Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/385222
photography by Eric antoniou (coburn); promEthEus72 (pamuk) "You see the undercurrent of societY [in la traviata]. it's a world of excess, but not satisfaction." —esther nelson Paris—everyone wanted to be around them," Matanovic explains. "Yet out in polite society, they weren't acknowledged. at the end of their life, when their beauty was lost, they would die as outcasts. to me that's violetta's greatest fear." act i and the introduction to violetta is staged as a lush costume drama with long skirts and tight corsets—a world of hope, fantasy, and illusion. But that all literally falls away in act ii, when violetta's sordid sexual past becomes her future ruin and she's cast into the fringes of her community. "You see the undercurrent of society," Nelson says. "it's debauch- ery." that means a veritable bacchanal onstage at the Shubert, with performers stripped bare and women treated as sexual objects. "it's a disorganized, frantic party environment," she adds. "[it's a] world of excess, but not satisfaction." Nelson is well aware of the controversy that nudity may provoke. "You don't ever want to do it for the sake of it," she says. "We have to be very careful because we are not a contemporary theater that does nudity on a regular basis. i am also aware of the point at which we do become a novelty rather than a part of a total progression." But she's also confident that the staging will bring audiences emotionally closer to violetta as she becomes a victim of both society and her environs. Purists, take note. october 10–19, citi Performing arts center shubert theatre, 265 tremont st., 617-482-9393; citicenter.org BC Sara Coburn in Boston Lyric Opera's production of Vincenzo Bellini's I Puritani in 2013. Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, author of My N a me Is Red, has appeared at BBF. Between the Lines the Boston Book Festival celebrates six years with a roster of literary all-stars. Boston Book Festival founder Deborah Porter should be very proud: Her brainchild is now one of Boston's most anticipated annual fall events. this year an estimated 25,000 people will attend more than three dozen indoor sessions, live music events, and the festival's signature street fair in Copley Square. With 200 authors—including Pulitzer Prize, National Book award, even Nobel Prize winners—guests can expect lectures, panels, and book signings galore. Porter says BBF was born out of the simple fact that Boston was the only major city in the world without a book fest. She characterizes it as "a festival of ideas" with the literary a-list: "People come because they know they're going to see quality presenters—really important and interesting people who make a difference in our culture. and it's fun. there are sessions that are hugely entertaining. i'm not trying to put on an academic forum." aside from nominal charges for the keynote speeches, there's no admission price for any author event. this year's keynote speakers include Doris Kearns Goodwin, Susan Minot, rick riordan, Norman Foster, and music legend Herbie Hancock, whose memoir comes out in October. "i try to get the most interesting people that i can get, by whatever means i can," Porter says. it's a challenge to land big-name authors, she admits, even as she rattles off names like Noble laureate Orhan Pamuk, Booker Prize winner (and former fatwa target) Salman rushdie, and Cornel West as some of her biggest coups. She adds with a laugh, "i didn't even realize that it's really hard to get a Nobel Prize winner to come." october 23–25, copley square; bostonbookfest.org 58 bostoncommon-magazine.com CULtURe hottest ticket