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December 11, 2025 December 11, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment

COURTESY OF BEN JOHNSON Peabody Opera Theatre adapts the classic 19th-century opera Hansel & Gretel with jazz instrumentation and Baltimore set pieces.

Peabody Opera Theatre’s adaptation of Hansel and Gretel takes on a Baltimore aesthetic

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | February 6, 2024

The Peabody Opera Theatre and Peabody Symphony Orchestra’s adaptation of Engelbert Humperdincku’s Hansel and Gretel, which was performed last Friday, Feb. 2, sets the original fairy tale in Baltimore. At times the setting feels half-baked and unfitting for the 19th-century romantic themes, but there are small moments of resonance between the fairy tale’s messaging and the current problems facing Baltimore. 

ARUSA MALIK / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR This week's picks include the highly anticipated collaboration album between Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign Vultures as well as two new episodes of th Genius series, covering the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X.

To watch and watch for: Week of Feb. 4

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | February 4, 2024

Here’s the Arts & Entertainment’s selections for this week’s “To watch and watch for.” If you feel anxious about classes, take time to unwind and maybe watch, read or listen to our suggestions!

GAGE SKIDMORE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Tina Fey wrote the screenplay for the original 2004 Mean Girls film as well as the 2017 musical of the same name. However, the new musical film that she wrote fails to live up to the high standards set by the original 20 years ago.

Mean Girls: No, it’s not better than the original

By MARIANA FERREIRA | January 30, 2024

On Wednesdays, we go to the movie theater. I mean, at least I do. You should too. Regardless, the latest buzz is that the classic high school comedy Mean Girls is making its way back to the theater. No, no, not the original movie. It’s a remake. No, not just a remake of the original. It’s a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical that was a remake of the original movie that was based on a book. Got it? Yeah, me neither.

ARUSA MALIK / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR This week’s picks include espionage film Argylle, a new fantasy novel by Sarah J. Maas, the second album from indie folk artist Vera Sola and an opera at the Peabody Institute based on the story of Hansel and Gretel.

To watch and watch for: Week of Jan. 29

By HELENA GIFFORD | January 29, 2024

Welcome back to a new semester! I know that you guys are bored stiff of all the wonderful rest and relaxation you got over the past month and a half, but in case you’re still in denial about the end of winter break, we in the Arts & Entertainment section have got you covered with plenty of fresh picks and new releases.

ALUMNOCONSERVATORIOFALLA / CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED Maestro is a biopic from Bradley Cooper which is centered around the marriage of acclaimed real-life conductor Leonard Bernstein to actress Felicia Montealegre.

Maestro presents a complicated marriage through music and memory

By HELENA GIFFORD | January 28, 2024

How do you encapsulate the entirety of an extraordinary life in 2 hours and 11 minutes of film? You do it in the way any person does when they are old and alone at the end of their lives. By sitting back and letting memories, both treasured and painful, flit before your eyes in a frenetic montage of important moments.

COOLBEANSPIE / CC BY-ND 3.0 DEED 21 Savage releases his third solo studio album with a familiar theme under a slightly different context.

21 Savage's American Dream is the same blood-soaked nightmare

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | January 26, 2024

21 Savage released his third studio album American Dream on Jan. 12, 2024, alongside a fake biopic trailer which tricked rap fans and critics alike. Though there are a few songs which feel fresh, with expertly constructed flows, the lyrics never live up to the album’s call for personal expression and vulnerability.

DAVID LEE / CC BY 2.0 Baltimore-native Indie Artist Snail Mail gives fans a look into her songwriting process through the release of Valentine (Demos).

Valentine (Demos) by Snail Mail and the sanctity of indie songwriting

By JAY TAYLOR | January 22, 2024

The creative process for any artist is sacred — this incredibly vulnerable and personal affair is unique to so many artists, and yet local legend Snail Mail (the moniker for solo indie artist Lindsey Jordan) has let fans into her own creative journey with the release of her new extended play (EP), Valentine (Demos).

JULIO ENRIQUEZ / CC BY 2.0 Danny Brown uses music as a way to address his past mistakes and trauma, especially in Quaranta, when he starts to question the effect of the music industry on his life.

Danny Brown's Quaranta turns a midlife crisis into music

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | December 5, 2023

Danny Brown’s newest album, Quaranta, is a retrospective piece in which the Detroit rapper analyzes his past 40 years of life, questions how his profession has affected his relationships and ultimately reaffirms his love for expressing himself through music.

ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN AND LAYOUT EDITOR  This week’s picks include the latest Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron, a historical mystery novel called The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the Pink Friday 2 sequel album from award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra performing Vivaldi, Liszt and Brahms at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall. 

To watch and watch for: Week of Dec. 3

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | December 3, 2023

This week’s picks include the latest Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron, a historical mystery novel called The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, the Pink Friday 2 sequel album from award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra performing Vivaldi, Liszt and Brahms at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall.

CRAIG DUFFY / CC BY-NC 2.0 David Fincher, the director of The Killer, is the creative mind behind movies like Fight Club, Gone Girl and Se7en.

The Killer: David Fincher’s new take on empathy

By MARIANA FERREIRA | November 16, 2023

Does it feel like every new Netflix release somehow makes it to No. 1 in movies in the U.S. on Netflix? Conveniently, yes. Does every single one of them even deserve to be there? Absolutely not. Will I continue to watch every single one of them? Yes, especially if they’re by David Fincher.

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