Editor’s Note: Welcome to V3 Weekend, Vanyaland‘s guide to help you sort out your weekend entertainment with curated selections and recommendations across our three pillars of Music, Comedy, and Film/TV. It’s what you should know about, where you need to be, and where you’ll be going, with us riding shotgun along the way.
Music: Donna Summer Disco Party 2023
We’re officially at the point in the year where there is too much going on. So while there are a host of notable music happenings across the weekend — including Re:SET, the first festival at new venue The Stage at Suffolk Downs — we’re rolling with a favorite as the Donna Summer Disco Party returns tonight (June 16) to City Hall Plaza. It’s free, family-friendly, and gives us a reason to get outside before the weekend rain comes. Grab your skates and hit the roller rink to glide n’ dance to Summer’s legendary mark on music with DJ Vince 1, plus two special performances: O’Mega Red performing ” Angel “, featuring Donna Summer, and a tribute performance by Mary Gaines Bernard, Summer’s sister and longtime backing vocalist.
Here’s word from the City of Boston, which hosts the event with Mayor Michelle Wu: “Boston-born disco legend Donna Summer was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a five-time Grammy winner, and sold over 140 million records worldwide. She was born in Dorchester and was raised in Mission Hill before rising to stardom in the 1970s. She passed away at the age of 62 years old on May 17, 2012. This annual event honors her life and celebrates her music and legacy in Boston.
DONNA SUMMER DISCO PARTY 2023 :: Friday, June 16 at City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA :: 5 to 9 p.m., free, all ages :: Event page
***
Comedy: Greg Fitzsimmons at Laugh Boston
There will be a lot of outdoors action planned for this weekend (wether pending), but if it’s shelter you seek then Laugh Boston in the Seaport has safety with a serving of laughter as Greg Fitzsimmons makes his way back to town for three shows tonight and tomorrow (June 16 and 17). Plus, we just learned Dan Crohn is opening all the shows.
This week’s Mic’d Up makes its pitch for Fitzy: “Back in ye olde stomping grounds for the weekend, you better believe Fitzsimmons is bringing his A-game back to where it all began for him many moons ago. Of course, it’s not often that he isn’t bringing his best, but the longtime comedian’s dangerously sharp approach to the stage continues to cut as deep as ever, and will sure make for a great experience during a night out in the city.”
GREG FITZSIMMONS :: Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17 at Laugh Boston, 425 Summer St. in Boston, MA :: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 6 and 9 p.m., $33 :: Advance Tickets
***
Film/TV: ‘The Doom Generation’ at The Brattle
Those of a certain age — mainly those who came of age in the ’90s — understand the impact of Gregg Araki’s “Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy”, an underground film series that began in 1993 with Totally Fucked Up and ended with 1997’s Nowhere. In the middle was 1995’s The Doom Generation, a black comedy thriller starring Rose MacGowan and James Duvall that put Araki on the map. In a pre-internet world, getting a hold of these films and watching them felt dangerous and exciting, exposing a weird alternative subculture and primal exploration of sexuality that wasn’t as readily available for consumption as it is now. The Doom Generation hits The Brattle for a five-night run starting tonight (June 16).
Here’s the primer: “Originally billed as a A Heterosexual Movie by Gregg Araki,’ The Doom Generation is still anything but straight — particularly in this new uncensored director’s cut. Two teenage lovers, Amy (MacGowan) and Jordan (Duvall), plus one handsome drifter (Schaech) go on a sex and violence fueled odyssey after a convenience store clerk is accidentally killed. The trio careen towards a twisted ending through a series of nocturnal encounters during which it seems that everyone is either an ex-lover of Amy’s or mistakes her for one. …The Doom Generation is an unforgettable and unique blast of sex, violence, and ‘90s attitude.”
‘THE DOOM GENERATION’ :: Friday, June 16 to Tuesday, June 20 at The Brattle, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA :: Various showtimes :: Event page