Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 5, 2025
November 5, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Arts & Entertainment



GABBOT/CC BY-SA 2.0
Steve Buscemi plays Nikita Khruschev in Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin.

Iannucci’s latest film brings light to a dark time

If you’re a fan of political satire, the era we currently find ourselves in is probably one that makes you laugh — but also worry. From the headlines to the tweets, you can’t help but wonder if the meta-aspect of it all is lost amongst the very people involved in it. After the rise of House Of Cards, the idea that those in charge of the government were Machiavellian became prevalent, particularly in the U.S. 


MARTIN KRAFT/CC BY-SA 3.0
German director Tom Tykwer is one of the co-creators of Babylon Berlin.

Babylon Berlin and the study of an interwar city

On Thursday, March 28, Samuel Spinner, an assistant professor in the Department of German and Romance Languages and Literature, held a screening and discussion centered on the first episode of the Netflix series Babylon Berlin. Spinner also discussed the class he will be teaching in the Fall 2018 semester, Berlin Between the Wars: Literature, Art, Music, Film.


COURTESY OF JESSE WU
Waverly's 32nd Street Farmer's Market offers a variety of delicious options to explore. 

Waverly’s 32nd Street Market offers local, flavorful options

With spring just around the corner and the good weather flowing in, I’ve been itching for a chance to get out of the library and off campus to do something exciting. I heard a local farmers’ market was going to host a Food, Art & Community Fest on March 31, so there I was, on a beautiful sunny Saturday, exploring the only way I know how: eating. 


COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE/CC BY-SA 2.0
Comedian Rhea Butcher performed as part of the Freeze Peach Series. 

Rhea Butcher delivers a great set at The Creative Alliance

The Creative Alliance hosted stand-up comic Rhea Butcher as part of their Freeze Peach Series on Friday, March 30. The Freeze Peach Series is designed to feature comics whose content helps fight silence and censorship of underrepresented voices, both on- and off-stage. Butcher’s comedy centers around their experience as a queer non-binary person growing up in the Midwest, so they were an obvious choice to headline an LGBTQ-focused show.


COURTESY OF ABBY JOHNSON
J-Street U sponsored a performance of "The Forbidden Conversation" by Gili Getz on campus. 

Gili Getz delves into the “forbidden conversation”

On Tuesday, March 27, J Street U invited actor and photographer Gili Getz to perform his autobiographical one-man performance, The Forbidden Conversation. The “forbidden conversation,” as Getz refers to it, is one that is not only forbidden from happening, but is also one that has been banned from even being talked about. 



COURTESY OF HOLLY TICE
Julia Zimmerman debuted "Present at Peabody" at the Peabody Library. 

New exhibit showcases talented student artists

On Friday, March 30, Hopkins junior Julia Zimmerman debuted a new contemporary art exhibit titled Present at Peabody. Zimmerman curated the site-specific exhibit with funding from an Andrew W. Mellon Arts Innovation Grant. 


PUBLIC DOMAIN
MICA hosted the second of their three Grad Shows this past Saturday .

MICA students assemble an impressive showcase

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) Grad Show 2018 II held its opening reception on Saturday, March 24, at the MICA campus. The show is the second of three for the Spring/Summer season of 2018, which will feature the work of a total of more than 150 graduate students. 


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The film’s director Greg Berlanti is known for his work on Dawson’s Creek.

Love, Simon is a fun take on the rom-com genre

I have to admit, I was a little nervous going into Love, Simon. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the rom-com genre, but my sense of cautious optimism was further amplified by my worry that the protagonist’s coming out story would be oversimplified or even reduced to the extent that the story might as well have not even been about queer-identifying characters.


SWIMFINFAN/CC BY-SA 2.0
St. Louis rapper Smino collaborated with producer Sango on “Khlorine” and rapper Tobi Lou on “Troop.”

Six new songs to get you through the late winter drudgery

While there haven’t been too many great albums released recently, there have been a lot of great singles. So, here are some of my favorite songs that haven’t gotten enough exposure. The first song is “Life,” by Saba, the rapper who was once featured on Chance the Rapper’s song “Everybody’s Something,” from the latter’s Acid Rap mixtape. 


CHRIS/CC BY-SA 2.0
Musician George Ezra is well known in the UK for his debut album Wanted on Voyage.

George Ezra continues success with his second studio album

After releasing two EPs, Did You Hear the Rain? and Cassy O’ in November of 2013 and April of 2014 respectively, English singer-songwriter George Ezra rose to fame with his hit single, “Budapest.” The song reached the top 10 in several countries around the world and reached number one in another five. 


TYRESEHASABRAIN/CC BY-SA 4.0
Earl Sweatshirt is one of the featured acts at this year’s Spring Fair. 

The brief history of Earl Sweatshirt

Earl Sweatshirt is the most underrated rapper in the game. In my opinion, he is the best contemporary rapper. Luckily for us, the Spring Fair team somehow got one of the most reclusive and quiet rappers to come and bless us with a performance. In expectation of his upcoming concert, here is a short introduction to the most talented man you’ve never listened to.


THE COME UP SHOW/ CC BY 2.5
Miguel brought his tour promoting the album War & Leisure to Baltimore . 

R&B singer Miguel puts on an energetic show

Over our spring break, Baltimore had the opportunity to host the R&B singer Miguel at the Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric as part of his War & Leisure tour. The concert had the snowstorm that saw the shutdown of most of the City, from stores to schools, as its backdrop. 


Isle of Dogs is worth a watch, despite its flaws

The ever-adored Wes Anderson premiered his new film, Isle of Dogs, last month at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival, taking home the prize for Best Director. The buzz surrounding the film was that he had hit another home-run in the form of a stop motion picture focused on the love found in our relationships with dogs. 


 UT CONNEWITZ PHOTO CREW/CC BY-ND 2.0
For his Mount Eerie project, artist Phil Elverum works with a variety of guest musicians. 

Mount Eerie’s latest emotional album hits hard

Dying is a bit like going to the dentist: You don’t particularly want to do it, and you spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about it. Ultimately though, you go — everyone does. As much as you floss and brush in hopes of delaying the appointment a bit longer, one day you’ll find yourself stuck reclining in a green vinyl chair. 


RON COGSWELL/CC BY 2.0
Mark Bradford, who spoke with Stephen Towns at the BMA, often works in paint and collage. 

Two artists discuss identity and art at the BMA

On Wednesday March 7, the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) hosted a discussion between Stephen Towns and Mark Bradford. Audience members from Hopkins, the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the Baltimore community gathered in the museum’s newly renovated auditorium for the opportunity to hear from these two artists. 


Women conquer Paris Fashion Week

During Paris Fashion Week, the world’s fashion capital witnessed an unprecedented, strong community of female creative directors coming together to showcase their work. Whether it was Natacha Ramsay-Levi at Chloé, Clare Waight Keller at Givenchy or Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior, there are more women leading prestigious fashion houses than ever before. 


COURTESY OF THROAT CULTURE
Sketches for the 24 Hour Show can’t be written more than a day before.

Throat Culture’s 24 Hour Show impresses again

On Saturday, March 10, Throat Culture hosted their semesterly 24-hour show in Arellano Theater. Each of the 10 sketches that they performed — poking fun at everything from vegans to defending one’s thesis to Throat Culture itself — were written, memorized and performed within the span of 24 hours.


COURTESY OF JESSE WU
Thread Coffee stationed inside the soothingly aesthetic B. Willow space.

Thread Coffee hosts pop-up at local botanical shop

The work Thread does tries to economically support coffee growing communities abroad in a way that acknowledges the mistakes that companies like Toms shoes have made when interacting with economically deprived communities in the past. Thread attempts to counteract the postcolonial effects of economic imperialism.


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