10 things to go see around Boston this August
Though August is halfway through the summer off-season for many of Boston’s most well-known performance art centers, there are still many opportunities to enjoy music, theater and cinema. Here are 10 things to see around Boston this month.
Detroit
With over a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Kathryn Bigelow’s drama has been called “timely” and “physically powerful” by critics. Dramatizing the 1967 Detroit riots, the film—which was shot primarily in Boston—provides a look into the relatively recent history of race in America. (Opens on Thursday, August 3; various locations; rated R)
Inuit Stories: Four Films
Over the first weekend of August, the Museum of Fine Arts will be showing four films by and about Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic to complement their Follow the North Star exhibit that opened in July. Prepared in collaboration with Boston’s Canadian Consulate, the films each present a different in-depth look at Inuit life. (Saturday, August 5 at noon and 2 p.m., Sunday, August 6 at 1 and 3 p.m.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; $11; 13+)
Finding Neverland
The Broadway musical retelling the creation of Peter Pan will be spending the middle of August at the Boston Opera House as part of its national tour. Experience a fantasy classic from a new perspective with the show focused on the play’s creator. (Opens Tuesday, August 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Boston Opera House, Boston; $40+; all ages)
Concert in the Courtyard: Boston Philharmonic
While the BPO’s season doesn’t start until October, music lovers can enjoy a free summer performance organized by the Boston Public Library. The lunchtime concert is one in a series of free music events held by the library. (Friday, August 11 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; Central Library in Copley Square, Boston; free; all ages)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Five years before Joss Whedon’s cult television show, there was a film. In a weekend of ’80s and ’90s films directed by women, the Brattle Theatre will also be celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary. (Friday, August 11 at 9:30 p.m.; Brattle Theatre, Cambridge; $11; rated PG-13)
Lithosphere Heart
The Theater Offensive will be presenting a staged reading of BU student Tatiana Isabel Gil’s play focused on intersectional identity. In cooperation with the Boston Center for the Arts, this is one of the few student productions that will be opening during the summer off-season. (Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19 at 7 p.m.; Boston Center for the Arts, Boston; free; all ages)
The Godfather
The classic will be screening as one of the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s weekly “Big Screen Classics.” See it in on the theater’s primary screen. (Monday, August 28 at 7 p.m.; Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline; $12.25; rated R)
Harborwalk Sounds
Every Thursday, the Institute of Contemporary Art will be bringing local musicians from Berklee College of Music to perform on their harbor walkway. Enjoy food, drinks, and a free concert with views of the water! (Every Thursday in August from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; free; all ages)
SketchHaüs
One of the lesser-known shows at ImprovBoston, SketchHaüs presents experimental sketch comedy from indie Boston teams each week. Held on Thursday evenings, the show is called an “incubator” for local comedy groups. (Every Thursday in August at 9 p.m.; ImprovBoston, Cambridge; $12; 13+)
Magic 106.7 Family Film Festival
Each Saturday, the Prudential Center South Garden will be hosting children’s activities, giveaways, and a film. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy the summer weather as a family. (Every Saturday in August at 6 p.m.; Prudential Center South Garden, Boston; free; all ages)
