Worcester Magazine April 15 - 21, 2022

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Worcester Magazine 100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Eric Casey, Sarah Connell Sanders, Shaun Connolly, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Liz Fay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske Worcester Magazine is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement.

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Featured ..............................................................................4 City Voices ........................................................................10 Cover Story.......................................................................14 Next Draft .........................................................................19 Screen Time......................................................................21 5 Things to Do .................................................................24 Games................................................................................26 Classifi eds ........................................................................26 Last Call.............................................................................27

On the cover A red fox named Socks seeks affection from Ecotarium zoological manager Rachel Davison.

ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

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FEATURED

“Tiborones” (“Sharks”), by international choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, is a new work that takes a look at Latinix representation in movies such as “West Side Story.” PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

Ballet Hispánico celebrates 50+ years with program at The Hanover Theatre Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

When Eduardo Vilaro came to this country with his parents from Cuba at the age of 6, dance was a way he could make discoveries, connect with people, and also fi nd himself.

“I feel it was dance that helped me really grow into who I am as an American and rediscover my Latin self,” Vila-

ro said.

Ballet Hispánico continued the discovery. The New York City dance company’s founder and artistic director Tina Ramirez invited Vilaro to join it as a dancer. “I was recruited by Tina,” Vilaro said.

Now Vilaro is just the second artistic director in Ballet Hispánico’s history.

“We help young Latinos fi nd their voices. It’s ongoing. It’s passing it on.

It’s reciprocal,” he said.

It continues as Ballet Hispánico, which was founded in 1970, is back on tour after having to stop for a while because of the pandemic with “Noche de Oro (or “Golden Night”), 50th Anniversary Program,” dedicated to the company’s over 50-year legacy of elevating Latinx choreographers and dancers.

“Noche de Oro” will be performed May 22 at The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester in an event presented by Mu-

sic Worcester Inc. In honor of the more than 50 years, 14 Ballet Hispánico company dancers will be “performing something old, something new, something looking at the future,” Vilaro said.

Three works will be staged. “Arabesque,” choreographed by Vicente Nebrada, is a relatively early piece in Ballet Hispánico’s history. It is a suite of dancSee BALLET, Page 5

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 5

Ballet Hispánico, which was founded in 1970, is back on tour after having to stop for a while because of the pandemic with “Noche de Oro (or “Golden Night”), 50th Anniversary Program,” dedicated to the company’s over 50 year legacy of elevating Latinx choreographers and dancers. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

Ballet Continued from Page 4

es set to the music of Spanish composer Enrique Granados, with traces of Flamenco intertwined with lush balletic movement. “It’s a beautiful work, very neo classical in nature,” Vilaro said.

“Tiborones” (”Sharks”) by international choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is a new work that takes a look at Latinix representation in movies such as “West Side Story” (the Sharks are a Puerto Rican gang in the fi lm).

“It’s about how much the media looks at culture and how people develop stereotypes through the lens of the media. It’s fun, bittersweet, fun to watch,” Vilaro said.

Also new is “18+1” by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, which celebrates his 19

years as a choreographer. The movement merges with the playful rhythms found in Pérez Prado’s 1950s mambo music.

“It’s just a very playful, contemporary work,” Vilaro said.

Ballet Hispánico is a dance company that has embraced traditional classical, Latino and folkloric dance in “new works that fuse all the elements,” Vilaro said.

“The work is about including everyone in the dialogue of all the Latinx cultures. There are more than 21 nations under the umbrella and we look like any other people from black to fair skin.

That’s what I try to bring in — the beauty of the multi-dimensions of this culture,” he said.

Vilaro joined the company in 1985 and became principal dancer, working closely with Ramirez and originating roles in a range of works by choreogra-

Ballet Hispánico: ‘Noche de Oro, 50th Anniversary Program’ — presented by Music Worcester When: 8 p.m. April 22 Where: The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts, 2 Southbridge St., Worcester. Proof of vaccination and wearing of masks required.

How much: $39, $49 and $59 depending on seat location. Student tickets $25.

(877) 571-7469; www.thehanovertheatre.org

phers. He was also an instructor in the company’s School of Dance.

He left for a while and in 1999 he founded Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago.

But in 2009 he rejoined Ballet Hispánico after Ramirez’s retirement. He also took on the role of CEO in 2015.

Tina Ramirez was born in Venezuela to a Mexican father and Puerto Rican mother and moved to New York City at the age of 6. She studied and trained in

Spanish dance, classical ballet and modern dance, and danced professionally, including on Broadway.

Ballet Hispánico focused on providing a haven for Latinx youth and families seeking an artistic place and cultural sanctuary. From its grassroots origins as a dance school and communitybased performing arts troupe in 1970, Ballet Hispánico has been recognized as See BALLET, Page 6

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Ballet Continued from Page 5

a catalyst for social change for over 50 years.

Under Ramirez’s guidance, Ballet Hispánico developed three main programs — its dance company, its dance school, and community arts partnerships — as a way to bring communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures.

“I think we’ve progressed like any other organization. We were the company — the little engine that could. Right now we are in such a position of leadership. I think we’re very grown up now,” Vilaro said.

“We’re set to grow more and reach audiences everywhere with this work.”

Ramirez, now in her 90s, is no longer involved with the organization and is enjoying her retirement, Vilaro said.

The Ballet Hispánico dance company has toured internationally, and has recently been presenting a new work choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa titled “Doña Perón” (”Mrs. Perón”). Following a performance at the beginning of the month at the New York City Center, one reviewer called it an “explosive and emotional retelling of the life of Eva “Evita” Perón ... Ballet Hispánico, has created a masterpiece to surpass any previous attempts to bring the iconic Latina fi gure to the stage.”

“It was remarkable,” Vilaro said of the production. He said his focus as curator of new works for the company is “telling new stories and reclaiming stories from the point of giving new insights.”

Meanwhile, Vilaro said the dance school has 1,000 students during the school year and 500 more during summer programs. The community programs involve more than 3,000 students a year, he said.

Ballet Hispánico has been named an American Cultural Treasure by the Ford Foundation and recently was the recipient of a $10 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett.

Vilaro will be coming with Ballet Hispánico to Worcester on May 22 where he said he has a couple of good friends. But he could not recall the company performing here before.

“Not to my knowledge,” he said.

Music Worcester is bringing Ballet Hispánico to Worcester.

Adrien C. Finlay, Music Worcester’s executive director, said, “I saw Ballet

Ballet Hispánico will perform at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts. One of the pieces being performed, “Arabesque,” choreographed by Vicente Nebrada, is a relatively early piece in Ballet Hispánico’s history. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

Hispánico for the fi rst time last summer at Jacob’s Pillow and immediately started working on engaging them to come to Music Worcester. The sheer enthusiasm they bring to performance is riveting, and I was also taken with their story as a company — how they started, what they have become, and their record of commissioning and developing new works with choreographers. We are incredibly proud to be a stop for Ballet Hispánico during their 50th anniversary celebrations, and we know all who attend will leave The Hanover Theatre on April 22 wanting to see them again.”

Ballet Hispánico has also had many ongoing challenges over the years.

In 2016 the ballet company’s cos-

tumes and fl oors were ravaged when a major water main burst on Amsterdam Avenue and fl ooded the studio. The cost of renovations was estimated at $500,00 and Ballet Hispánico launched an appeal for donations.

Most recently, the pandemic shut down the touring company and classes for quite a while.

“We started a visual platform,” Vilaro said. The social media and video platforms have included online classes and the showing of previous performances by the company.

“It was exhaustive and exhausting.

We became quite a leader,” Vilaro said.

That continues as Ballet Hispánico seeks to instill a sense of community

and to explore dance and Latino cultures online.

But the biggest challenge of all has always been in appealing to youth who will make up the company’s dancers and current and future audiences.

“Dance is very specifi c art form that needs to build young audiences,” Vilaro said.

For over 50 years, “we’ve been able to attract them by the hundreds of thousands,” Vilaro said of youth across the country and around the world.

Encouragingly, Vilaro said that at the end of performances of “Doña Perón,” “when I looked out in our audiences I saw a young and diverse audience.”

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 7

The Schizophonics. PHOTO COURTESY JENNIFER MCCARTHY

The Schizophonics ready to rip up Ralph’s Robert Duguay Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Since 2009, The Schizophonics from San Diego have been bringing their soulful, bombastic rock and roll sound all over North America and even across the Atlantic. They’ve gained a reputation as being one of the wildest live acts to check out through their energetic performances. These experiences usually make the audience dance and move around with an equal exchange of vitality and vibrancy being apparent between the band and the crowd.

On April 16 at Ralph’s Rock Diner on 148 Grove St., this exciting act will be taking the stage to show what the fuss is all about. Boston garage rock trio ZipTie Handcuff s and local indie rockers Sapling are going to be rounding the electrifying evening.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with their sound, the trio of guitarist and vocalist Pat Beers, his wife, Lety, on drums and a revolving cast of bassists exude music similar to the soul-punk of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Acts like The MC5, The Stooges and even James Brown have a noticeable infl uence and this incarnation from the band came from a way bigger act in terms of membership.

“We’ve always been really into The MC5, Stooges and all that stuff but I think the soul element kind of came about organically and seeped into the music,” Pat says. “We had another version of the band which was kind of like a James Brown style soul band which had 11 people in it and it was really fun. A lot of elements from that made its way into the three-piece rock band along with See SCHIZOPHONICS, Page 9

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EYES ON THE SKIES Mass Audubon adds bus service for participants in annual birdathon Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Martha Gach of Broadmeadow Brook Sanctuary is hoping to see a blue-gray gnatcatcher.

“Not many people know about them, but they migrate through the area at this time,” she said. “They look like miniature catbirds with long tails, and I’ve only seen them two or three times ever and only once at Broadmeadow.”

The Mass Audubon Annual Birdathon, which takes place May 13 and 14, will be a good opportunity to try.

Last year, birdwatchers saw 274 species throughout Massachusetts. Every Audubon sanctuary hosts a team that competes with other sanctuary teams to see who can spot the most bird species and who can raise the most money, within a 24-hour period, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, May 13. The teams can go anywhere in the state and are not limited to sanctuaries. You can do it on your own, with a friend or even other groups, and it is all coordinated at the sanctuary level.

Lisa Mattson, operations manager for the Mass Audubon Central Region and coordinator of special events, explained that they made adjustments during 2020 and 2021 and mostly backed off on in-person events.

“But we’re very excited this year that things can return to pre-COVID conditions.” The teams are formed by interest and registration. “Some people have been participating for 20-plus years. We just want to focus on the participation and getting folks excited about See BIRDATHON, Page 9

David Mitchell, of Worcester, and his daughters, Lucy, left, and Anna, are on the lookout for different species of birds at the Mass Audubon's Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary's birdathon in 2018. STEVE LANAVA/T&G FILE

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 9

Continued from Page 8

birds and bird conservation.”

She acknowledged that the word “birder” might feel overwhelming to some who don’t know how to get started but it’s often a question of just getting out there and observing birds.

“We want to meet people at whatever birding level they’re at.”

So this year, they have a new initiative called Birding by Bus and are working with WRTA to take advantage of zero fare.

“Bussing is part of the accessibility aspect and this year, we thought, how can we make this accessible? … You don’t need to be in the countryside to bird or an expert birdwatcher, you can just step outside to bird, wherever you are.”

So she asked, why not hop on the bus and take it to one of the 60 parks in the city or a cemetery which is a good birding spot, where a birding instructor will be on site to help?

Individuals who are part of a team

Schizophonics Continued from Page 7

some of the kind of stage stuff we would do with that band and also some of the songwriting too. We were doing soul covers with the prior project so it was sort of like taking that mentality and applying it to rock and roll.”

Pat recently designed the art for a fuzz pedal called the Crystal Machine made by LoFiMind Eff ectZz] out of Spain, which you can check out on The Schizophonics’ social media pages.

With live music being relatively absent during the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to take up doing some art and the company reached out to him about designing a pedal.

“During COVID-19, Pat started doing artwork and I don’t know how but they started following the art page and we got a message out of the blue,” Lety says.

“We do have some friends in common out there in Spain so we were like ‘Yeah, Pat will do it.’”

“They just told me to kind of do whatever,” Pat adds. “I took it because I fi g-

reach out to friends and acquaintances to fi nd sponsors for their eff orts; if your team raises more than $125, members win a birdathon T-shirt.

Gach said they have a regional goal of $15,000, and funds raised by the sanctuary stay at that particular sanctuary.

Knowing that their money goes to work in their local area, people who donate are participating in a “no overhead, very direct fundraiser.” Such fundraisers are used for anything from scholarships for summer camps, to planting fl owers in pollinator gardens, to keeping the fencing in good repair, or the purchase of new equipment like a tractor. Broad Meadow, in particular, is focused on equitable access to nature so they will invest funds in education programs, such as camps, etc.

Gach said there is a lot of coordination that goes into the birdathon: gathering support, creating a team, fi nding sponsors, getting the word out about individual fundraising, making people aware of the diff erent ways they can participate. There is also guidelines on the ethics of birding — one shouldn’t disturb the bird or distract them. And there are various activities that make it

ured I could get a few free pedals out of the deal and they sent me a demo of it, it sounds amazing. I’m excited to actually use the pedal itself and it was a really cool project to be part of.”

The Schizophonics have a new album called “Hoof It” that’s due out later this year to follow up their previous release, “People In The Sky,” that came out in 2019. The major holdup has been issues in supply chains worldwide which has greatly aff ected vinyl records “Our record should have been out months ago but the pressing plants are super backed up,” Lety says. “The album’s done, we’re just waiting on the vinyl just like everyone else. There’s been a crazy manufacturing holdup with vinyl manufacturing.”

“It was recorded back in February of 2021 so it was still kind of during the pandemic, the recording process was just me, Lety and the engineer,” Pat says. “There weren’t many people in the studio and the album kind of refl ects that a bit. We never got to play the songs live until after the whole thing was recorded so we won’t have it for this tour but we’ll be performing a bunch of the new songs on stage.”

a celebration of birds. For example, Wachusett Meadow is doing a Birds and Breakfast, featuring a bird walk followed by an outdoor pancake breakfast.

She remembers the fi rst year of the pandemic when everyone was in lockdown and they pivoted to a climate change focus and sustainable birdathon, where they asked participants to bird just where they could get by walking or biking, without burning any fossil fuels.

Some walked 13 miles that day in search of birds. “People really put out an amazing eff ort,” she said. The anecdotal stories from birders of “fi nding a particular bird at the last minute” before time runs out, or “spotting the green heron at 10 minutes to six on Saturday making it your 99th species” are what Gach and Mattson treasure most.

Both emphasized the number of amazing birds in downtown Worcester and hope that the birdathon event gives people a sense of awe about how many birds live in this urban area. They are especially keen that people have a chance to really learn about what birds are doing — if they follow that bluejay for fi ve minutes and get a peek into the private

life of a bird.

As Mattson drives through the city every day, she sees most birds around 290 and she participates in the birdathon every year. From barred owls establishing their territory this time of year residents may have heard them at night, the “who cooks for you” noise is the male marking his territory, to the small everyday birds (though she added they’re important too), cooper’s hawks, red shouldered hawks and peregrine falcons.

“What we try to do is bring together supporters from across the state to raise essential funds for bird education and advocacy.” For months leading up to the event, they spend enormous amounts of time “getting the word out to past participants, encouraging future participation, doing our planning for side events and what that 24-hour period will look like.”

Ultimately it’s meant to be a fun and rewarding event for participants.

“Get out and just enjoy nature,” Mattson advises. “It really feeds your soul and you don’t have to do it in the country, you can use a city park or your own backyard.”

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10 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES LANDGREN HOLY CROSS RENAMES

FIRST PERSON

SCIENCE BUILDING IN HONOR OF DR. FAUCI

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley opened up about her alopecia condition in early 2020. DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES

Bald is beautiful: Oscars incident helps raise awareness of alopecia

WORCESTERIA

Should Ed Augustus run for Lt. Governor?

Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s hard to think of a more convulsive time in Worcester politics, especially in a year without a city municipal election, but here we are, in April of 2022, and it seems that the city’s entire power structure is on the verge of changing. This makes sense, as Worcester itself has changed. It’s experienced economic growth and widespread public attention, particularly for the Polar Park project, and the demographics of its growing population have shifted a tad younger and a bit more diverse. It would seem Central

Mass. in general and Worcester particularly would be front and center in the gubernatorial race, but so far that’s not the case. And that’s weird, as Worcester has been a pivotal player in two most recent successful gubernatorial campaigns: The Charlie Baker-Karyn Polito and Deval Patrick-Tim Murray tickets.

Right now, the race is being framed statewide as eff ectively being between State Attorney General Maura Healey and State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, with Republican Geoff Diehl also being in the race. No one else is really on the board … and there is no signifi cant See AUGUSTUS, Page 13

Mark Wagner Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

The now infamous Oscar night slap raises a lot of discussion points, but the one most readily of interest is about the condition of alopecia and how it aff ects the 147 million people in the world who have the condition.

From a white family in the suburbs of New York City, I was affl icted with alopecia at 8 years old. I never wore a wig and went through some crucial, formative years as “an outsider.” Bullied, called names, beat up, unable to fi nd suitable care, I went through powerful challenges to my mental health well into my turbulent twenties. My character refl ected the strains of the struggle to belong. I had (this is an understatement) relationship issues. I was told repeatedly that I was “a risky hire” because I looked diff erent. I inter-

nalized the fearful expectations of others, suff ered years of self-accusation.

Only tremendous eff ort and support from my family allowed me to overcome sometimes frightful passages, particularly during the years I was trying to establish an independent adult life.

Alopecia is not modern or new. The word was coined by Hippocrates II, a Greek word meaning, literally, the disease of the fox. Hippocrates, in De Aff ectionibus, thought a man or woman became bald when their hair fell out due to extreme use of his brain. Others searched for cure. A later Greek physician, Dioskurides, suggested that ashes of toenails of goats in vinegar be applied to bald areas. Other cures included the burned skin of country hedgehog mixed with fl uid tar. But the reality is, Alopecia has, for this millennium anyway, eluded a cure while at the same time falling low See WAGNER, Page 11

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 11

Wagner Continued from Page 10

on the totem of “diseases.” Unlike other autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and arthritis, which can be debilitating, alopecians experience no physical pain or harm. In the calculus of medical ethics, there are hundreds of more painful and debilitating conditions, so no apparent urgency to heal someone from being diff erent and — in many cases, as in the case of, say, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Jada Pinkett Smith — beautiful.

Putting aside the aesthetics, the science around alopecia has progressed during our lifetimes. We now know hair loss from Alopecia results from T-cells within the immune system recognizing the Derma Papilla cells (skin cells) as “Non-self.” T-cells work by identifying self and non self. When they identify self as non self, this is what is called auto-immune. In essence, alopecia is a skin condition that manifests as hair loss, because T-cells crowd out hair follicles at the base of the skin.

Not surprisingly, research has advanced into genetics and HLA molecules. I have a sister who has alopecia.

We are 2 of 8 siblings, so fi t the classical model of a genetic variation, and have participated in the Cornell University study of siblings with alopecia. Last I checked, the research has been so refi ned as to linking alopecia with specifi c HLA class 2 alleles, especially DQB1*03 and DRB1*1104 (5,6). Alleles (right beside Alleluia in the dictionary) are variations on genes that allow for hereditary variation. While we can anticipate some sort of genetic enzyme in the future, and whether we want one or not, there is still no clear “cure.”

Still the challenges of alopecia remain and are more social and mythic.

Hollywood, for example, has made an industry of bald baddies. Even in comedy. Gentle reader, can you think of any other character on television or movies who is both bald and a hero? (Feel free to comment.) At a conference once, I responded to a prompt in a room of hundreds, the facilitator remarked, “Dr. Evil Speaks.” He had equated me with Michael Meyers character in Austin Powers! This is not unusual. Bald folks face all sorts of misrepresentations, micro and macro aggressions.

Putting aside the cracks about GI Jane and the President for the Hair Club for Men, hair is associated with health

The incident at the Oscars involving Jada Pinkett Smith helped raise alopecia awareness. AP

and vitality and beauty in ways that are more pronounced for women than for a man. I knew an alopecia girl in treatment, Dawn, who I later learned had killed herself after years of emotional struggles, struggles that would be even harder for a Black woman. Many Black women have had to endure ignorant comments about their hair and endure the pressure to conform to workplace standards set by white people. Until smokeshow Danai Gurira rocked a bald head in Black Panther, we had very few images in the multimedia of bald women.

In “Sister Outsider” (1984) Audre Lorde wrote, “Institutionalized rejection of diff erence is an absolute necessity in a profi t economy … We have all been programmed to respond to the human differences between us with fear and loathing and to handle that diff erence in one of three ways: ignore it, and if that is not possible, copy it if we think it is dominant, or destroy it if we think it is subordinate. … As a result, those diff erences have been misnamed and mis-

used in the service of separation and confusion.”

When Rep. Ayanna Pressley (7th Congressional District, MA) began to go without a wig in public settings, the less than 1% of us who “suff er” from the autoimmune condition alopecia celebrated.

We had a public fi gure whose courage and beauty could bring understanding to a little understood condition.

The joy many of us share began when, in a video message, Rep. Pressley said, “I do believe going public will help.

I’m ready now, because I want to be freed from the secret and the shame that secret carries with it. Because I’m not here just to occupy space — I’m here to create it. https://www.npr.org/2020/ 01/17/797295985/freed-from-the-secret-rep-ayanna-pressley-opens-upabout-living-with-alopecia Having worn the marker of “outsider” for so many years, my empathy muscles were well developed. As Patti Smith sang in Radio Ethiopia, ‘those who have suff ered understand suff ering and thereby extend their hands.’ I would not

go so far as to defend Will Smith’s actions, but I sympathize with their family’s struggle over alopecia and how the condition makes our lives more public than most.

Alopecia is one condition that shows that the Identity Politics of race and sex and gender are superfi cial markers to advance our common interests and grievances. Those of us with alopecia — left, right, black, white, gay, straight, trans or other — know that our common destiny — a peaceable kingdom — lay somewhere deeper in the algorithms of DNA. Alopecians have been waiting for the others to join us.

Mark Wagner, with his wife, Monica Elefterion, along with Catherine McDermott Tingle (Avanti Studios) published a book of essays and photographs of people with alopecia — “Silkheads, Life as Art” (Homestead, 2001). It is available from the author. Anyone needing support for themselves or loved ones with alopecia, the National Alopecia Areata Foundation can be reached at: https:// www.naaf.org.

12 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CONNELL SANDERS

BAD ADVICE

Satisfy your pregnancy cravings in Worcester Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

For the partner of a snorer, nights are long and restless. GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

Body snatching may be only solution to snoring partner Shaun Connolly Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

DEAR SHAUN: My partner snores.

They are convinced that they don’t and that I’m making it up, despite my mood in the morning feeling groggy from the noise either keeping me up or waking me up. How do I convince them that they snore and to then do something about it?

DEAR BUZZSAW PARTNER: You have to record them. Not only will you have evidence, but you’ll have this amazing audio sample. Maybe you can use it for an eventual viral TikTok. Maybe you can use it in a dope hip-hop sample. Maybe you use it for a Philip Glassstyle composition. The artistic possibilities are endless. Oh! Even better, maybe get a Ring or nanny cam and you can get video of the snoring. Then, when you go back to watch the tape with your partner, you discover some sort of light in the corner. And your partner is like, “woah what was that?” And you’re all, “yeah I’m not sure, maybe it was just headlights outside.” And your partner says, “but we live on the 3rd fl oor, it’s kind of hard for those to come into our window.” So now you’re freaked out, so you set up the cameras again for a second night. But you’re having a hard time sleeping, not because of the snoring but the creepy feeling of what you might catch on camera tonight. You fall asleep and you actually feel well rested after-

wards. You and your partner wake up and immediately go to the tape. This time it isn’t a light, it has more of a shape. You can’t explain it, it looks more human. As the tape goes, the human-ish body crawls on the ceiling and slips into your partner, like one would sinking into a pool. You’re gripped, your partner says nothing and you can’t look away. Nothing else happens for a while, so you rewind. It’s after rewinding you realize you don’t hear any snoring. You can’t believe it.

You go to say something and you look at your partner. Your partner is smiling, but it isn’t their smile. It is more sinister, their eyes have a distance to them, they’re looking at you but also beyond you. You say, “honey are you okay?” And a diff erent voice, froggy and muddy, comes out of your partner’s voice. “We are going to be able to sleep a lot better now that we are fi nally together.”

Or I don’t know, maybe just wake them up each time you’re awoken by the snoring. Tell them you love them, maybe for the fi rst time, and say snoring is unhealthy and I want to help you fi x this. It is better for the both of us.

But if you ask me, the recording has way more potential for something cool to happen.

Ants on a log, a snack I have not thought about since fi rst grade, is by far the strangest of my pregnancy cravings. I fi end for the combination of crunchy, creamy and chewy composition. The Whole Foods delivery drivers replenish a steady stock of celery stalks at all hours of the day. My supply disappears quickly, slathered in peanut butter and garnished with plump California raisins.

I also fantasize about the quail egg oyster shooters at Baba, off limits for two more months. I yearn for slippery and slimy alternatives, devouring entire bunches of grapes in one sitting.

Gooey gobs of boba remain a delicacy.

Sticky rice noodles make me swoon.

It all comes down to texture. Here I swear my baby can taste the love are four local spots I come back to again from Eggroll Lady; maybe that’s where and again when my cravings strike. the deepest cravings come from.

Even if you’re not pregnant, I think PROVIDED you’ll fi nd what you’re looking for.

El Basha As a kid, my family rarely dined out at restaurants with the exception of my birthday. Unlike a normal child who might have demanded pizza at Chuck E. Cheese or bottomless breadsticks at Olive Garden, I would request a yearly trip to El Basha. I loved (and still love) homus, baba ghanouj, and stuff ed grape leaves.

I knew my husband was the man of my dreams when I learned he shared my aff ection for Middle Eastern food. It was he who introduced me to the chicken port saiid at El Basha, our most frequent takeout order by a long shot.

Sautéed mushrooms sing in a sauce of garlic and lemon. We’ve ordered the port saiid from El Basha at least every other week throughout my pregnancy.

Akra Eatery Worcester comedian Shaun Connolly provides readers bad advice in his weekly column. Send your questions to woocomedyweek@gmail.com.

I love a kick. The hotter, the better — especially post COVID. (Sometimes she doesn’t appreciate my palate, but we’re

learning to live with each other.) Akra Eatery’s jollof rice with roasted carrots and spicy chicken comes drizzled in sticky hot honey. The bowls are quick and easy to grab after work from the Worcester Public Market. Not to mention, the Market has plenty of treats to choose from for dessert including liquid nitro ice cream with toppings galore and a top notch bubble tea stand.

Dalat Restaurant I have frequented Dalat on Park Avenue since I was in high school. I’d like to think I’ve changed in the interim, but my order certainly hasn’t. On days when I can’t seem to stomach anything because of my wiggly tenant, Dalat always does the trick.

Even Dalat’s simplest dishes off er unparalleled depth of fl avor. Start with #3 Goi Cuố n Dau Hũ — fresh tofu rolls wrapped in rice paper, stuff ed with lettuce, mint leaves and vermicelli alongSee CRAVINGS, Page 13

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 13

Augustus Continued from Page 10

Central Mass. presence in the game at all. There’s one way to solve that, though: Ed Augustus should run for Lt. Governor.

Now, several conversations with local political watchers have indicated that no one believes that this is actually Augustus’ plan after leaving the City Manager’s offi ce in May, but the timing is perfect for him to step into a campaign role. Does he want to do this?

Probably not, but then, everyone was saying he didn’t want to be City Manager when he took that job, too, but there’s no denying that he would be a political counterweight as a running mate for any candidate. It’s not even really about politics, although obviously he would run as a Democrat. Really, the only thing Polito and Murray have in common is that a bulk of Central Mass. voters believed they would each keep an eye toward Central Mass. interests.

Augustus would be much the same, and even his detractors in Worcester would likely be more comfortable with him in offi ce than otherwise.

This is all idle speculation, of course, but there is a point here: Worcester has gained political muscle in recent years, much of which Augustus is responsible for, and it doesn’t seem to be fl exing it on a statewide level. The only surefi re way to lose political clout is to not use it, and right now Worcester seems to be an afterthought in the race. That doesn’t bode well for the city’s political clout in the future.

The other side of this, of course, is

Cravings Continued from Page 12

side homemade peanut sauce. Then, dive into a bowl of #24 Pho Ga — Vietnamese chicken and rice noodle soup with a side of crunchy bean sprouts.

Round out your order with a taro smoothie (add boba if they have it) and prepare to be healed.

Eggroll Lady and Fish Shack Worcester’s Eggroll Lady, Phuong

that aforementioned chaotic state of Worcester politics: In addition to Augustus leaving the City Manager’s offi ce, there are new faces on both the City Council and the School Committee, School Superintendent Maureen Binienda’s contract is not being renewed, State Sen. Harriette Chandler is retiring, with Mayor Joe Petty running for her soon-to-be-vacant seat, his biggest competition seemingly being Robyn Kennedy, associate executive director of mission, programs and community impact at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts. Eric Bautista is stepping into the role of Acting City Manager, and has become an instant political Rorschach test, with him being hailed as a city management prodigy, a mechanism for keeping Worcester’s “Old Guard” in power, a superhero, an evil mastermind or possibly an invader from the “Star Trek” evil mirror universe dimension, sometimes all at the same time. Is it any wonder that the city’s eye isn’t on the ball at a state level? Change is scary, and it’s happening whether we like it or not.

So is drafting Augustus into running for Lt. Governor the only option? Of course not, although he seems the most viable candidate, even with a rumored job lined up elsewhere. But that’s beside the point. Indeed, I’ve been reliably informed the very existence of this column will likely just annoy him, for which I don’t apologize. But the bottom line is, if this is a time of change — and it very well appears to be — then it’s incumbent on the people of Worcester to be directly involved in that change, not just drift along with it. It doesn’t have to be Augustus who takes the step forward, but it has to be someone.

Outgoing Sen. Harriette L. Chandler talks with City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. before she was honored during the Worcester Public Library Legislative Breakfast March 11. ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

Proudly Presents

SOMETHING ROTTEN Lam, is more than just a restaurant owner.

She makes me feel beautiful, confi dent and cared for. Lam’s Vietnamese egg rolls are second to none. Wrap them in lettuce leaves with mint and cilantro, then dip them in her homemade fi sh sauce for the full experience. Don’t skip the homemade kimchi. I swear my baby can taste the love; maybe that’s where the deepest cravings come from.

Do you have a unique pregnancy craving only Worcester can satisfy?

Please dish. Find me on Instagram at @sarah_connell.

Book by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell Music and Lyrics by Karey Kirkpatrick, Wayne Kirkpatrick Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, New York, NY

APRIL 22, 23, 29, 30 @ 7:30pm MAY 1 @ 2pm Get tickets now at mwcc.edu/tam or call 978-630-9388

14 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

COVER STORY

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE A behind-the-scenes look at the EcoTarium’s animal residents Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

A

s most people know, cats sleep most of the day. Big cats are no ex-

ception and when we arrive at the EcoTarium, the mountain lion siblings are reclining comfortably on a rocky ledge situated as far back and as high up in their habitat as possible with only the tips of their ears visible. h We are led up the hill behind the habitat by Rachel Davison, zoological manager, climbing a set of stairs to navigate a thorny, bushy area that overlooks the location of the cats. Both look up, nonplussed to see people at eye level with them and both give us the classic feline withering stare, as if they know we’re not supposed to be here. h “People complain that [the cats] don’t do anything but this is natural behavior,” said Davison. She asked us to be quiet and take turns looking at the cats, so they didn’t get up and leave, especially Salton, who sat up on his haunches on our approach, watching us suspiciously.

“He’s very standoff -ish, a big scaredy cat,” she said.

His sister, Freyja, doesn’t move and soon ignores us — “she’s a lot braver.” She added, “no matter the size, a cat is still a cat,” confi rming that both of them love sitting in boxes.

Worcester’s local science museum is currently pursuing American Zoological Association accreditation, which requires an institution to be not only up to date See ECOTARIUM, Page 15

EcoTarium zoological manager Rachel Davison checks on a bearded dragon named Damascus.

ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 15

EcoTarium Continued from Page 14

but continuously evolving, as they look for ways to improve. In addition, they should be actively involved in wildlife conservation eff orts, such as breeding programs. Potential options for the EcoTarium include the turtle head start program that helps raise babies to a more survivable age before release, especially since Massachusetts has many threatened turtle species.

For the EcoTarium, AZA accreditation will mean expanding the zoo aspect of the institution. Mainly, they hope to add more megafauna and use the space on the grounds for new large animal habitats such as bears, wolves and coyotes. Davison is clear that they will focus on native fauna that live here or used to live here. Their mountain lions, for example, while native to the region, have not been seen in Massachusetts since 1858.

Feeding time is the only time these big cats can be trained — but not to sit, stay and rollover. ”It’s important that the animals participate in their own

WILD ALASKAN COMPANY

care,” said Davison.

The less an animal has to be sedated, the better, but there’s no safe way to examine a conscious mountain lion — checking paws or the inside of the mouth — unless the animal is cooperative. So training them to open their mouth, raise a paw or to accept injections and blood draws is essential.

“People don’t always realize that zookeepers are also trainers,” she said, chuckling. Davison is planning to train the cats to accept injections in their tails which are less sensitive but can be diffi cult since they’re so thick.

Talking about feeding time, a walk-in fridge/freezer big enough for at least four people has shelves stocked with meat for the mountain lions, birds of prey and other carnivores living at the EcoTarium. As I looked around, I noticed it was very methodically arranged with one wall of boxes fi lled with rabbits, mice, rats etc., frozen in air tight bags. On other shelves was fi sh for the otters and massive bags of cat food for Freyja and Salton. To supplement their whole prey, they eat Nebraska Feline Diet, which contains everything they See ECOTARIUM, Page 16

Salton, the male mountain lion at the EcoTarium. ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

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EcoTarium Continued from Page 15

need in terms of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Davison said, however, that it’s a lot more stimulating to eat an entire rabbit than Nebraska diet since it makes for a more natural eating experience.

“It’s expensive if you have tons and tons of cats but we’re lucky to be able to budget for that.”

Moving from wild felines to wild canids, Socks — a red fox — is much more friendly than the mountain lions. He came running to greet Davison like a fl uff y red dog, complete with wagging tail. Longtime visitors will know that Socks, now 12, was initially taken in by a family as a pet, before they realized that foxes, despite appearances, are not dogs. He was given to the EcoTarium but by that point he was too habituated to humans to be released back into the wild.

Davison cautioned that often people fi nd what they think are abandoned baby animals and try to help them, doing more harm than good.

“Bring wildlife to the specialists if you think they need help.”

But she conceded that Disney didn’t help in that regard. “Our cats and otters — we cannot share the same space as them — even Socks is still wild, and we would not have guests go in there with him.” o reinforce that he is not in fact a dog, no matter how much he might act like one, the staff don’t pet him, aside from tactile reinforcement as a reward for certain behaviors.

“Even if the big cats had been raised by people and were somebody’s pets at one point, you would not continue those behaviors, and even our more domesticated animals, we don’t view them as pets, but in terms of enrichment, they do need more social interaction with their keepers.”

However, several residents of the EcoTarium do regularly interact with both their keepers as well as the public, especially those who go on the road for traveling educational programs. These ambassador animals, as they’re called, can garner a small following of their own, and would likely have no shortage of visitors at the museum. Which is why, Davison said, they are not kept on regular exhibit, to give them a respite from constant human interaction that their

A red fox named Socks rolls over on command from EcoTarium zoological manager Rachel Davison.

ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

work entails.

Luckily, we were able to meet the stars during our visit. Presently, their ambassadors are a chinchilla, woodchuck, a pigeon called Pidge, a Flemish giant rabbit named Benny, along with a number of reptiles. Pidge certainly had the attitude befi tting a minor celebrity, when he fl ew about the room, perching on outstretched arms and landing on the table to strut about, showing off his iridescent neck feathers.

This isn’t to say that the staff do not form strong emotional ties with the animals. Everyone at the museum is currently mourning the passing of longtime

members of the EcoTarium family — skunks Stormy and Misty as well as Sgt. Pepper, the porcupine, within the same week.

“That was a hard week,” said Davison, and another EcoTarium staff member nodded solemnly.

The skunks had reached the end of their natural lifespan under human care, but Pepper, despite being the oldest porcupine under human care on record, at 19.5 years, had suddenly began to rapidly decline. Pepper’s empty habitat outside the main entrance, right near the iconic stegosaurus statue, was a sad reminder.

There are other emblematic predators, besides the big cats, who live at the EcoTarium such the turkey vulture, Ralph, who was outside sunning himself, spreading his wings and stretching.

His habitat is more terrestrial based than that of most bird’s since an injured wing prevents him from fl ying. Like all birds of prey at the EcoTarium, he was here after having been deemed unreleasable. The ravens, Jan and Poe, were also out and vocalizing — though not saying “nevermore” like the raven of the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem.

See ECOTARIUM, Page 17

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 17

EcoTarium Continued from Page 16

With the Avian fl u going around, most birds were off exhibit and being kept indoors — poultry such as chickens and ducks tend to be carriers, even if they don’t necessarily show symptoms.

Coming up to the spring season when many migratory species will come north, the Avian fl u could potentially get worse, so the staff at the EcoTarium are modifying habitats by adding more mesh or plastic sheeting to lessen the risk of infection and ensure that wild birds can’t leave droppings in or fl y into habitats of the EcoTarium residents.

Going from feathers to fur, we arrived at the otter habitat just after one of the regular “otter talks” so they were still diving for food and treating visitors to a display of underwater acrobatics. While there is space in the habitat for at least one more otter, Davison said, they need more room behind the scenes to house another. So currently Daisy and Sydell, a male and female respectively, are a raft (a group of otters) of two. This doesn’t seem to bother either of them as after they fi nish swimming, the two of them dry off and sun themselves on a rock while cuddling.

“Otters are an environmental indicator,” Davison explained. Their presence in a river or lake is a clear sign of a healthy ecosystem adding, “it’s great to see otters.” She hopes that the EcoTarium will one day house another keystone species of Massachusetts lakes and rivers — the beaver.

The complexity inherent in managing the well-being of so many small and large animals is challenging, but the EcoTarium remains committed to the

The EcoTarium’s box turtle Mandarin looks out from his colorful nest.

ALLAN JUNG/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

highest level of care.

“Knowledge about animal welfare, habitat design, enrichment and training changes almost from year to year,” Davison says. “As we do more research and quantify animal welfare, the way we care for them will evolve with more scientifi c data driven ways to measure indicators of welfare.”

Tickets start at $39. Save with group rates.

Tuesday/Family night & Wednesday/LGBTQ night include a post show Q & A with the cast.

The EcoTarium’s vulture Ralph stretches his wings in the sun.

ALLAN JUNG/ TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

sponsored by

April 26 - May 1 TheHanoverTheatre.org 877.571.SHOW (7469)

Worcester Center for Performing Arts is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which owns and operates The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

18 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY LIVING CANNABIS CONFIDENTIAL

4/20 celebrations planned in Central Mass.

Eric Casey Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Perhaps the concept of 4/20 is culturally ubiquitous enough at this point that it doesn’t need an introduction, but here’s a quick summary just-in-case: In 1971, a group of high schoolers in San Rafael, California, would meet daily at 4:20 p.m. for a post-detention smoke session — or so the story goes, anyways.

“420” eventually became a slang term for cannabis, and over the years, morphed from a niche slang term into a global unoffi cial holiday, celebrated every April 20.

Like most holidays in this country, 4/ 20 has expanded from its inception as a day-long celebration into a week-plus of festivities, and has become increasingly commercialized as the years go on.

With the high holiday right around the corner, I wanted to provide readers with an overview of all the festivities in the Central Massachusetts area. So without further ado, here’s a whole list of diff erent ways you can spend this special week:

Special 420 Edition of Creatively Cannabis: Tokes & Brushstrokes April 16 | 2 p.m. | 116 Water St., Worcester Channel your inner Bob Ross at this unique cannabis-infused art event, where you’ll be free to do some cannabis-infused painting with the guidance of a professional instructor.

This event will be held at the Summit Lounge, so feel free to bring your own cannabis (BYOC) and indulge on-site.

Tickets include a treat from a food truck, as well as exclusive access to an early 4/20 strain drop from Justin Credible Cultivation (additional purchase required).

Tickets are $59.99 for pre-sale, or $79.99 if purchased day of, and can be found at Eventbrite.com.

Partygoers prepare an oversized joint in Denver's downtown Civic Center Park on April 18, 2015. In 1971, a group of high schoolers in San Rafael, California, would meet daily at 4:20 p.m. for a post-detention smoke session. “420” eventually became a slang term for cannabis, and over the years, morphed into a global unofficial holiday. BRENNAN LINSLEY/AP

Plant More Seeds April 16 | 6-10 p.m. | 9 John H. Finley III Way, Framingham Remember ice cream socials? Cannabis edible company Plant Jam is throwing an early 4/20 celebration that harkens back to the days of elementary school, but with a 21+ twist. The venue (Fireseed Art Studios) has been described by the event organizers as cannabis friendly, so make sure you BYOC. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased at plantjam.co/events. All proceeds benefi t Equitable Opportunities Now.

Comedy Party High Performance: Special 4/20 Weed Game Show Edition April 16 | 8-10 p.m. | 116 Water St., Worcester Described as “the only game show where the contestants are higher than the points,” The Weed Game Show rolls into Worcester’s Summit Lounge for a special 4/20 week edition. This show will feature stand-up comedians attempting to best one-another in an engaging, ganja-fi lled game show that is sure to have you grinning from ear to

ear. BYOC. Tickets can be purchased www.comedy-party.com for $25.

at

Meet and Greet with Freeway Rick Ross and Gary Payton April 19 | 10 a.m.-7 p.m. | 64 Mill St., Southbridge Green Meadows recently announced that it was chosen to produce several celebrity branded pre-roll joints and concentrates in Massachusetts. To celeSee CANNABIS, Page 25

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 19

THE NEXT DRAFT

Craft beer is on road to recovery in 2022 Matthew Tota Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Reviewing the latest Brewers Association production report, I found myself glossing over data showing the craft beer industry trending toward pre-pandemic growth, ruminating on the thought that one of the 50 largest craft breweries in the country has never made an alcoholic beer.

Athletic Brewing Co., a trailblazer in the world of non-alcoholic beer, jumped to 27th on the BA’s list of the 50 biggest craft breweries in the nation. It’s not a surprising development if you’ve been following Athletic’s ballooning production numbers and possibly every story in recent months on the popularity of NA brews. Since brewing about 7,500 barrels in 2019, the Connecticut brewery has swelled, brewing 37,500 barrels in 2020 and surging to over 100,000 last year.

I’m not shocked by Athletic’s rise and won’t be when it soon cracks the top 10, which, at its current pace, feels inevitable. Other breweries will certainly take notice, and we’ll begin to see more and varied NA beers fl ood the market.

Speaking last week about the BA’s report, its chief economist, Bart Watson, said such explosive growth is rare these days.

“One thing that certainly makes this a little more impressive is this is a more mature craft industry. Those type of eye-popping numbers are certainly less common today than they were four or fi ve years ago where you regularly get a couple breweries on the list who had grown at tremendous rates,” he said.

Behind Athletic’s ascension, the biggest news from the BA’s report was craft beer’s rebound in 2021: Craft grew 8% last year, increasing its overall market share by volume to 13.1% and nearly erasing 2020’s 9% decline. This year, the BA expects the industry to climb back to pre-pandemic numbers thanks to the returning strength of brewery, restaurant, taproom and bar sales, otherwise known as “on-premise.”

“If we continue to see recovery in that channel shift, especially through the summer, which is a big beer-selling time of year for craft brewers, I think we’ll get

back to those 2019 levels in 2022,” Watson said.

Small and independent breweries racked up $26.8 billion in retail sales, according to the BA, accounting for about 27% of the nation’s $100 billion beer market. And the number of craft breweries in the country grew to 9,118, up from 8,905 in 2020.

This will be a two-part column on the BA’s annual data dump, as I expect to have its state-by-state data in the next few weeks. For now, we know that six New England breweries cracked the top-50 last year: Allagash Brewing Co. in Maine, Athletic, Boston Beer Co., Harpoon Brewery, Vermont’s Fiddlehead Brewing and Narragansett Brewing Co. in Rhode Island.

The one wrinkle in the BA’s forecast for 2022 was that brewery closings appear to be trending up and could fi nish higher than last year, which saw 178 closings compared to 646 new brewery openings. A variety of factors are to blame, Watson said, from expiring leases to diffi culty securing COVID-19 relief funds. But one of the main causes is some brewers are having a harder time recovering from the pandemic than others.

“Even with a bounce back year, many breweries are still struggling with the effects of the pandemic, and so 2022 could be a make-or-break year,” Watson said.

Athletic Brewing Co., of Stratford, Conn., which offers an entire line of non-alcoholic beers, jumped to 27th on the BA’s list of the 50 biggest craft breweries in the nation. ATHLETIC BREWING CO.

20 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

BOX OFFICE

Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler, left) lunches with some Hogwarts students in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Mikkelsen brings Voldemort vibes to improved ‘Fantastic Beasts’ threequel Brian Truitt USA TODAY

Mads Mikkelsen’s the worst thing to happen to J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world since that snaky varmint Voldemort.

Replacing Johnny Depp after his various controversies, Mikkelsen’s a deliciously sinister delight as dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.” The third installment of director David Yates’ “Harry Potter” period prequel series still is overstuff ed with characters and subplots, yet polishes a few missteps from previous fi lms. There’s a renewed emphasis on magical creatures and another decidedly political bent to the franchise as it digs into dark themes and off ers a bewitching goofy side.

Set in the 1930s, the new fi lm continues the narrative that Grindelwald’s ready to go to war to eradicate the world’s Muggle (non-magical) population. He foments hatred among his followers and enacts a grand plan that will place him in control of the entire wizarding community through electoral means.

His former lover, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) can’t move against Grindelwald because of a blood oath between them. So he enlists the “Beasts” fi lms’ primary antagonist, lovably awkward magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), to round up a “Dirty Dozen”-style crew of operatives for a counterintelligence mission to stymie the villain until they can strike back.

Along for the ride are Newt’s human baker pal Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), brother Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) and a new character, Lally (Jessica Williams), a Charms professor at the American counterpart to Hogwarts.

In the previous 2018 outing, “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” Newt took a back seat to young Dumbledore and a host of other characters. “Secrets” puts him back at center stage, in his natural habitat of looking for cool animals and being an all-around likable sort. There’s a daring rescue in which Redmayne does a wacky hip-swiveling dance with a bunch of baby scorpion things that’s so preposterous and silly it’s endearing.

Newt’s critters have key roles: His lit-

tle stick bud Pickett is as whimsical as ever and the new deer/dragon hybrid Qilin (pronounced “chillin”) is one of the more signifi cant characters in the sprawling story. These computer-generated imaging creatures are astonishingly realized, more so than many of the whizbang, wand-waving magical battles.

Law brings a mercurial side to Dumbledore that’s more in line with the version of the “Potter” fi lms. Williams’ Lally is an enchanting new presence, while Jacob continues to be the comedic heart of this movie series: Kowalski’s goodhearted everyman aims to rescue his mindreading love Queenie (Alison Sudol) – now a member of Grindelwald’s entourage – but fi nds time to have an enjoyable back-and-forth while lunching with some Hogwarts kids.

Over on the dark side, Mikkelsen provides the Voldemort-level evil personality the “Beasts” movies have been lacking. While Depp’s take – essentially playing Grindelwald as a wild-haired freaky cult leader – was fi ne, Mikkelsen’s feels more dangerous, as he wields a public charm as a crowd-pleasing, manipulative man of the people while hiding his

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” Rating: PG-13 Star rating: eee out of four

inherent ruthless cruelty. (The allusions to real-life political fi gures are not subtle, nor is using 1930s Germany as a locale for a genocidal would-be leader’s shenanigans.)

Reveals about Grindelwald and Dumbledore’s relationship are interesting, although the subplot involving them and Credence (Ezra Miller), the powerful youngster revealed as a Dumbledore at the end of the previous fi lm, seems superfl uous.

“Secrets” does a decent job streamlining the busy storytelling in the third of a planned fi ve-movie series that, to be honest, doesn’t have the clearest overarching narrative. And with a surprisingly good climax to go along with Mikkelsen totally understanding his assignment, this “Beasts” is never a burden to watch.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 21

SCREEN TIME

Epic religious movies provided insight for writer’s greatest role Craig S. Semon Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

“Do not weep for me,” thought I as I looked at the mob. “Weep for yourselves.”

This Good Friday marks the 20th Anniversary of me doing my fi rst public acting job, portraying Jesus during a two-hour, citywide walk of Fitchburg for the Stations of the Cross. I had the honor of doing this four years in a row, with my fi nal Jesus walk on Good Friday 2005.

I didn’t get paid, nor did I earn my SAG card. But what I received from the experience was priceless.

Being a lifelong Catholic who was baptized, had his fi rst communion and confi rmation all at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Worcester, I had a lifetime of inspiration and experiences to draw upon.

And being an avid watcher of religious movies, especially during Holy

Week, didn’t hurt either.

In fact, as long I remember, I’ve watched yearly (and I will continue watch again and again every year), Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” as part of the ABC Sunday Night Movie with numerous commercial interruptions and edited for television because it has become a longstanding family tradition, even though a majority of my family have now gone to heaven.

And, despite “The Ten Commandments” dealing with the life of Moses, Holy Week isn’t complete until I see Charlton Heston part the Red Sea, Edward G. Robinson accuse Moses of carving the Ten Commandments himself and Yul Brynner as Rameses acknowledging that Moses’ God is God. So let it be written. So let it be done.

To prepare for the walk, I read the scriptures, memorized all the Stations, and repeatedly watched religious movies with moving crucifi xion scenes Charlton Heston parts the Red Sea as Moses in “The Ten Commandments.“ See MOVIES, Page 22

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22 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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Craig S. Semon doing The Stations of the Cross through Fitchburg on Good Friday April 9, 2004. RICK CINCLAIR/T&G STAFF

Movies Continued from Page 21

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that made a lasting impression on me as child and still today as an adulthood.

I rewatched 1961’s “King of Kings,” starring Jeff rey Hunter — aka Captain Christopher Pike, the fi rst captain of the USS Enterprise on the original “Star Trek” pilot — as Jesus. He was the bestlooking actor ever to play Jesus.

I also rewatched 1965’s “The Greatest Story Ever Told” with Christ being played by Max Von Sydow — aka the medieval knight who plays chess with the personifi cation of the Death in “The Seventh Seal” and Father Lankester Merrin in “The Exorcist.” As far as Jesus biopics go, Von Sydow was the most commanding.

An added bonus, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” which is better than “King of Kings,” features David McCallum (aka Illya Kuryakin from “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”) as Judas, Charlton Heston as John the Baptist (can you have a good religious movie without Charlton Heston in it?), Sidney Poitier as Simon of Cyrene and John Wayne as a Roman Centurion, who declares with classic “Duke” swagger, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” Although the movie isn’t directly

Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus Christ in “King of Kings.”

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER FILE PHOTO

about Jesus, 1959’s “Ben-Hur” has my favorite crucifi xion scene of all time and my favorite depiction of the Son of God, a shadowy, out-of-focus and often off frame divine being accompanied by a heavenly choir.

“Ben-Hur” also has Charlton Heston (again!) as his most manly and musky this side of “The Planet of the Apes” and the spectacular chariot race scene, arSee MOVIES, Page 23

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 23

Movies Continued from Page 22

guably the best action sequence ever fi lmed in the history of cinema. And, folks, no CGI. And, fi nally, Martin Scorsese’s labor of love, 1988’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” with Willem Dafoe, delivering one of the coolest and most confl icted portrayals of Jesus I have ever seen on the big screen and one of the most powerful.

“The Last Temptation of Christ” has added signifi cance to me because the father of one of my high school friends was arrested on Sept. 11, 1988, for wielding a two-foot machete in front of Showcase Cinemas on Southbridge Street.

The man (whose name I’m leaving out in respect to his family) was protesting “The Last Temptation of Christ” because it featured a “sex scene” with Jesus and Mary Magdalene (played by Barbara Hershey). Spoiler alert: in actuality, Satan makes a last-ditch attempt to seduce Jesus from not following his destiny by off ering him a blissful, earthly marriage with Magdalene.

On May 17, 1989, the 56-year-old city man was sentenced to fi ve years in Concord State Prison for six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. He insisted that he meant no harm to anyone.

The man, who had not seen the fi lm but had read about it and seen television reports, said the movie “was against the son of God.” For me, “The Last Temptation of Christ” was one of most powerful spiritual experiences I have ever had in a movie theater.

By the way, I did my fi rst walk before Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” so the infl uence of that fi lm didn’t fi lter into my portrayal. But, it did come into play during a poetry reading I did, which I titled “The Passion of the Craig.”

I opened the reading with “Hello, I’m Craig S. Semon for Hair Club for Jesus.

I’m not only the president of Hair Club for Jesus. I’m also a client,” I concluded as I held up a picture of me with the cross.

So I already had the hair, the beard, the inspiration and the desire to play the part, and Father Rich Lewandowski of St. Camilus Church in Fitchburg, who gave me the opportunity to go on this spiritual journey, supplied the robe and the crown of thorns.

Max Von Sydow as Jesus in “The Greatest Story Ever Told.“

Willem Dafoe as Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ.“

UNITED ARTISTS FILE PHOTO

UNIVERSAL PICTURES FILE PHOTO

All I needed was a cross. So we went cross shopping the week before my inaugural Stations of the Cross.

Cross shopping entailed Father Rich opening the garage door of St. Camilus Church. Inside, it looked like the Gentile Warehouses, a vast array of wooden crosses for all your family crucifi xion needs.

There were crosses of all shapes and sizes. There were mammoth crosses.

There were mid-size crosses. There were luxury crosses. There were heavy crosses and light crosses. There were tall crosses and short crosses. There were even baby crosses. Looking over the vast array of crosses, I felt like a messiah in a candy store.

As I was trying out crosses on for size, I kept in mind that I was looking for two things in my portable Christianity symbol — proper weight and length.

First, I picked out a cross for the desired weight, which was very light and easy to carry but several feet off the ground. If I used the cross, it would have looked like a bad Groucho Marx sketch, “You Bet Your Afterlife.”

Then, I picked out one that would drag on the ground for the desired length but it was as heavy as a downed telephone pole and too cumbersome to carry a great distance.

I suggested a Styrofoam cross but realized that a strong wind could lift the

cross in the air and carry it away. Thinking about it further, a cross hovering in the skies of Fitchburg might have strengthened the faith of the people of the Twin Cities and Styrofoam might not be a bad idea.

Father Rich assured me that he would get a lighter cross constructed under my length specifi cations before Good Friday, which was only a week away. Of course, he didn’t and the cross I bared was the heavy cross that I originally rejected.

Wearing a crown of thorns, carrying a wooden cross, walking through the city streets, I aspired to be as good looking as Jeff rey Hunter in “King of Kings,” as authoritative as a Max Von Sydow In “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and as intense and confl icted as Willem Defoe in “The Last Temptation of Christ,” with a little Charlton Heston animal magnetism thrown in for good measure.

With sandals on my feet, a fl owing robe draped over my aching bones and, symbolically, the sins of the world resting on my shoulders, I proceeded down Main Street as a mass of people followed closely at my heels.

It was strange to see traffi c come to a dead stop on John Fitch Highway and unsuspecting passengers mouthing in their cars, “It’s Jesus,” as they made the sign of the cross, while babies strapped in car seats became fi xated on me, as

they waved their little arms and kicked their little feet in absolute joy.

A few nuns blessed me and said, “He really looks like Jesus.”

My mother, with streaming tears and a beaming smile on her face, responded to the nuns, “That’s not Jesus. That’s my son.”

When I did fi nally come face to face with my mother near the end of The Stations, I mouthed the words, “Woman, behold your son.”

The next day, the Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise and The Boston Globe had a photo of me depicted as Jesus on their front page, while the Catholic Free Press did the same a week later.

While the pictures on the Sentinel and the Catholic Free Press were nice, they were merely pictures of myself dressed up as Jesus carrying a cross on a hill.

What Sean Dougherty captured in the shot used for the Boston Globe was so much more.

Hired as a stringer by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette to shoot The Stations of the Cross, Dougherty placed several photos on the AP wire, including the cover shot used by the Globe.

Dougherty’s photo elevated my participation as something more than just a man carrying a cross and paying respect to Jesus. A beaming ray of light penetrated the landscape and I no longer became the focus. His photos transcended to the spiritual and the abstract, capturing the personifi cation of faith.

One of the best photographers I have ever known, T&G photo editor Rick Cinclair, took stellar shots of me on my second and third Stations of the Cross.

I decided to portray Jesus as long as it felt and looked right. I didn’t want to be portraying Jesus like a “mature” Elvis, an old, out-of-shape Son of God delivering his greatest scriptures.

On my last outing as Jesus, I led four hundred of so followers to the front of “The Other Side,” a gentleman’s club on Route 12 in Fitchburg.

For Jonathan Phillips, then photographer for the Sentinel & Enterprise, I purposely brought the crowd in the middle of Route 12, took them 180 degrees into the street so the strip club and its signage “Girls Girls Girls” and “Exotic Dancer” would be clearly seen behind me.

I whispered to the photographer, “You know. I did that solely for you.”

Phillips nodded in the affi rmative as he captured the winning shot.

24 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

5 THINGS TO DO

‘Parallel Mothers,’ ‘Naughty bits’ and more ....

Richard Duckett and Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Getting ‘Naughty’ In October 2019, 4th Wall Stage Company kicked off its eighth season with “Naughty Bits,” a romp in collaboration with Lowell’s Image Theater that featured a collection of provocative, humorous and outrageous original skits and songs. As it turned out, that would be it for live, in-person theater for 4th Wall for over two years. But now 4th Wall is back, full circle, with “More Naughty Bits” April 21 and 22 at the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC. The performances are a “Friendraiser” for the company, whose regular productions are soon to get underway after a long delay.

“Our previous ‘Naughty Bits’ was so well-received, we thought we would create an evening of frivolity with provocative pieces geared to get people back in the theater again,” said Barbara Guertin of 4th Wall. There will be a house band, performances by 4th Wall regulars and colleagues from other theaters including Jerry Bizantz from Image Theater, and Elaine Crane of Greater Worcester Opera Company, a cash bar, raffles, and more. Adult content. (RD) The cast of the original production of "The Naughty Bits." SUBMITTED

What: “More Naught Bits” — 4th Wall Stage Company When: 7:30 p.m. April 21 and 22 Where: BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center, 20B Franklin Street, Worcester How much: $12.50 to $27.50 reserved seating. www.jmacworcester.org

There will be an opening reception for "With Aloha, tropical landscapes and flora: a solo exhibition" by Piya Samant, from 5 to 8 p.m. April 16 at The Park View Room. SUBMITTED PHOTO

PHOTO

‘A Vivid Memoir of Travels’

‘Parallel Mothers’

“With Aloha” is a collection of 24 landscape and floral paintings by Piya Samant on view at the Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester, with an opening reception April 16. The paintings are inspired by tropical locations and “this exhibition is a vivid memoir of my travels.

It captures unbounded sunsets, stunning vistas, and exotic flora on canvas. With love … With gratitude … With Aloha,” Samant said. (RD)

In veteran Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film “Parallel Mothers,” two pregnant women, Janis (Penelope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) share a hospital room and both give birth at the same time. Janis, middle-aged, is exultant.

Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. But a close link between the two will be forged by events that further change both their lives.

“Parallel Mothers” was accorded a nineminute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, and Cruz received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

The film is being presented locally by cinema-worcester. (RD)

What: “With Aloha, tropical landscapes and flora: a solo exhibition”

by Piya Samant When: Opening reception 5 to 8 p.m. April 16. Galley open 2 to 4 p.m. April 24, May 1, May 8, May 15 and May 22.

Where: The Park View Room, 230 Park Avenue, Worcester How much: Free and open to the public

What: “Parallel Mothers” presented by cinema-worcester When: 7 p.m. April 15 Where: Park View Room, 230 Park Ave., Worcester How much: $11; $9 students and seniors. www.cinema-worcester.com Continued on next page

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 25

Cannabis Continued from Page 18

brate, Freeway Rick Ross (former drug traffi cker, current author and drug policy reform advocate) and NBA legend Gary Payton will be on site to showcase their new products and talk about their involvement in the cannabis industry.

Green Meadows’ normal hours of operation are 10 a.m.-7 p.m., but check their social media in the coming days for more details on when Rick and Gary will be showing up.

Showing of ‘Half Baked’ at Greenfi eld Garden Cinema April 20 | 4:20-8:45 p.m. | 361 Main St., Greenfi eld Perhaps I’m stretching the defi nition of Central Massachusetts by including an event that’s west of the Connecticut River, but our city’s lack of a proper movie theater has been well documented, so consider taking a trip down Route 2 to historic downtown Greenfi eld. Studio reps forced Dave Chappelle and co-writer Neal Brennan to make massive re-writes to the original script of 1998’s “Half Baked,” resulting in a fi lm that Brennan once called “a weed movie for kids.” Does this cameo-packed movie hold up to your hazy memories of it from college? I’ll let you ascertain that.

Tickets are available for the 4 p.m. showing at the low cost of $4.20, while the 7 p.m. showing will be full priced ($10). The venue kindly asks you not to consume cannabis in the theater, but invites you to indulge beforehand.

Various Worcester Dispensaries April 20 You can bet pretty much every cannabis retailer in the city will have some sort of festivities for the big day, but here’s what we know so far: Resinate (1191 Millbury St.) will be having a party that will include a “photo booth, Resinate goodies and more.”

Mission (640 Lincoln St.) is hosting some pop-ups and vendors, including Cresco, CANN, and Airopro, and will have some deals for medical patients in the run-up to 4/20.

The Vault (17 Mountain St. E) will have a special menu for 4/20, featuring products from brands across the state.

Major Bloom (76 Millbury St.) will have some special 4/20-themed edible products for sale.

Correction: In the March 15 edition of Cannabis Confi dential titled “Cannabis Primary shows pot not a primary concern for gov candidates,” the article failed to mention that Josh Caldwell, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, had not received an invitation to the Tree House Craft Cannabis’ Cannabis Primary event. The author regrets the error.

Down to Earth Grassroots Central Mass will celebrate Earth Day with a pair of events: One outside, the other online. The first event is the “Trees Are Treasures” celebration at Wells State Park in Sturbridge. The event will feature a family-friendly stroll along the Mill Pond Trail, featuring encounters with a reformed, tree-loving lumberjack and the Lady of the Wetlands along the way.

The event will also include children’s play and entertainment zones, an environmental book swap and a tree seedling giveaway. In the Zoom event, career retrofitter and home sustainability expert Wes Golomb of New Hampshire will present the program, “Moving Toward Your Net Zero Home,” about how working toward sustainability in our lives can start at home. (VDI) What: “Trees Are Treasures” celebration Where: Wells State Park, 159 Walker Pond Road, Sturbridge When: 11 a.m. To 4 p.m. April 23 How Much: Free What: “Moving Toward Your Net Zero Home”

Self-proclaimed “Energy Geek” Wes Golomb will give a presentation on Zoom for Grassroots Central Mass.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

When: 7 p.m. April 22 For More Information: Free. For Zoom information, email emailing climate@grassrootscentralmass.org.

Making ‘Connection’ College of the Holy Cross students in the seminar “Music, Performance, and Community” taught by Professor Shirish Korde have spent the past semester honing their skills and working with the community through workshops, local excursions, and masterclasses led by world-class musicians. Their studies and efforts culminate with a free public concert “Connecting Neighborhoods through Music and Performance” at the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC. Students will be joined by alumni and music department faculty. A diverse program features works by J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Piazzolla, and Tchaikovsky. Jazz composers will include Monk, Jobim, Ellington, and others. The seminar is part of Korde’s three-year Scholarship in Action project, a collaboration between the department of music at Holy Cross and Music Worcester. (RD) What: Connecting Neighborhoods through Music and Performance When: 7 p.m. April 19 Where: BrickBox Theater at the Jean McDonough Arts Center, 20B Franklin Street, Worcester How much: Free

This Week’s Answer Professor Shirish Korde and the students of Holy Cross will present “Connecting Neighborhoods through Music and Performance.” PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

0415

26 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J O N E S I N’

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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Across 1. Equilateral figure 8. Crow’s call 11. “Milk” director Van Sant 14. Amalfi Coast’s gulf 15. “Without any further ___” 16. CN Tower prov.

17. Label for some TV jacks 18. Litigator’s field 19. Barracks VIP 20. Bulbed vegetable 21. Omelet bar option 22. A neighbor of Minn.

23. Carbon-14 or strontium-90, as used in dating 27. Paris 2024 org.

30. Some bridge seats 31. Record-setting Ripken 32. Carson of “The Voice” 34. Word often seen after “shalt” 35. Billiard ball feature, maybe 38. 2004 Hawthorne Heights single considered an “emo anthem” 41. Luck, in Spanish 42. “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar ___” 43. The “E” in QED 44. Cage of “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, familiarly 45. Actress Arterton 47. Late Pink Floyd member Barrett 48. Hippie-inspired perfume ingredient 52. Smashing fellow?

53. Coldplay’s “Death and All ___ Friends” 54. Wishes it weren’t so 57. Actress Nicole ___ Parker 58. “___ in the Kitchen” (2022 TBS cooking show featuring sabotage) 59. Artificial tissue materials for 3-D printing 62. Pump output 63. Notable time period 64. Secret group in “The Da Vinci Code” 65. Suffix after fast or slow 66. “As ___ my last email ...”

67. “You busy?”

“Intro To Puzzles”--the three digits you’d see in college courses.

by Matt Jones

Down 1. Pretoria’s home (abbr.)

2. Lug along 3. Ye ___ Shoppe 4. Video game designer behind the “Civilization” series 5. NBC Nightly News anchor for over 20 years 6. Prefix with cycle or verse 7. Sean, to Yoko 8. City near one end of the Chunnel 9. Washington’s successor 10. “Amazing!”

11. Venetian boatmen 12. Open, as a toothpaste tube 13. Add fuel to 21. Post-shave amenities 22. What they say to do to a fever, versus a cold (or is it the other way around?)

24. Like coffee cake, often 25. “Time ___ the essence!”

26. Bi x bi x bi 27. Promising exchanges 28. “Hawaii Five-O” setting 29. Salesperson’s leads, generally 33. “Alas, poor ___!” (line from “Hamlet”) 35. Sports replay speed 36. Religious hit for MC Hammer

37. Abbr. before a founding year 39. Bite result, perhaps 40. Actor Malek 45. Fender offering 46. Freshen, as linens 48. Suffix meaning “eater” 49. Charismatic glows 50. Midwest airline hub 51. Opera star Tetrazzini (she of the chicken dish) 55. Comes to a halt 56. ___-ball (arcade rolling game) 58. Salesperson, briefly 59. Peaty place 60. 2008 event for Visa 61. Clarifying word in brackets

Last week's solution

©2022 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1088

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | 27

LAST CALL

Mark Arsenault, author of ‘The Imposter’s War’ Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Mark Arsenault spent three years solving a century old mystery. Newspaper editor Jason Rathom, remembered for his major role in America’s entry into World War I, fell from grace following a public feud with his friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The former celebrity newsman died in obscurity in 1923 but while his journalism was history making, everything he said about himself was demonstrably false. In a new book, “The Imposter’s War,” which went on sale April 5, the Templeton native examines the checkered history of a member of journalism’s rogue’s gallery. Arsenault sat down with Last Call to discuss how he uncovered Rathom’s identity, conducted research during the pandemic, and how the story demonstrates clear parallels to propaganda tactics today.

How did you get started on writing this book?

I was a reporter at the Providence Journal from 1998 to 2008. In 2004, I was assigned to write a history of the paper for its 175th anniversary. Looking back at what people did for the 150th, we saw they had written about the Journal’s most famous editor — John Rathom. Convinced he was not who he said he was, they couldn’t go much further due to the lack of newspaper archives and databases. Even 15 years ago, I couldn’t have done this research. When we fi nished the project, I thought he should really be a book someday and it just sat in my head for 15 years.

So who was he and why is he such a compelling character?

He was both a criminal and a crimefi ghter. He was an excellent writer and produced powerful journalism exposing some really terrible wrongs — like an underage prostitution ring — but he was also a grifter, liar and an extortionist. In British Columbia, he would bribe businesses by threatening to write bad stories about them before the police almost caught up with him. He seemed to have no problem compartmentalizing this and believed he was entitled due to his good works.

In 1915, when he got to Providence via San Francisco, and the Germans sank the Lusitania, that changed Rathom. No

Mark Arsenault is the author of “The Imposter’s War.” JESSICA RINALDI/GLOBE STAFF

longer about personal grift, he was committed to getting the U.S. into war against Germany. He made it his mission to grind down America’s resistance to going to war, one story at a time.

Why did he so desperately want it to happen?

Part of it was that he was Australian, a British subject, and maintained personal loyalties to Great Britain. But he legitimately saw Germany as a threat to world peace. And the Lusitania itself — 128 Americans died in that tragedy. It’s tempting to say it broke him, but it’s more like it mended something in him.

He connected that incident to his ability to write about German intrigue and espionage, proceeding on a mission that he had set for himself.

So how did he engineer the US entry into the war?

Rathom invented sources and went on the lecture circuit to say that the Journal had infi ltrated German embassies and consulates. That was not true because we know he got his information from British spies and the organization we now call the FBI. For the most part, his journalism was generally built around a kernel of truth but his journalistic standards were defi nitely not up to today. However, it shot him to national super-stardom and people, including Roosevelt, began to listen to him.

Let’s talk about how you picked up

this thread of his lies and unraveled it.

The Journal team knew he was probably not who he said he was. There was just no record of anyone by that name being born in Australia. Being an imposter is one thing but it is dangerous if an imposter infl uences world events. So the two points of my book are Rathom’s identity and the infl uence he wielded in his time. He was a confi dante of Woodrow Wilson and trusted by the nation but there’s no evidence he ever spoke his real name on this continent.

I followed the stories that went national, traced their history and found out if they were truthful. Declassifi ed FBI fi les and research by FDR were valuable. Rathom, shortly before his death in 1923, got into a nasty public spat with FDR, who sued him for libel and though it never came to trial because FDR contracted polio, he unearthed some facts about his past. The information can be found in FDR’s presidential library so I went to Hyde Park in February 2020, and just days after I went there, the entire world shut down. If I hadn’t gone when I did, I might still be working on this book.

What was found out about him in his own time?

When he was on his speaking tour in 1917-1918, he took credit for the spy work done by government agencies. The DOJ very quietly decided to shut Rathom up so the attorney general of the U.S. made

a deal — that Rathom would sign a confession admitting to everything he lied about and the AG would keep it secret, as long as Rathom behaved himself. Unfortunately, Rathom couldn’t bear to be out of the limelight for too long and when he clashed with FDR, the AG released the confession, exposing Rathom as a liar. His credibility was ruined. Even if his journalism was largely true, his lies on the lecture circuit brought him down.

What are some lessons to take away from this?

There used to be a high price for lying to the public but we don’t really demand that price from public fi gures anymore, leading to trust issues. There are parallels to the techniques that the Germans used then and the Russians are still doing now — same techniques but diff erent technology. You can have people clicking away in Moscow pretending to be people online, the Germans had to sail people all the way here. The concept of gray propaganda, things formatted to look like news stories without sourcing, people share those on Facebook all the time now. As a reader you don’t have enough knowledge to vet anything.

Did you ever fi nd out Rathom’s real name?

Yes, I did. It’s in the book. If this were a crime fi ction book, I wouldn’t want to share whodunnit. He left clues, unintentionally because it’s hard to keep lies straight for your entire life. Certain documents, marriage licenses and passports, each one slightly diff erent but enough breadcrumbs to piece together his real name. And once I did that, I was able to put together my own theory. The work done in the ‘70s was helpful so I had a head start.

What was the biggest challenge in writing this?

The pandemic. Since research institutions were just not available, I had to work around that. I got great help from librarians and researchers but I desperately needed a newspaper issue from Chicago so I reached out to a librarian at the Chicago Public Library. I was lucky to fi nd people who are passionate about helping authors dig up obscure facts and I was able to hire someone in Toronto to do a little investigative work for me there, because I couldn’t cross the border.

28 | APRIL 15 - 21, 2022 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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