Harmony Witte

Boston September 27, 2024 0

Chef Shi Mei of Lenox Sophia Serves Up Big Flavors Inside a Small Space

South Boston’s Lenox Sophia is not your typical restaurant – and in many ways Chef Shi Mei is not your typical chef. Trained in economics, Mei says the first dish he made as a kid was instant ramen. And his restaurant – where patrons are encouraged to bring their own drinks – is more akin to a tiny Japanese noodle house than a glitzy Hub bar. But the result is an intimate and delightful taste of small-room dining that serves […]

Arts September 13, 2024 0

Dorchester Art Project Set to Honor Vietnamese Diaspora

An art project by a group of Vietnamese Americans in Dorchester will complement a proposed Vietnamese diaspora memorial and aim to become a permanent presence in Boston, say organizers.The “Trưng Bày Mẫu Thiết Kế” show debuts on Sept. 14, from noon to 3 p.m. at the VietAID Community Center at 42 Charles St. in Dorchester, as part of the “1975: A Vietnamese Diaspora Memorial.” The exhibit is lead by artist Ngoc-Tran Vu. “This design showcase is an inclusive and accessible […]

Arts June 21, 2024 0

‘Yellow Face’: A Play Ahead of Its Time

“Yellow Face,” which is now performing at Boston’s Lyric Stage Theater on Clarendon Street, was written some 17 years ago. But in many ways, it’s just now fully enjoying the spotlight. The play, by award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, will mark its Broadway premiere starring Daniel Dae Kim this fall and an Audible version is currently available. “Issues that are at the center of it, issues like representation and appropriation and whitewashing and casting, they were still relatively obscure issues […]

Boston June 7, 2024 0

‘Yellow Face’ Explores Identity Across Generations, Continents

“I’m always thinking about, ‘why are we doing this play now?’,” actor Michael Hisamoto told the Sampan of the Lyric Stage production of “Yellow Face.” Hisamoto has a key role in the play, written by David Henry Hwang. The semi-autobiographical show is about the playwright, who appears in the play and is the narrator. It’s about Hwang’s life, his father, and the period of the 1990s and the 2000s. It covers big themes like the “yellow peril” and the Asian […]

Arts May 24, 2024 0

Hub Music Group Celebrates ‘Chinese Arts and Culture’ Boston Festival Orchestra Conductor Tells of show, group’s history

Sampan sat down with the conductor of the Boston Festival Orchestra, Alyssa Wang. Wang discussed the orchestra’s upcoming program, “A Celebration of Chinese Arts and Culture,” as well as her thoughts on inclusion and engagement in music, and what it means to her to be leading the performance as a Chinese American. BFO’s “A Celebration of Chinese Arts and Culture” will be held on July 28, 3 p.m., at Jordan Hall in Boston.Tickets can be purchased at: bforchestra.ticketleap.com/scheherazade/Sampan: Will you […]

Arts May 10, 2024 0

‘Book of Mountain and Seas’ Opera Tells Magical, Timely Tale

In three magical opera performances, “The Book of Mountain and Seas” at Boston’s Emerson Paramount Center transported packed audiences of theatergoers to another time and place. The 12-member Ars Nova Copenhagen choir, six puppeteers, and two percussionists worked together during the 75-minute-long shows to bring Chinese creation myths to life in an awe-inspiring way. In what is the final show of the Arts Emerson 2023/2024 season, “The Book of Mountain and Seas” breathed life into the ancient tales with its […]

Arts April 13, 2024 0

Firelei Báez Brings a New Exhibition to the ICA

A new exhibit has opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston featuring a survey of the work of artist Firelei Báez with 40 pieces of her striking work on display. This is the first museum survey dedicated to her work with the exhibit spanning 20 years of her career. At a recent press preview Báez spoke about her art, in particular an installation called “A Drexcyen Chronocommons (To win the war you fought in sideways)” created in 2019. […]

Leisure March 30, 2024 0

Kung Fu Panda 4 Continues the Furry Franchise

There is a new installment of the Kung Fu Panda comedy/adventure animated film series and its continuing to blow audiences away with its marvelous story, superb voice acting, and stellar music! Kung Fu Panda 4 continues the tale of Po (voiced by Jack Black, The Holiday, School of Rock) who improbably becomes the “Dragon Warrior” –a master of kung fu. Po is a giant panda and in this film is chosen to be the spiritual warrior of the Valley of […]

Leisure March 30, 2024 0

Chromic Duo Played an Emotional, Innovative Show at Crystal Ballroom

Chromic Duo made up of Lucy Yao and Dorothy Chan, performed at the Crystal Ballroom on Friday March 22nd, as a part of the Celebrity Series of Boston’s Stave Sessions and this was not the oft pictured typical classical piano concert! They played on toy pianos, a toy xylophone, a synthesizer, as well as on a stand up piano to breathe fresh air into works, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Path of the Wind” from My Neighbor Totoro and wrapped up […]

Food March 16, 2024 0

Laurence Louie is Making Big Waves as a Chef at Rubato

Sampan went to Rubato, a Hong Kong style café, in Quincy to speak with Chef and co-owner Laurence Louie about his busy year as a Chopped champion, being a James Beard semifinalist, winning both Bon Appétit and Eater Boston’s Best New Restaurants awards in 2023, as well as being an expectant father. Of the items that we tried, the real stand out was Rubato’s signature dish—the fried chicken bolo bao. It was the perfect blend of succulent, perfectly cooked, fried […]

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