Anna Barber, Curator of Exhibitions at Martha's Vineyard Museum joins The Culture Show for an overview of their sprawling exhibition “Jaws’ at 50: A Deeper Dive,” It’s on view through  September 7th. To learn more go here.

From there Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik joins us for our recurring feature, Stage and Screen Time–a look at the latest movies and plays in theaters now. Joyce Kulhawik is an Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter and president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association. You can find her reviews on Joyce’s Choices.

Finally we continue our “Countdown to 2026,” with Zara Anishanslin on her latest book “The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution.” Zara Anishanslin is a Professor of History and Art History at the University of Delaware. To learn more go here.

Vanessa Bumpus, Exhibit Coordinator at Museum of Worcester,  joins The Culture Show for an overview of their permanent installation celebrating Worcester’s industry since the early 19th century. It’s an expansive survey of the innovators, workers, investors who have made industry the story of Worcester. To learn more go here.  

From there, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company brings “As You Like It,” to the Parkman Bandstand for their annual - and free - Shakespeare on the Common production. Actress Nora Eschenheimer, who stars as Rosalind, and actor Michael Underhill, who stars as Orlando, join The Culture Show for an overview. “As You Like It” runs July 23rd through August 10th. To learn more go here.

Finally, Culture Show contributor Pedro Alonzo takes us on a tour through Europe, with stops at museums and art installations in rural Spain, Berlin and beyond. Pedro Alonzo is an independent curator and the Artistic Director of the Boston Public Art Triennial.

Actor and playwright William Jackson Harper is known for his Emmy Award-nominated performance as Chidi Anagonye on “The Good Place.” He also has an esteemed film and theater career. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance as Dr. Astrov in the Broadway revival of “Uncle Vanya.”  He joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest role, playing Jim in Tennessee Williams' rare prison drama, “Not About Nightingales."  It’s onstage through August 3rd as part of Williamstown Theatre Festival’s  current season.  To learn more about Williamstown Theatre Festival and “Not About Nightingales,” go here.

From there Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Richard Russo joins The Culture Show, to talk about his new book "Life and Art.”  It’s a COVID-era meditation on his  childhood, adulthood and what it means to be an artist. 

Finally we head to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for an overview of their exhibition “Ming Fay: Edge of The Garden.” Gabrielle Niu, the Gardner’s Assistant Curator of the Collection and Exhibitions, leads the way. To learn more about the Ming Fay exhibition go here.

Today Edgar B. Herwick III, Callie Crossley  and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons go over the latest arts and culture headlines on our week-in-review.

First up, we look at the future of public media now that Congress has stripped more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

From there it’s  “Fight for America!,” a live, immersive performance centered around a large-scale tabletop wargame that explores the events of January 6th at the U.S. Capitol. It’s onstage in London and will land in Washington DC next January.

Then we review the notable Americans who president Trump will honor in his National Garden of American Heroes. And speaking of heroes, how  the super hero “Superman” movie  is sparking controversy among conservative critics who say it’s a super woke.

Finally a piece of cinematic history, Rosebud the sled from Citizen Kane, sells at auction for  $14.75 million. 

Science Journalist and author Chris Berdik joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book “Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back.”  It details our chronic exposure to noise, how it's affecting our health, and the people who are working to bring the noise down and improve our quality of life.

From there it’s another episode of “Sound Files.”  Our ongoing series when we invite local musicians and cultural critics to zero in on one of their favorite entries in the US National Recording Registry. On tap today, Janie Barnett has chosen to go deep on Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual.” Janie Barnett is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her latest album is “Under My Skin: Reimagining Cole Porter.” 

Finally, the acclaimed flute player Emi Ferguson joins us to talk about her collaboration with the baroque ensemble Ruckus. They’ve released a new album “Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes.” On July 25th they'll be performing at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. The show is presented by Music Worcester. To learn more go here.

Adam Aleksic—founder and former president of the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society, and content creator posting educational videos as the “Etymology Nerd”—joins The Culture Show to talk about his new book “Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language.” Tonight he’ll be at the Harvard Book Store. To learn more go here

In 1985 Marty McFly skateboarded onto the silver screen — and into cinematic history — with the blockbuster, “Back to The Future.” In this sci-fi classic, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown turns a DeLorean into a  plutonium-powered time machine. Then, in an experiment gone awry, Marty McFly finds himself taking a ride of his lifetime, going back to 1955 where he meets his parents when they were teenagers. Now audiences can time travel back to 1985 by way of “Back to the Future, The Musical.”  It’s onstage at Citizens Opera House by way of Broadway in Boston through July 20th. To learn more go here.

Finally, artist Steve Locke. His  exhibition at Mass MoCA, “The Fire Next Time,”  is a nod to James Baldwin’s 1963 book by the same name. Like Baldwin, in this exhibition Steve Locke contemplates American history, racism and violence directed at Black and queer people. Steve Locke is a professor of  fine art at Pratt Institute. He joins The Culture Show to talk about his work.

What happened to young Elphaba before she was saddled with the wicked mantle?  Almost 30 years after the publication of  “Wicked,” Gregory Maguire offers readers Elphaba’s origin story in a new book titled “Elphie: A Wicked Childhood.”  He joins The Culture Show to talk about it.

From there comedian, actress and singer-songwriter Margaret Cho joins The Culture Show to talk about her new album “Lucky Gift.”

Finally, the film “Maria,” tells the story of a diva in decline: Maria Callas, one of history's most celebrated opera sopranos.  The reviews from film critics are  mixed, but what does Jane Eaglen, the Grammy award-winning soprano think about the biopic? Jane Eaglen is on the faculty at New England Conservatory and is the President of the Boston Wagner Society.

Reginald Dwayne Betts is an award-winning  poet, a lawyer and founder of Freedom Reads, a first of its kind organization working to transform access to books in prisons. He joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest book “Doggerel: Poems.” 

From there David Grann, author of “The Wager,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon," is a #1 “New York Times” best selling author and an award-winning staff writer at “The New Yorker” magazine. He joins The Culture Show to talk about his writing and reporting process, and adapting his work for the screen.

Finally comedian, television host, advocate and New York Times bestselling author Chelsea Handler joins The Culture Show to talk about her new  book “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” It’s a collection of hilarious and heartfelt essays that detail what it took for her to become the woman she always wanted to be. 

Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, the cofounders of the new wave band Devo join The Culture Show to talk about cultural de-evolution, the genesis of their band, how they came to be one of the most original groups in the history of rock music.

From there “New York Times” bestselling author Alison Bechdel joins The Culture Show to talk about her new comic novel “Spent.” 

Finally James Parker, a staff writer at “The Atlantic,” joins The Culture Show to talk about his piece “When Robert Frost was Bad.”  James Parker runs the Black Seed Writers Group—a weekly writing workshop for homeless, transitional, and recently housed writers–and he edits  “The Pilgrim,” a literary magazine from the homeless community of downtown Boston. His latest book is “Get Me Through the Next Five Minutes.” 

Today writer Noah Gittell joins The Culture Show to talk about his book “Baseball: The Movie.”  Gittell, a sportswriter and film critic,  takes us through  the history of  the baseball movie; tracking how they have changed over the years from being mostly feel good to nostalgic to  to cynical. Gittell says that the way the baseball film has changed reflects how American values have changed. 

From there we launch our inaugural episode in our series “Sound Files.”  We’ll be inviting local musicians and cultural critics to zero in  on one of their favorite  entries in the US National Recording Registry. First up, Dart Adams. The journalist, historian and lecturer has chosen to go deep on De La Soul’s  “3 Feet High and Rising.” 

Finally, Medford’s new poet Laureate, Max Heinegg joins The Culture Show to talk about his vision for making poetry more accessible. Heinegg is  a high school English teacher, published poet, recording artist and he co-owns Medford Brewing Company. To learn more go here.