Boston, Destination Features, Going Solo, Kid Stuff

Abstract Exploration: the Mapparium and Hall of Ideas

story and photos by Kayte Deioma

The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity at the Christian Science Home Church in Boston, MATo escape a passing shower in Boston, stop in to the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity at the Christian Science complex on Massachusetts Avenue. If you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids thinking about the world and their place in it, the Library has designed a variety of interactive exhibits that can spark great discussions, whether you agree with the Christian Science philosophy or not.

A family visits the five-story stained-glass globe at the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of HumanityWhen you have just a little time, visit the Mapparium and Hall of Ideas. The Mapparium is a three-story stained glass globe, which visitors can enter and view from inside. The countries represented in the Mapparium reflect the world as it was in 1935, when the globe was created. A seven minute audio tour and a short video clip highlight some of the significant changes that have occurred in the geo-political divisions of the world since then.

Next door, in the Hall of Ideas, philosophical quotations are projected around the room in playful swirls and streaks. They dance around a central fountain and flit across the floor before climbing the wall to a screen where they disassemble and reassemble themselves into the words of famous thinkers and young philosophers-to-be.

A family visits the five-story stained-glass globe at the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of HumanityIf you have more time, head upstairs, where The Quest Gallery uses technology and age-appropriate content to ask questions such as: Who am I? What is my purpose? Is there a higher power? The Monitor Gallery gives you a glimpse into the workings of a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, including history, “how to” exhibits and a window that looks into the offices of the Christian Science Monitor.

For more information, visit www.marybakereddylibrary.org or call (617) 450-7000 or 1 (888) 222-3711.

The Mapparium is  included in the Go Boston Card.


 

Boston, Destination Features

Shear Madness: Interactive Theatre in Boston

Story by Kayte Deioma, photos courtesy of Shear Madness

The solve-it-yourself murder mystery Shear Madness is the granddaddy on A boy from the audience gives suggestions to one of the detectives during the intermission of a Shear Madness performance at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. Photo by Kayte Deiomathe local interactive scene. The Boston production is the longest running non-musical play in the country. Yet each show you see will never have been seen before. Like never stepping in the same river twice, it is not possible to see the a repeat production of Shear Madness. Audience participation, local and pop culture references and up-to-the-minute improvised dialogue from the actors keep the show fresh. Pay attention! Your eye-witness testimony will be important to the plot.

The comedy takes place in a beauty salon in Boston’s Beacon Hill (unless you see it in another city, then it will be local there too). The stage is set with a gay barber, a feisty beautician, their three customers and the piano music coming from the upstairs Actors continue to go about their business during the intermission of a Shear Madness performance at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. Photo by Kayte Deiomatenant, the famed pianist Isabel Czerny. With a lot of ins and outs, pounding on pipes and slamming doors, the noisy Isabel is silenced and it’s left to the audience to help the undercover detectives – one of whom was staking out the place from the barber chair – to figure out whodunit.

There is so much going on, the eye-witnesses all see different things. During the intermission you have the chance to speak with the detectives, lay out your suspicions and give your witness statement. When the play resumes, you can interrogate the suspects directly, calling out questions from your seat. Audience members of all ages get into the spirit and are convinced they know exactly what happened. Ultimately, an audience vote determines who did the dastardly deed on any given night.

Hey Mr. Detective, where were you when Ms. Czerny was murdered? You left the salon right before the main event. Why aren’t you on the suspect list? Hmm. Next time I’m voting for the detective for murderer.

Shear Madness plays at the Charles Playhouse, Stage II, 74 Warrenton St., Boston. Check the web site www.shearmadness.com or call (617) 426-5225 for schedule and pricing information.

Boston, Destination Features, Kid Stuff

Blue Man Group in Boston

story by Kayte Deioma, photos courtesy of Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group in BostonRight next door to Shear Madness on the Charles Playhouse main stage in Boston, Blue Man Group creates its own brand of delightfully interactive chaos. Though not locally conceived, the Boston company of the original New-York-born multi-media performance art experience is true to its roots. Now also in Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and Berlin, Germany, the Blue Man experience has evolved with its expansion into new arenas. People who have seen earlier Blue Man shows will be charmed by the new additions. The original three Blue Men, Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink keep strict creative control over the content presented by the 33 Blue Man actors who rotate through the various performances.

But what is Blue Man Group?

photo courtesy of Blue Man Group Š BMPIf you sit in the first several rows, you’re given a plastic rain poncho to wear during the show to protect you from miscellaneous substances that spew from the actors and the stage. Three men in black with bald heads painted blue manage to create art, rhythm and music by the most unconventional means. Mouths are used to play catch, to paint, to sculpt and to play rhythms. But never to talk. Food is the medium of choice, from rhythmically chomping Cap’n Crunch to sculpting photo by Eric McNatt Š BMPchewing gum. The antics of the three Blue Men would be downright silly if they weren’t so ingenious and perfectly executed.

Drumming becomes painting as drumsticks splash paint from drum skins to canvases, spraying plastic-covered audience members in the process. PVC piping in the form of an elaborately twisted xylophone played with foam rubber paddles and a trombonesque tube drum they call a “drumbone” create complex rhythms backed by a full band in a cage above the stage.

But what is Blue Man Group?

Blue Man roams the audience and invites a woman from the crowd to join the on-stage tableau to be courted with flowers and Twinkies. The silent acting is subtle and smart. Blue Man roams again and finds a young man to be taken backstage and used as a human paintbrush as the audience watches on the big screen. The deadpan Blue Man addresses various states of the human condition. Subtext is provided by a scrolling marquee, giant posters and projected slides.

But what is Blue Man Group?

Blue Man Group is head-bobbing, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, mesmerizing, unadulterated fun for the whole family. Don’t try this at home kids – at least not without covering everything with a plastic drop sheet first.

Visit www.blueman.com or call (617) 426-6912 for schedule and pricing information.

Blue Man Group Ticketing