Wednesday, March 30,2011

Delightfully 'Distracted'

Smart script, superb cast make Peppermint Creek’s offbeat comedy a gem

by UTE VON DER HEYDEN

Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. has done it again ' fulfilled its stated mission of entertaining while raising awareness and encouraging dialogue.

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Wednesday, March 30,2011

Williamston’s 'Bowling' is a solid hit

Sterling stars make 1950s comedy-drama connect

by Paul Wozniak

Pithy bowling metaphors scarcely describe the Williamston Theatre’s "While We Were Bowling." Carter W. Lewis’ magnificent script takes a curved look at one suburban family in 1957, contrasting the televised ideal to the reality on stage with a poignant and...

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Wednesday, March 30,2011

'Pentecost' can't decide what to accent

Timely themes are buried inside a confused script

by Mary C. Cusack

Producing quality theater is always a challenge. Academic theater programs have the added challenge of finding a script that meets certain learning outcomes. The play must also be an ensemble piece that has enough roles to give substantial stage time for all of the students in the course, further limiting the script choices.

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Wednesday, March 30,2011

Turn it down: A survey of Lansing's musical landscape

by Rich Tupica

The band plays the Landshark Friday. Sharing the bill are Audrey (Muskegon), Good Weather For Airstrikes (Howell), Bloomill (Mt. Pleasant). Elliot Street Lunatic will record its sophomore album in California this June with producer Casey Crescenzo from The Dear Hunter, a national indie band.

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Wednesday, March 30,2011

Paging book lovers

Antiquarian Book & Paper Show has something for you

by Fiona Guo

Book dealers are coming from all over Michigan, as well as from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Minnesota. But that’s not all: Book binder Jon Buller, manager of the custom binding division of Thomson-Shore Inc., said he’s looking forward to showcasing his work as well.

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Tuesday, March 29,2011

Starlight shines

A success is announced: 'Murder' is fast-paced and enjoyably played

by Tom Helma

Return with us now to those thrilling moments of yesteryear — no, it is not the Green Hornet and not the Lone Ranger either, but rather Miss Marple of Agatha Christie fame, as presented in the Starlight Dinner Theater's production of “A Murder is Announced.” While ...

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Thursday, March 24,2011

Violins and Valkyries

Lansing’s Melissa White tops varied LSO program

by Lawrence Cosentino

For Melissa White, headlining Saturday’s Lansing Symphony concert doesn’t mean hotel food and hangers you can’t pull off the rack. Born and raised in Lansing, the peripatetic violinist can look forward to home-cooked meals with her mom and dad and a sleepover with her sister.

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Thursday, March 24,2011

1920s Michigan: Klan country?

Indeed, according to an eye-opening new book from a British historian

by Bill Castanier

"Mask," the current exhibit at the MSU Museum, stands as proof. Some of the several hundred masks on display are scary, but none is scarier than the robed and hooded mannequin of a KKK member Maybe it takes a Brit to step away from the inherent...

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Thursday, March 24,2011

Taking a stand against bullying

After their son’s suicide, Kevin and Tammy Epling decided to share his story

by Gabi Moore

Maybe Kevin and his wife, Tammy, would have had someone to reach out to when their 14-year-old son came home from the last day of eighth grade and told them he had been attacked by East Lansing High School students as part of a “welcome to high school” hazing ritual.

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Thursday, March 24,2011

Lasers and rock and Oz — oh my!

Echoes of Pink Floyd finds the ’Dark Side’ of a classic fantasy

by Rich Tupica

“It’s an escape from reality for people to see ‘Wizard of Oz’ set to ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ with lasers. It’s a surreal experience,” said Tom Beller, bassist and backing vocalist for Echoes of Pink Floyd, a tribute band with an enormous light show..

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