater at least…read morea half a dozen times and every performance has been wonderful. For a small theater serving the greater Boston area they have fabulous performances. They put on some of the most historic plays, as well as some holiday plays and shows. It looks like the theater is in the back of a school however, the seating is somewhat comfortable.. I've actually been to a few of the opening day performances and once in a while, they have a spread in the front hallway where you can get to meet the performers and producers. This takes a very personal memorable experience. There is nothing like speaking to one of the actors right after the show.. parking is plentiful with a huge lot right outside the door. During intermission, they usually have concession set up with small items like ice cream, candy, and drinks. If you're into the theatre and want to see a well practice performance of a play that you like I think you'll be very happy if you came over to the Reagle. I definitely will attend many more performances here. FYI, all the seats are great so don't fret about taking one in the back. It's still not that far away from the stage. Oh, and let me just mention most of the performances I've been to there's a live orchestra in the pit right in front of the stage.. buy yourself a ticket. Have a great time.

Vivo is an amazing organization! My family enjoys the variety of performance arts included in each…read moreseason, and values that a range of new and local to famous and international artists are included. The staff is lovely and we recommend Vivo to friends and neighbors.

We attended the Vivo Jazz, Latin, and Klezmer performance that was part of Clarinet weekend…read more Performers Juan Ruiz, Camila Cortina, Itay Dayan, and members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. They were incredible! This was a small setting, about 150 attendees, at the Multicultural Arts Center in East Boston. It was part of the Neighborhoods Arts Concert Series. The staff are welcoming, and the seats were individual chairs - very comfortable without view obstruction, and the setting was open with great acoustics. It is not often that you can get so close to such world class performers. After, there was a reception after for all attendees with great sandwiches, fresh fruit, cookies, and non-alcoholic beverages. This concert series is free!! It is easy to get there on the MBTA Green Line; a 5 minute walk from the Lechmere station. Tomorrow there is a Classical concert at the same location. Arrive a little early if you want a seat; and keep in mind that they are limited by capacity rules. The Neighborhood Arts series is well worth attending! Thank you Vivo Performing Arts!

Brickpark band is nothing short of amazing. I first saw them at a friend's wedding about 4 years…read moreago, and then at another friend's wedding about 2 years later. My future husband was with me for the second wedding and he loved them too, so when we got engaged there was no question that we would hire them for our own wedding. We called the band before we planned anything else and picked our wedding date based on their availability! If that's not faith in their ability, I don't know what is. :) The band is fantastically talented and fun, and their manager Paul is responsive and easy to work with. They traveled from Boston to NYC to perform, and brought so much energy with them! The on-site manager/DJ Julian was charming and funny. AND the band went above and beyond and assisted my husband's best friend with a surprise tribute song to us (as part of her "best pal" speech)! It was a song and a moment that my husband and I will never forget, and Brickpark made it possible. We cannot recommend Brickpark enough. If you're looking for a band that will keep your guests on the dance floor and the compliments rolling in afterwards, this is it! Kristen & Matt 5-19-12 PS: We are soliciting wedding invites from anyone that uses them... call us! We'll be there! We'll bring a gift!

We wanted our wedding reception to be an awesome party, and BrickPark helped accomplish that. They…read moreplayed acoustic music for our cocktail hour, which was fantastic. They emceed the entire evening, so everyone knew what was going on. Then they seriously rocked out for the rest of the night. Everyone was on their feet getting down. Our aunt in her 60's even commented, "I haven't danced that much since high school!" The coolest part is that these guys aren't your typical wedding band. They're young, play popular music and get people on the dance floor. I can recommend them without reservation to anyone looking for a truly unique, awesome wedding band.

While home for 72 hours, I had the pleasure of visiting Canvas Studio The Design Lab in Boston. I…read moresaw a post on ig and was sent the rsvp link. Baybeee it's Black owned and the artwork is amazing. I'm left-handed and love places where I can be creative and dance. International Saturday !!! Where can you go to sip and paint in the dark to afrobeats, dancehall and reggae all night??? Jesse was our host and made the experience very fun! He let us pick our music choices and wine choices. The choices of art pieces were varied which was great! This is the perfect outing with friends or date night.

Overall rating: 6 stars, black women owed business to support…read more Food: an arrangement of cocktails from wine, to mixed drinks Texture: the drinks we got were delicious and flowed down our mouths smoothly Pricing: $50 per person to paint under neon lights or to even splatter paint! Ambiance: great AC, nice and cool, great music and vibes, the neon lights were absolutely gorgeous, there is a room in the back for photo opportunitie Seating & Parking: seats in front of canvases and parking in the front and side of the building Service: Daphane was an absolute peach, so was so sweet and welcoming, and helped us along the way Music: rnb remixes Bathrooms: one unisex bathroom Final comments: a great date night spot or honestly even kids parties! Get artsy! It's suited for people of any art background. Whether you have some art background or none at all, Canvas Studios gotchu. There are canvases with stencils but also some that are blank so feel free to let your creativity flow.

What a great theater nestled in a cute little neighborhood! My daughter gifted us tickets so off…read morethe JP we went. There is on street parking and a municipal lot behind the main street business. Enter through the side door and you're in the main waiting area with plenty of historic pictures and local art. The theater upstairs and you're transported to another time. Local theater is so important. The production was good and we loved seeing local actors. Would recommend.

What a special place this is! I did not realize that this group had been in operation for 100 years…read moreuntil I attended the performance yesterday. The building is a beautiful historic building. It is also wheelchair accessible. The performance of Miss Holmes was really good. Good acting, and the set was really clever and creative. They also had snacks during intermission. Only a dollar for a bag of chips or a soda! The ticket price was also very reasonable. I can't wait to see their next play!

OK, so I'm a wee bit biased because, well, I'm the baritone section leader for the BGMC…read more Under the incredibly talented Reuben Reynolds (conductor), we have 3 concerts per year held at some of Bostons finest Venues. We always have a Holiday concert that always tries to embrace lots of celebrations. So we celebrate the Christians and the Jews and pagans and well you know who you are. Jordan Hall is where the fun is. The Spring Show is going to be an all original piece composed specifically for our Chorus and will be one night only at Symphony Hall. The Pride Concert usually has a serious beautiful start and then ends with a big Gay ending. We're pretty good at that. So you can always get info on the concerts, times and prices on our website http://www.bgmc.org It's a great time and having been around for 25 years kinda shows that we must be doing something right. :)

When Napster first arrived during my college years in the late 90's, early 2000's, I had downloaded…read morehundreds of choral Christmas music, and much of it was from the various Gay Men's Choruses around the country. I thought to myself "Wow, I'd love to hear a choir like this live one day!" 10 years later, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a wonderful Holiday concert in my own neighborhood at the beautiful New England Conservatory of Music concert hall. I ventured to this concert alone and was seated way up on the balcony, which was perfect due to stadium seating, since I'm short. Plus, these tickets were less expensive. The concert itself was phenomenal. I usually get bored with music concerts, but I did not with this one. I was also blown away with how the ensemble sounded 100% professional, which surprised me as I think that this is just something this chorale does "on the side" (though I could be wrong). It was by far, my favorite performance that I have attended here in the city. I think I had a stupid grin on my face, because an all-male ensemble, holiday music, and an engaged audience really made for a fantastic experience. I haven't attended any other concerts, as I am sort of picky as to what sort of music I like to enjoy, but I will be absolutely will be making the holiday concert a new tradition in my life. Amazing.

I love this family friendly theatre. Attending their shows is a great way to introduce young…read morechildren to the arts. They use the whole theatre in their productions, you never know which aisle a character will run down or dance across (at least that has been the norm for the past 4 seasons). My children have enjoyed every production they have attended from Peter Pan to Pippi Longstocking. They actors, novice and professional alike, really do a fabulous job on and off stage. I remember my little guy was afraid of the pirates in Peter Pan, we decided to leave early and happened upon the pirates waiting to enter through the door we were trying to exit. He freaked out a bit until the a couple of the pirates took off their beards and eye patches and explain to him that they were pretending. They didn't have to do that but they did and it helped calm his fears. I love that they break traditional casting norms, for instance: one bearded pirate in Peter Pan was a woman; Marilda in Anne of Green Gables was black and Matthew, her brother, was white; in Pippi, Mrs. Settergren is black while her children, Tommy and Annika, are white; in The Wizard of Oz , Glinda was Asian and pregnant. The shows are affordable, and accessible. The theatre is conveniently located near the Longwood Medical Area and I'd suggest parking in a nearby garage as opposed to taking your chances on The Riverway.

The summer camp for children is purely based on favorites, and they give the same children time to…read moreshine over and over again while the students who are just as talented get ensemble parts with no singing or even single lines. Some kids who are arguably worse repeatedly get cast as very important roles while actual talent takes a back seat. Awful, unfair, and horrible.