The city pulse/fox 47 10th annual best of contest begins today, p. 13
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March 22-28, 2017
o f c o n t e s t b e g in s t o day, p. 13
p u l s e / f ox 4 7 1 0 t h a n n u a l best
the city
MARCH 31 - APRIL 2 | MSU’s Wharton Center | OPENS NEXT WEEK! | WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON Variety Series Sponsor Media Sponsor
East Lansing engagement welcomed by Demmer Corporation; Jackson National Life Insurance Company; and Palmer, Bush & Jensen Family Funeral Homes.
2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 22, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Save the Whales: a flute, cello and piano recital
featuring George Crumb’s VOX BALAENAE (Voice of the Whales)
Sonate En Concert Op. 17 Jean-Michel Damase
The Harp of the Dagda James Sclater
Viaje Zhou Tian
Intermission
Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) George Crumb
Vocalise (...for the beginning of time)
Variations on Sea-Time
Sea Theme
Archeozoic [Var. I]
Proterozoic [Var. II]
Paleozoic [Var. III]
March 23 - April 23, 2017
Mesozoic [Var. IV]
Cenozoic [Var. V]
Sea-Nocturne (... for the end of time)
The Michigan Premiere of a
ferocious and provocative
adaptation of one of the most
prescient works of literature of
the last century.
(Contains mature language/content)
Richard Carl Casey Jaime Event Center
Sherman, Donakowski, Robards, Paisley, WKAR
1213 Turner Street Pay-What-You-Can Preview
flute cello piano Concert
Lansing, MI 48906 Thursday, Mar. 23 @ 8PM
Guide
$15 Previews
Mar. 24 @ 8PM
Mar. 25 @ 8PM
PUBLIC NOTICES by GeorGe orwell Mar. 26 @ 2PM
CITY OF LANSING Mar. 30 @ 8PM
PUBLIC ACCURACY TEST AdApted by
FOR THE TUESDAY, MAY 2, 2017
SPECIAL ELECTION MichAel Gene SullivAn
Williamston Theatre
Notice is hereby given that the public test of the program which will be used for tabulating the results Directed by Tony Caselli 122 S Putnam St.,Williamston
of the Special Election to be held Tuesday, May 2, 2017 in the City of Lansing will be conducted at the
Featuring: Tobin Hissong, Curran Jacobs,
City Clerk’s Election Unit located at the South Washington Office Complex at 2500 South Washington
John Lepard, Robin Lewis-Bedz, 517-655-7469
Avenue on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
Brandy Joe Plambeck, David Wolber www.williamstontheatre.org
The public accuracy test is conducted to determine that the program used to tabulate the results of
the election counts the votes in the manner prescribed by law.
ABSENT VOTER BALLOTS
Registered voters can get an Absent Voter Ballot for any of the following reasons:
• You are 60 years of age or older
• You are physically unable to attend the polls without the assistance of another
• You expect to be absent from the City of Lansing for the entire time the polls are open on Election
Day
• You cannot attend the polls because of the tenets of your religion
• You are an appointed precinct worker in a precinct other than the precinct where you reside
• You cannot attend the polls because you are confined to jail awaiting arraignment or trial
We must have a signed application to issue an Absent Voter Ballot. Applications are available at www.
lansingmi.gov/Elections or by calling 517-483-4131.
The Lansing City Clerk’s Office, 124 W. Michigan Ave., 9th Floor, will be open weekdays from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. to issue absentee ballots to qualified electors.
The Lansing City Clerk’s Election Unit, 2500 S. Washington Ave (rear entrance), will be open
• Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning April 4, 2017 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m;
• Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
to issue absentee ballots to qualified electors.
Monday, May 1, 2017 at 4 p.m. is the deadline to request an absentee ballot. Ballots requested on
Monday, May 1, 2017 must be requested and voted in person at the Clerk’s Office at 124 W. Michigan
Ave, 9th Floor or 2500 S. Washington Ave.
Chris Swope, CMMC/CMC
Lansing City Clerk
www.lansingmi.gov/Clerk www.facebook.com/LansingClerkSwope
CP#17-055
City Pulse • March 22, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE
“A Journey of Transformation” THEATRE.MSU.EDU
WHARTONCENTER.COM OR 1-800-WHARTON
A time of prayer, meditation
and dramatic presentations
Noon to 1 pm on Wednesday
March 22, 29 and April 5
Pilgrim Congregational 125 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
Sunday - 10 AM
United Church of Christ (517) 484-7434
Lansing, MI
PilgrimUCC.com
Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann
Digital Magazine
eBook
Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis
magazine Print (OverDrive) URINETOWN was produced on Broadway in September, 2001 by the Araca Group and
(Zinio) Dodger Theatricals in association with TheaterDreams, Inc., and Lauren Mitchell
URINETOWN is presented through special arrangement Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized perfor-
mance materials are also supplied by MTI. wwwMTIShows.com
Pick your favorite format
april 14 - 23, 2017
eAudiobook
(hoopla)
and start celebrating.
paSaNt theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Brad Willcuts
Musical Direction by Dave Wendelberger
Kids ages 3–8 can pick
up a free activity calendar
and earn fun prizes!
2016 2017
4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 22, 2017
VOL. 16
Have something to say about a local issue ISSUE 32
or an item that appeared in our pages?
Now you have two ways to sound off: (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-6704
1.) Write a letter to the editor.
• E-mail: letters@lansingcitypulse.com PAGE or email citypulse@lansingcitypulse.com
7
• Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912
• Fax: (517) 371-5800 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz
• Online at lansingcitypulse.com publisher@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5061
2.) Write a guest column:
40 Contact Berl Schwartz for more information:
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER • Mickey Hirten
mickey@lansingcitypulse.com
publisher@lansingcitypulse.com
or (517) 999-5061
Free the Ionia 3 … dogs, that is ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Ty Forquer
ty@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5068
PAGE
(Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can
reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the PRODUCTION MANAGER • Allison Hammerly
right to edit letters and columns.) adcopy@lansingcitypulse.com • (517) 999-5066
8 STAFF WRITERS • Lawrence Cosentino
lawrence@lansingcitypulse.com
Todd Heywood
todd@lansingcitypulse.com
Conrad Herwig slides into MSU jazz residency GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Brooke Reed
More public notices can be found on brooke@lansingcitypulse.com
page 26.
PAGE SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR • Rich Tupica
10:30 a.m. Saturdays
sales@lansingcitypulse.com
11 SALES EXECUTIVES • Mandy Jackson
Suzi Smith
mandy@lansingcitypulse.com
suzi@lansingcitypulse.com
PUBLIC NOTICES 'Boogie' Bob Baldori remembers Chuck Berry
Contributors: Andy Balaskovitz, Justin Bilicki,
PUBLIC NOTICE Daniel E. Bollman, Capital News Service, Bill
COVER Castanier, Mary C. Cusack, Tom Helma, Gabrielle
$
$
The Ingham County Land Bank Fast Track Authority is seeking vendors for lawn maintenance at its $
Lawrence Johnson, Eve Kucharski, Terry Link, Andy
properties. Insurance required. Qualification Packet is available on or after March 22, 2017 at Ingham
ART McGlashen, Kyle Melinn, Mark Nixon, Shawn Parker,
County Land Bank, 3024 Turner Street, Lansing, Michigan 48906, 8 am to 4 pm Monday through
Friday or at www.inghamlandbank.org. Responses are due March 29, 2017 at 1 pm and will be
opened March 29, 2017 at 1 pm. The Ingham County Land Bank is an Equal Employment Opportunity
Employer. Women- and Minority-Owned Businesses are encouraged to apply.
RFQ #: 2017-0329- LB CP#17-078
Crowdsourc
By JONATHANA GUIDERichard
GRIFFITH
Stefanie Pohl, Dennis Preston, Allan I. Ross, Rich
Tupica, Ute Von Der Heyden, Paul Wozniak
Delivery drivers: Frank Estrada, Dave Fisher, Paul Shore,
TO LANSING-AREA
Simpson, Thomas ScottONLINE
Jr. FUNDRAISING CA
Interns: Diamond Henry, Jamal Tyler
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
EAST LANSING PLANNING COMMISSION
CITY PULSE Editor & Publisher
Notice is hereby given of the following public hearings to be held by the East Lansing Planning on the Berl
Commission on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101 Linden
Street, East Lansing. AIR Now airing on
Schwartz
10:30 a.m. Saturdays
1. A public hearing will be held to consider Ordinance 1403, an ordinance to amend section
50-792, 50-793 and 50-794 of article VII – Other Districts – of Chapter 50 – Zoning – of the
Code of the City of East Lansing to exempt certain requirements of the East Village District with
regard to housing requirements for developments under 50,000 square feet ground coverage
89 FM
and reduce the standards to allow buildings up to 140 feet.
2. A public hearing will be held to consider Ordinance 1404, an ordinance to amend section
50-382 of Chapter 50 – Zoning of the Code of the City of East Lansing to allow for extended
care facilities to be licensed for the sale of alcohol beverage and alcoholic liquor.
3. A public hearing will be held to consider Ordinance 1407, an ordinance to rezone the
properties at 314, 328, 334, 340, and 341-345 Evergreen Avenue from Conditional B3, City
Center Commercial District to RM32, City Center Multiple-Family Residential and P, Parking.
The property is 1.76 acres in size.
4. A public hearing will be held to consider Ordinance 1408, an ordinance to rezone the properties
at 314, 328, 334, 340, and 341-345 Evergreen Avenue from RM32, City Center Multiple-Family
Residential, and P, Parking to Conditional B3, City Center Commercial District. The properties
are 1.76 acres in size.
5. A public hearing will be held to consider an application from Next Generation Investment
Properties, LLC, for Site Plan and Special Use Permit approval for the properties at 358
N. Harrison, 733, 723 and 717 W. Grand River Avenue to demolish the existing single-family
structures and construct a 3-story sorority house. The sorority will have 11 single-occupancy
bedrooms and 15 double-occupancy bedrooms for a total dwelling occupancy of 41 persons.
The properties combined are .514 acres in size and are zoned RM32, City Center Multiple-
Family Residential District.
Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, 410 Abbot Road,
East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be
heard. These matters will be on the agenda for the next Planning Commission meeting after the
public hearing is held, at which time the Commission may vote on them. The Planning Commission's
recommendations are then placed on the agenda of the next City Council meeting. The City Council
will make the final decision on these applications.
The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters
for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to
individuals with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the
meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning
Department, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number: 1-800-
649-3777.
Marie E. Wicks
City Clerk
CP#17-079
City Pulse • March 22, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5
PULSE NEWS & O P I N I O N
Swope running for Lansing city clerk, not mayor
Too late.
Chris Swope will
Not that Swope didn’t want to try.
He went from not running to running
“It’s my shot at it,” he thought. If
Schor gets elected, then he’d be running
C OF THE WEEK
run again for Lan- to not running. “I went full cycle — I’m against an incumbent in four years —
sing city clerk this not, I am, I’m not.” even a longer shot.
year. Reality caught On the late February Monday when Things continued that way for a
up with him on incumbent Virg Bernero dropped out, week or two. Swope is nothing if not
his nascent bid for Swope wasn’t running. He was “shocked deliberative, so he kept looking. And he
mayor. Andy Schor and surprised” by Bernero’s announce- kept finding dead ends.
is too far ahead. ment. And he didn’t see how he could “Things were in motion I didn’t
It’s a cautionary run or be mayor and also help his part- know were in motion,” he told me
Berl schwartz tale for Judi Brown ner expand their Old Town home and Tuesday over the phone as he drove
Clarke, the Council- garden business to Grand Rapids. to Mount Pleasant for clerk training.
woman who is running against Schor. But by the next morning, he was “Some institutional support was locked
He’s a front-runner even a Silver Medal- looking at it. And very quickly he was
ist will have a very hard time catching. telling people he was in. See Schwartz, Page 7
Property: First Church of Christ, Scientist
709 E. Grand River Ave.,
East Lansing
The date of this edifice’s construction in
1953 is noted prominently on the cornerstone
facing Grand River. However, the building’s
dedication was postponed until October 1969.
In accordance with the denomination’s poli-
Courtesy Image
cies, dedication ceremonies did not take place
until the debts connected with the building’s
An Indianapolis-based developer plans to convert the long-vacant, century-old "Abigail" (right) and high school (left) buildings construction were retired.
on Lansing's former Michigan School for the Blind campus to 60 units of housing for people 55 and older, if the project is While the building features many of the
approved for federal low-income housing and historic tax credits.The developer also proposes a new 72-unit family-housing trappings of a traditional church — including
complex called Walnut Park for the property. a columned portico and patinaed copper spire
— it breaks away from these orthodox details.
Love at last for the Abigail?
nior or low-income housing. The modern main portico features fluted col-
“The plan is to save them and convert umns, freed of their classical capitals and bas-
them,” Whitsett said. es. The porch itself is exhibits a subtle curve,
“We think the Lansing project could
$24.5 million 'family housing' complex be really great. The campus itself is an
which is echoed in the steeple’s tower.
Although the standard common brick bond
gains momentum at School for the Blind amenity.”
But the Abigail, named after School
is employed, the dominant pattern features
wider Roman bricks set in a staggered bond.
The grand old maids at the heart of this summer to make room for Walnut for the Blind co-founder Abigail Rog- Limestone accents form the main entablature,
the 40-acre former Michigan School for Park, a four-story, 72-unit “family hous- ers, has endured more than its share of which is capped with a crown and wide den-
the Blind campus may finally see new ing” complex. It will cost an estimated heartbreak over the years. With its neo- tils, and in the stone coping, which introduces
development this summer to the tune of $12 million. classical façade and colossal Doric col- a square motif found throughout the building
$24.5 million. The project was approved for federal umns, the Abigail stood watch over the The church had been temporarily housed
Since 2000, limited rehab work and low-incomehousingtaxcreditsthisspring. campus as its administration building in the Masonic Temple on MAC and the (now
selective demolition have nibbled at the More significantly, TWG is awaiting until the school was phased out in the demolished) State Theater. A Christian Science
fringes of the long-derelict campus on approval in July for similar credits to fi- 1990s and is still one of the most sig- reading room was added about a decade ago;
Lansing’s near west side, but the cam- nance a long-awaited renovation of the nificant, and endangered, structures in from within, one may enjoy expansive views of
pus’ century-old, hulking centerpieces, Abigail itself into 42 units of housing Lansing. Michigan State University.
the 1916 Abigail building and a 1910 for people 55 and older. The high school Eric Schertzing, Ingham County
high school, have remained stubbornly would be converted into 18 units of the treasurer and director of the county’s — Daniel E. Bollman, AIA
vacant. same. Together, they will cost an esti- Land Bank, which owns the west side
Elizabeth Whitsett, development di- mated $14.5 million. of the campus, is cautiously optimistic “Eye candy of the Week” is our weekly look at some of
rector of Indianapolis-based developer TWG has rehabbed about a dozen about he latest announcement, but he is the nicer properties in Lansing. It rotates each with Eyesore of
the Week. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lan-
TWG, said the 1950s-era auditorium school buildings, mostly in the India- singcitypulse.com or call Berl Schwartz at 999-5061.
behind the Abigail will be demolished napolis area, and turned them into se- See Abigail, Page 6
6 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 22, 2017
Abigail tive to developers.
But the improvements did little to bring
suitors to the Abigail and the high school,
the repairs needed, but because of the need
to remove asbestos and lead-based paint.
“The tax credits give us the ability to get
faces an uncertain future, especially with
interest rates going up. More ominously, he
worries that low-income housing tax cred-
from page 5 both of which have sat idle since serving investors to step in as part of the ownership its may not stay in favor with the new presi-
briefly as a training center for the state Cor- of the development,” Edmiston said. “You dential administration and Congress.
worried that the clock is running out on the rections Department in the mid-1990s. look at the rents that can be supported in Edmiston said the tax credit program,
building. After the 2008 housing crash, a plan to the area, maybe $500 to $1,000 a month developed under President Ronald Reagan
“We have lost many beautiful structures convert the two buildings to senior housing — how much debt can you actually support and made permanent under President Bill
in this community, and you can’t save them failed and the buildings went to a creditor, with that? You just can’t get to the num- Clinton, has bipartisan support. The devel-
all,” Schertzing said. “We’ve tried like hell the Great Lakes Capital Fund. ber you need to do the necessary improve- opers are also applying to get the Abigail
with the Abigail. How much longer is its in- In 2013, the campus’ two chief owners, ments, and that’s why the tax credits have and the high school on the National Reg-
tegrity going to hold together? We’re work- the Land Bank and Cinnaire (the new name been critical for this.” ister of Historic Places, a designation that
ing with all the parties involved to get the of the Capital Fund) jointly sent out a re- The new projects would bring this se- comes with additional tax credits that could
next round of funding approved.” quest for proposal to 90 developers in the cluded, sylvan campus into the latest of sev- help lure investors.
The long-empty campus enjoyed a piece- Midwest. Only two developers expressed eral phases of service. Whitsett said the Abigail/high school
meal revival beginning in 2010, when the interest. The campus was first developed in the project “requires both the low income hous-
Greater Lansing Housing Coalition bought One of them was Indianapolis-based 1850s as the Michigan Female College, ing tax credits and the historic tax credits
a library building on the southeast corner TWG, a senior housing specialist that has founded by Abigail and Delia Rogers, with to move forward.” In 2007, an application
and refurbished it into the Neighborhood rehabbed dozens of old school buildings, backing from Lansing pioneer and mer- for federal historic credits for the campus’
Empowerment Center, a home for the Co- mostly in the Indianapolis area. chant James Turner. (Turner also named his “eastern quadrangle” was turned down, on
alition and other nonprofits. That same “TWG is a bright spot and a tremendous daughter, Abigail, after Rogers.) When state the grounds that the campus as a whole is
year, the third early-20th-century building asset in this process,” Schertzing said. colleges started admitting women in 1869, not intact, but Robert McKay of the State
on campus, the 1914 superintendent’s resi- Cinnaire’s vice president, Tom Edmiston, the Female College was closed. After a brief Historical Preservation Office said that’s
dence, was refurbished into offices. said there was “no way” the financing would interlude as an Oddfellows hall, the Lansing not necessarily a deal-breaker.
In 2015, the “cottages,” a ring of 1950s- have been possible without the credits. campus became the Michigan School for the “It doesn’t mean the front portion can’t
era housing on the west end of campus, were The Walnut project will get $1.087 mil- Blind in 1879, serving students from pre- be listed,” McKay said. “Those front build-
demolished, along with a service building lion in federal tax credits a year for 10 years, school to their mid-20s. (Its most famous ings — there’s a reasonable case to be made
and a maintenance building behind the Ab- for a total of $10.8 million. alumnus is music icon Stevie Wonder.) that there’s still an intelligent story to be
igail, using a state blight removal grant, to Rehab costs are high for century-old A blond brick high school went up in told."
make the rest of the property more attrac- hulks like the Abigail, not only because of 1912, making it the oldest building on the That leaves one more “if ’ in the mix. Ed-
site. Lansing architect Edwin Bowd de- miston said that if the Abigail/high school
PUBLIC NOTICES signed the high school, the 1914 superinten- project isn’t approved for federal tax cred-
dent’s house and a new “Old Main” build- its or historic designation, the developer
CITY OF LANSING
SUMMARY OF ing, also called the Abigail. Bowd designed can come back to the owners with another
ADOPTED ORDINANCE # 1207 dozens of Lansing-area landmarks, from proposal or back out of the purchase agree-
Christ Community Church to the Ottawa ment without penalty.
Lansing City Council adopted an Ordinance of the City of Lansing, Michigan to to amend Section
1460.49 of the Lansing Codified Ordinances by adding the requirement that delinquent real property Power Station. To Schertzing, that means ”don’t believe
taxes be paid prior to issuance of a certificate of compliance for rental properties. “This is a historic investment area for until you see it.”
Effective date: Upon publication
the city of Lansing going back decades,” “This site has been victim to some over-
Schertzing said. “The Land Bank looked at promising,” Schertzing said. “Until some-
Notice: The full text of this Ordinance is available for review at the City Clerk’s Office, 9th that 10 years ago and knew this was an area body has pulled the demolition permit, the
Floor, City Hall, Lansing, Michigan. A copy of the full text of this Ordinance may
be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office, 9th Floor, City Hall, Lansing, Michigan
to invest heavily in.” The Land Bank owns equipment is actually moved on site, and
at a fee determined by City Council. the western side of the campus and has in- they’re actually spending money, nothing is
vested in rehabbing many homes in the im- happening.”
Chris Swope, Lansing City Clerk
www.lansingmi.gov/Clerk www.facebook.com/LansingClerkSwope mediate area.
CP#17-075 “We have put millions and millions into — Lawrence Cosentino
the surrounding neighborhood,” Schertzing
said. “This is a perfect area for both of these
NOTICE projects.”
TO But Schertzing said the housing market
RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS
CHARTER TOWNSHIP of LANSING
NOTICE TO RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF LANSING PUBLIC NOTICES
OF THE INTENT OF THE TOWNSHIP TO CAUSE THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS WEEDS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
IN SUCH CASES WHERE RESIDENTS, AND/OR PROPERTY OWNERS FAIL TO CONTROL OR EAST LANSING HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
ERRADICATE SUCH WEEDS ON THEIR PROPERTIES.
Notice is hereby given of the following public hearing to be held by the East Lansing Historic
This notice is published in lieu of notice to individual property owners. In the event that any property District Commission on April 13, 2017 at 7:00 p.m., in the 54-B District Court, Courtroom 2, 101
owner shall fail or refuse to destroy any noxious weeds by cutting them or by other means of control Linden Street, East Lansing.
before the first day of May, 2017 or fail to keep them cut and/or controlled at any time thereafter
during the growing season, the Commissioner of Noxious Weeds of the Township shall have the duty A public hearing will be held for the purpose of considering a request from Xinyi Fang, for the
of entering such lands, and such weeds will be caused to be cut or destroyed by the Township. The property at 942 Cresenwood, to remove and replace all existing siding. The applicant is also
owner or owners of such lands shall pay the expense incurred in such destruction to the Township. seeking to replace the existing windows.
The Township shall have a lien against such lands for such expense, which lien shall be enforced in
the manner now provided by for the enforcement of tax liens against the lot to be charged and will be Call (517) 319-6930, the Department of Planning, Building and Development, East Lansing City
collected as in the case of general property tax against lot or lots in question in the event the charges Hall, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, for additional information. All interested persons will be given
involved are not paid by the owner, agent, or occupant of said lot within thirty (30) days from the an opportunity to be heard.
date of billing to said person by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested. Charges will be
made in accordance with Section 52.5 of the Code of Ordinances of the Charter Township of Lansing. The City of East Lansing will provide reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as interpreters
for the hearing impaired and audio tapes of printed materials being considered at the meeting, to
This notice appears by authority of Public Act 359 of 1941 of the State of Michigan and the Code of individuals with disabilities upon request received by the City seven (7) calendar days prior to the
Ordinances, Title V, Chapter 52 of the Charter Township of Lansing. meeting. Individuals with disabilities requiring aids or services should write or call the Planning
Department, 410 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823. Phone: (517) 319-6930. TDD Number:
Susan L. Aten, Clerk 1-800-649-3777.
Charter Township of Lansing Marie E. Wicks
CP#17-061 City Clerk CP#17-080
City Pulse • March 22, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 7
Three-dog
the dogs. In court filings, the attorneys ar- ies.” In the front yard, a mauled and dead position as prosecutor, overstepped his
gue that an Ionia County assistant prose- cat was found. bounds when he brought the action to de-
cuting attorney, Adam Dreher, misled the The prosecution needed to prove by stroy the dogs.
night-fall?
court, withheld information and pursued a “preponderance of the evidence” that “The Prosecutor withheld evidence that
a case Animal Control officials did not the dogs had in fact killed the goats. That exonerated the dogs at issue at the time of
agree with. means the prosecutor need only prove that the trial,” the attorneys wrote in a motion
The attorneys accuse Dreher of miscon- it was more likely than not that the dogs for relief from judgment. At issue is an affi-
Canine trio face death sentence duct. Ionia County Prosecutor Kyle Butler were responsible for the torn-out throats davit from Robin Anderson, Ionia County’s
In disputed case in Ionia County denied it in a phone interview Monday.
“The law was enforced, the accused had
of the goats. It’s a much lower standard of
proof than the reasonable doubt standard
Animal Control/Animal Shelter manager,
dated Aug. 2 and apparently signed in Oc-
Allen Hustin earned a Purple Heart
their due process, and the judge ruled in in a criminal case. tober. It was not revealed until well after
in Iraq. Mario and Luigi are dogs he got
accordance with the law,” Butler said by The attorneys don’t know how the goats the trial, and only after Vamvakias filed a
at the recommendation of the Wounded
email. The statement acknowledges the died if the dogs didn’t do it, but they specu- Freedom of Information Act request for
Warrior Project to help him overcome the
high emotional stakes of the case. lated it was coyotes. A friend of the court documents related to her case.
impact of war and his injuries.
The case against the canine threesome filing by the animal law section of the state “It was never my opinion or the opin-
Now Mario, Luigi and a third dog, Ma-
seemed open and shut. Bar Association points out the Michigan ion of the Animal Control Officer that
jor, are facing a death sentence — an un-
The goats had had their throats bit- Department of Natural Resources issued a these dogs should be destroyed,” Ander-
just one, attorneys say.
ten open. An Ionia County Sheriff report coyote warning for Ionia and Kent coun- son wrote. She also noted that the dogs
They’re in court in Ionia County today
says the goats were “bloated, rigor had ties in April 2016. had no blood on their bodies, and that a
trying to save the dogs’ lives.
set in and flies were swarming the bod- Dunn and Draper allege Dreher, in his vet consulted by her determined the goats
Major’s owner, Susan Vamvakias, calls
had likely been dead “8 to 10 hours” be-
Mario and Luigi “loving and giving. The
fore the photos had been taken. A witness
kids sleep on ‘em and lay on ‘em and play
places the dogs outside the pen an hour
with ‘em.” As for her dog, Major, he’s “just
and half before they were found with the
a clumsy German shepherd you trip over
dead goats. The prosecution contends the
because he’s under foot.”
dogs got into the pen and were unable to
The three dogs have been in the Ionia
get out. The dogs have also shown no ag-
County Animal Shelter since July 8, when
gression towards people or other animals
they broke out of the yard of Vamvakias’
during their time at the shelter.
yard. She was watching Hustin’s dogs
Dreher brought his case on behalf of
while Hustin and his wife, an active duty
the Animal Control. Dunn and Draper
soldier on leave, spent time at a local mo-
also argue that the prosecutor relied on
tel. They hadn’t seen each other in a year.
the testimony of an officer of Animal Con-
Major, a 3-year-old German shepherd,
trol that did not have knowledge of the
and Mario and Luigi, both 2-year-old pit-
case. Specifically, they say, Erica Gleason’s
bulls, ran through the countryside. They
sole knowledge was based on taking care
were found trapped in a goat pen with the
of the dogs in the shelter. She had nothing
bodies of three dead goats hours later.
to do with the investigation. The law re-
Ionia County prosecutors contend the
quires witnesses to have personal knowl-
dogs are dangerous and sought an order to
edge of a case.
have them euthanized back on July 27. Io-
“The dogs’ lives hang in the balance,”
nia County District Judge Raymond Voet
wrote Dunn and Draper in their motion,
signed such an order after a one-day trial.
”when the entire case was based upon mis-
That order was upheld in Ionia Circuit
leading information that was not support-
Court in January.
ed in fact or in law.”
Vamvakias, through her attorneys, Ce-
Courtesy Photo
leste Dunn and David Draper, is trying to
Allen Hustin and his dogs Mario and Luigi. — Todd Heywood
get Voet to overturn his ruling and return
Schwartz
“I did not make any promises — a num- or dreading four more years as clerk, where because of the potential for a “change in
ber of them I have great respect for who do he’s a shoo-in. He’s run unopposed the last tone” with the Council. “I hope they work
their jobs wonderfully, but it certainly isn’t two times and may again. better together. It’s no one’s fault, just a
from page 5 universal — and I don’t know if I’d say I had And he’s looking forward to reelection. whole combination of personalities and
his endorsement, but he was supportive of “That was a big part of my decision. I individual histories.”
that I thought wasn’t. While people weren’t me running and encouraged me to take a love being clerk. I love my staff. There’s Whoever the mayor is, he’d like to
necessarily saying where they were, they close look at it.” nothing about my job I don’t like except see better customer service from the
were already down a path of another Swope, the first openly gay elected of- maybe a City Council meeting that goes city, which is one of the things he would
candidate.” ficial around here, couldn’t even count on longer than I think it should.” have run on. Little stuff, like not tell-
While Swope was surveying the scene, support from that quarter. Friends told him He’s knee deep in complying with a big ing people who call on Monday because
Schor was announcing one endorsement they were already for Schor or that at best statewide requirement to implement new their trash or recycling pickup got
after another: most of the countywide they would try to help both of them. voter equipment by 2018. It will happen missed on Friday that they waited too
elected officials, all the county com- “I’ve been there before, when Ryan in Lansing in time for the August primary. long to complain.
missioners, unions, community lead- Sebolt and Wyatt Ludman ran for my Semi-wonk that he is, Swope’s excited Swope is only 49. It’s not his year to
ers. Swope had conversations with the old county commission seat, two gay about it. move up. But as he says, “I see other things I
big ones still out, the chamber and the guys, both qualified, both young and And he’s excited there will be a new would like to do in the future.”
UAW. He won’t say what they said, but it energetic.” He backed Sebolt, whom he’d mayor. It’s no knock against Virg. “Virg and As a journalist, I was hoping he’d run. It
couldn’t have been encouraging. known longer, “but I wish Wyatt had I came in at the same time. I’ve never seen would have made the mayor’s race a better
As he explored, word got around he run for an office I could have supported a change in the corner office. It’s an exciting story. And I could have written:
had Bernero’s support and that he’d him for.” prospect, and I’m glad I’ll be there to help “Stop me if you heard this: A Jew, a gay
promised to keep Bernero’s people in City Realitied out of the mayor’s race, he’s not make that transition.” man and an African-American woman run
Hall if he got elected. wasting his energy on what might have been He’s also looking forward to a new mayor for mayor … .”
8 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 22, 2017
ARTS & CULTURE ART BOOKS FILM MUSIC THEATER
Others were inspired by poems of the
The art of breathing
Persian mystic Rumi, Pablo Neruda and the
works of Umberto Eco.
He tells students that there is a process
for creativity, “just like there’s a process for
melody and harmony and rhythm.”
“He’s already exceeding our expecta-
Latin style. tions,” Parrish said. “I’ve been listening to
At Rutgers, Herwig collaborates with his records, but in person, it’s such a differ-
Sue Mingus, the widow of Charles Mingus, ent experience altogether.”
to bring in musicians for Mingus-centric “He has a very colorful and personal way
residencies, but he admitted he’s “jealous” of relating life and music together,” Dease
of MSU’s jazz studies residency, funded by said. “He’s a heavy thinker and passionate
a $1 million grant from the MSU Federal player. He’s stamped two or three different
Credit Union. sounds on the instrument as his own, and
“This is the way the arts are supposed to not many people can say that.”
be presented,” he declared. At Friday’s concert, Herwig and the
Herwig and MSU students and faculty student bands will perform tunes from his
played at Detroit’s Carr Center Arts Acad- latest sextet album, “Reflections,” and a set
emy Saturday and are scheduled to visit of arrangements chosen to reflect troubled
high schools in Royal Oak, Spring Lake and times. These include a re-harmonization of
Alma this week. Friday, Herwig and MSU George Gershwin’s “It Ain’t Necessarily So”
jazz orchestras will strut their stuff at a gala and Mingus’s “Prayer for Passive Resis-
concert at the Wharton Center’s Pasant tance.”
Theatre. Herwig’s version of “Prayer” finished a
Monday, a row of fascinated students job started by his close friend, the brilliant
listened from the back of the room as Her- post-Coltrane reed player John Stubble-
wig and MSU trombone professor Michael
Trombonist Conrad Herwig slides Dease sauntered through Dizzy Gillespie’s
field, who handed the unfinished arrange-
ment to Herwig before he died in 2005.
“Ow” in an outrageously slow tempo, as if Mingus’s music was a volatile cocktail of
poetry into practice at weeklong MSU visit they were daring the tightrope to sag under love and rage at the treatment of African-
them. Americans in the mid-20th century.
Lawrence Cosentino/City Pulse Dease’s sound was thick gold; Herwig’s a Herwig doesn’t shy away from discuss-
Trombonist Conrad Herwig kicked off a weeklong MSU residency Monday with a concert ductile silver. Trombonists often default to ing its ongoing relevance.
at MSU Federal Credit Union’s headquarters. He will cap a week of performances and showmanship, but the gears never seemed “Mingus was the Nostradamus of jazz,”
masterclasses with a Friday night gig at the Wharton Center with MSU’s jazz orchestras. to stop turning in Herwig’s cranium. In a Herwig said. “Everything he was dealing
series of searching solos, especially on the with in the ‘50s — we’re back again. Some-
At MSU, Herwig is prodding the stu- classic “Lover Man,” he sounded like a man times it feels like one step forward, two
By LAWRENCE COSENTINO dents to approach music from unexpected locked in a luxurious room of melody, now steps back.”
Conrad Herwig was imprinted for life on angles. enjoying himself, now looking for ways to Herwig urged the audience to support
his 12th birthday. His parents took him to “I’m a big fan of yoga and tai chi,” Her- escape. the arts at Monday’s concert, but after the
the Hanohano Room, a revolving restau- wig said. “When we play a brass instru- “He straddles traditional jazz and gig, he suggested that the music will find a
rant at the top of the Waikiki Sheraton in ment, we play a cold piece of metal, yet we cutting-edge harmonies,” Dease said. “His way to survive, with or without institutional
Hawaii, to hear trombonist Trummy Young. give character and life to it. Our breath is voicings are often simple but raw, the best support.
“I thought all jazz quartets were led by our life force. It seems so obvious. The one of both worlds.” “Jazz has a life of its own,” Herwig said.
trombone players,” Herwig said. “I had thing we have to do now, in the moment, is Among the students watching Herwig “It always has. Sometimes it’s a little more
never heard any other jazz quartet.” breathe.” carefully was Jordan Davis, in her first year in the shadows, sometimes it’s a little more
Herwig, 57 is a poet, a mystic, a salsa Director of jazz studies at Rutgers in jazz studies. Davis was already work- in the light. But it’s always been a music of
man, a lifelong student of the fine art of University since 2003, Herwig started his ing on a Herwig tune, “Morning Shades,” freedom and struggle and we’re not going
breathing and the latest in a series of stellar career touring with trumpeter Clark Terry, before playing it with Herwig and the Jazz to give up.”
guest artists in Michigan State University’s put in several years with Frank Sinatra’s Orchestra III Friday.
jazz studies program. orchestra and has long been part of the Davis is amazed at the caliber of artists
He told his origin story in a rare quiet Mingus Big Band, centered on the music of the residency has brought to MSU.
moment Monday after kicking off a hectic the brilliant bassist and composer Charles “They’re phenomenal players I get to
week-long residency with a concert at the Mingus. meet and learn from and interact with,” she
MSU Federal Credit Union headquarters. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, he was as much a said.
Back in Hawaii, Young, a stalwart of salsero as he was a jazzman, playing hun- Dan Parrish, a trombone student and
Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars for many years, dreds of gigs with iconic Latin bandleaders MSU freshman, binged on as many of Her-
dedicated a tune to young Herwig. Almost Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauzá, Tito Puente wig’s recordings as he could before Herwig
immediately, Herwig announced to his par- and Paquito D’Rivera. Since then, he’s had hit town. There are a lot to choose from —
ents he wanted to be Trummy Young. He a lot of critical success, including a shelf full over 20 as a leader and 200 as a sideman. Lawrence Cosentino/City Pulse
patiently waited out the inevitable backlash of Grammys, many of them for recordings Herwig gets a lot of his inspiration MSU trombone Professor Michael Dease
— “But what are you really going to do?” — that re-imagine the music of John Coltrane, outside music. One CD, “The Tip of the (right) shared the stage with Conrad
and never looked back. Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter in a Sword,” was inspired by Taoist writings. Herwig at Monday night’s concert.
City Pulse • March 22, 2017 www.lansingcitypulse.com 9
MMA Mama
Yet Cisneros isn’t doing this only for her-
self and her love of the sport. She has other,
stronger motivations.
Lansing-based cage fighter “Sobriety was something I was strug-
prepares for professional debut gling with since I was 13, and it got really
bad in college,” Cisneros said. “After I had
By EVE KUCHARSKI my daughter, she actually kind of saved me.
Hitting the gym three times a week is a
struggle for most people. For Aurelia Cisne-
ros, it’s a light day if she only gets to the gym
But she didn’t save me 100 percent, and I
still continued to drink.”
Fighting became the answer for Cis-
Wacky world ter a creepy appeal. Her daughter, Grace
— played with a constant snarl by Danica
O’Neill — was every God-fearing mother’s
three times. neros. In the most unlikely place, she also Ixion Theatre explores nightmare. Nick Lemmer, as Toby, played
“I wrestle with one of the coaches here at found another, more personal means of the absurd in pair of plays a peculiar part, portraying a pet (or a per-
MSU twice a week. Then I do MMA (mixed support. son?) that was part playful puppy, part pre-
By DAVID WINKELSTERN
martial arts), which is boxing, sparring and “MMA helped me find God,” Cisneros cocious preacher and particularly partial to
Were I less dedicated to my work, I might
jujitsu — we basically live-spar, live fight- said. “I know this may sound crazy to other Pup-Peroni.
grab a thesaurus and find all the synonyms
ing three times a week,” Cisneros said. “On people, but I am now 20 months sober. Monica Tanner, as Emily, was reminis-
for “wacky,” list all of them, add a few iden-
top of that I do And that’s why I fight. I fight to stay sober cent of Beverly Owen’s Marilyn Munster in
tifications, send it to my editor and say,
my plain jiu-jitsu; to have a good life.” the TV show about a family of monsters.
Aurelia Cisneros that’s about four Since then, Cisneros has launched her
“This review is finished!”
“Askew Askance A Squirrel,” the lat- Emily, like Marilyn, was the most “normal”
MMA fighter meet times a week.” character on the set. Tanner established
est Ixion Theatre production, surely was
and greet That schedule her own acting skills not just by delivering
wacky. Or zany. Or madcap. Whatever syn-
1-5 p.m. Saturday, March 25 doesn’t even in- lines with a realistic and measured ease;
FREE onym you choose, the pair of one-act plays
clude her job as a she used facial expressions and hand and
Spiral Dance Bar were full of the absurd and the nonsensical.
personal trainer body movements to great effect. There were
1247 Center St., Lansing That doesn’t mean they didn’t make sense
at ZIFiT in Fran- many times when others on the Robin The-
cisnerospromotions.com — they often went so far as to
dor Shopping
Review make sense of nonsense. atre stage were speaking, but I found my-
Center, where self focused on Tanner instead. She could
The package is subtitled
she sometimes pushes herself just as hard command that kind of attention just by
“An Evening in Lisa Konoplisky’s World.”
as her trainees. blinking her eyes and shifting in her seat.
From the start of “Nebraska Rapture,” the
“I do train with my clients, just to get Tanner also made an appearance at the
evening’s first of-
that extra strength in,” Cisneros said. “Askew Askance A start of Konoplisky’s second play, “SAL-
fering, it was clear
But why all the training? Because the Squirrel!” 9000.” She was one of two movers who
that the play-
24-year-old mother and graduate of MSU Ixion Theatre delivered a sophisticated robotic washing
Photo by Jacqueline Marie Luttrell wright’s world is
is also known as Aurelia “The Beast” Cis- 8 p.m. Saturday, March 25; 7 machine to Jill (Katy Kettles), a housewife
a very complex,
neros, an amateur MMA cage fighter. Cis- Lansing-based amateur MMA fighter p.m. Sunday, March 26 at odds with her life. Tanner and her fel-
intelligent and,
neros, who stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and Aurelia Cisneros, seen here sparring with $15/$10 adv.
low mover (Nick Lemmer) mastered the
of course, wacky
weighs in at 145 lbs., will go pro in just over a trainer, will make her professional debut The Robin Theatre
cadence of carnival barkers explaining the
1105 S. Washington Ave., planet. The play
a month. On April 29, her amateur-level re- next month in Grand Rapids. virtues of the SAL-9000 to Jill.
Lansing introduced five
cord — six wins, one loss — will be wiped Tracy Dolinar masterfully handled the
(517) 775-4246, ixiontheatre. looney characters
clean, and she will face her first profession- own company, Cisneros Promotions LLC, com smooth voice of the machine. He had a well
who could quote
al opponent. While she knows who her op- and has funneled all her available time and suited computer voice, similar to the iconic
everything from
ponent will be, she’s not allowed to reveal resources into becoming a professional Hal 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Walt Whitman to Blondie to the Book of
that just yet. fighter. With all the time she puts in at the Only some microphone distortions and
Revelations.
“I feel very confident with the opponent gym, one might expect Cisneros’ lifestyle to pops tarnished a silvery delivery.
Their laughable, wild and comedic dia-
that I have been locked in with. I know put a strain on her family. Kettles dominated the stage for the
logue often blended with brainy bits and
her ins and outs; We are actually friends,” “My daughter’s been going to the gym three-scene “SAL-9000,” frequently stand-
moments of cruelty. “Nebraska Rapture”
Cisneros said. “We’ve punched each other with me ever since she was 1 year old. She ing at the front of the stage in the intimate
was a mixture of jokes and serious intro-
in the face before, so why not make some actually trains with me,” Cisneros said. theater. Her reactions to SAL-9000’s ban-
spection. Although sometimes painful to
money off of it?” “Now my fiancée, she had no idea what ter, which was often filled with hilarious
watch, the entire journey was an enjoyable
This confidence has been hard won. MMA was when we first met, but now that sexual innuendo, felt genuine.
trip to crazy town.
Barely three years ago, Cisneros was just we’ve been together, she actually is my busi- Again, the comedy in the second play
Sadonna Croft, as the Bible-thumping
getting her start in the fighting world. Even ness partner. Everyone does their part.”
mom, was the embodiment of an overzeal-
picking up the sport was happenstance. She To promote her upcoming professional See Curtain Call, Page 10
ous evangelical. Her skill gave the charac-
was approached by a stranger who told her debut, Cisneros is hosting a meet and greet
that she looked like she could fight. at Spiral Dance Bar Saturday to garner sup-
“I had no idea what MMA was. I had
no formal training of any sort — I got into
port for her upcoming fight and to give back
to the community. The family-friendly event REGISTER TODAY
a little trouble in high school, but that
was it,” Cisneros said with a laugh. “Be-
includes free pizza and other giveaways.
“Every person that comes in is going to
FOR CMS’ SUMMER
MUSIC CAMPS
ing a fresh body, I’ve learned every aspect receive a free T-shirt, and I will be collect-
of the game from the beginning without ing donations for Oak Park YMCA Kids
any bad habits, therefore I feel confident Camp arts and crafts,” Cisneros said.
in every aspect.” Attendees are asked to bring arts and
A self-described freestyle fighter, Cis- crafts supplies to donate. Cisneros is look- Choose from FOUR different camps offered
neros doesn’t favor a single fighting style ing forward to the event, but after Saturday, June through August 2017, for campers of
when she trains or competes. She wants to it will be complete focus on her professional all ages and abilities. Financial aid available.
remain as versatile as possible. debut in Grand Rapids.
“You need to know every aspect of fight- “I’m going to be able to showcase what LEARN MORE AT CMS.MSU.EDU
ing — jiu-jitsu, wrestling, kickboxing, box- I’ve learned these past few years and why
ing, every single form,” Cisneros said. “I I’m going pro and why I deserve this,” Cis-
even do salsa dancing classes for my foot- neros said. “That’s what I’m excited about,
work. Yoga too — I do everything possible.” win or lose.”
10 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • March 22, 2017
Amplified
not just whales specifically, but we’re a part effects build from a “tonal base” listeners Time” by French mystic Olivier Messiaen,
of something bigger and need to take care will find familiar. but the Crumb piece presents a whole new
of that bigger world.” “It’s not going to be so hard on the ears world of challenges.
Empathy After hearing the first recordings of
whales in the 1960s, Crumb amplified three
instruments of a classical chamber trio —
that people won’t be drawn in,” he said.
“The whistling at the end, if amplified the
right way, will really transport people to
“If it comes together, it will be a small
miracle,” Sherman said. “I feel a bit out of
my depth, thrown into the deep blue sea,
“Voice of the Whale” takes chamber flute, cello and piano — and stretched their another place.” but I’ll tread water as best I can.”
music series into deep waters tonal palettes to deep-sea reaches of strange The movements are grouped into long It helps that Donakowski, a professor at
By LAWRENCE COSENTINO beauty. The work, performed for the first arcs of time, from the beginning of the James Madison University in Virginia, and
Music lovers are always searching for an time in New York in 1971, is rarely heard. universe to the end, with geological names Robards, who is based at Oberlin College,
evening that will take them out of them- Touches of theater, including oceanic like “Archaeozoic” and “Cenozoic.” have played it more often than Sherman
selves, but out-of-body experiences are rare, blue lighting and black masks — both Sherman has played the piece only once has.
let alone out-of- prescribed in the music’s score — shift the in his long career, in 1982 as a student at “This will be a romp in the park for
species ones. focus from the performers and their egos to Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Casey,” he said. “She’s really versatile — she
Save the Whales
Featuring George Crumb’s On March even greater mysteries. Symphony. can do everything.”
“Vox Balaenae” 30, “Vox Ballae- Sherman and cellist Carl Donakowsi “I have not even heard it live since then,” The deep dive into Crumb will take up
Absolute Music nae,” or “Voice of will have to coax harmonic overtones from he said. “This is possibly a once in a lifetime the entire second half of the evening. The
Richard Sherman, flute; Carl
the Whale,” by their instruments and whistle. In addition first half is full of recent music by compos-
Donakowski, cello; Casey
American com- to playing conventional notes, the pianist ers Jean-Michel Damase, James Sclater
Robards, piano caresses the strings with a glass rod, strums
poser George and one of four recently hired composi-
7:30 Thursday, March 30
$5-20 Crumb, will fill them and sends out clicks emitted from tion professors at MSU, Zhou Tian. All the
UrbanBeat Event Center Lansing’s Ur- paper clips inserted between the strings. pieces fall squarely in the lyrical, surging
1213 Turner St., Lansing banBeat Event Crumb’s demands on the flutist go style at which Sherman excels.
(517) 256-8913, Center with blue beyond virtuosity to include multi-tasking. Sherman is not a save-the-whales obses-
absolutemusiclansing.org
light and glassy, Simultaneously singing and playing flute is sive, but the message of “Vox Balaenae” fits
elusive tones a feat more closely associated with jazzman the mood he’s sensing in audiences these
inspired by the songs of whales. Rahsaan Roland Kirk than Debussy or days.
It’s a deep dive into interspecies com- Schubert. He still recalls a woman coming up to
munion and an adventurous entry in the “I have to make enough of a flute sound him after the Tanglewood performance in
highly successful Absolute Music chamber to counterbalance what’s going on in my tears, saying, “We have to do something for
series, which usually sticks to the safer throat, and that’s more effective some times Courtesy Photo these animals.”
waters of Brahms and Mozart. than others,” he said. Next week’s Absolute Music performance Sherman isn’t comfortable getting into
Richard Sherman, fiery principal flutist At the end of the piece, Sherman will features George Crumb’s “Vox Balaenae,” politics. He’s mostly interested in the musi-
of the Lansing Symphony, senses that the play a set of crotales — small, tuned metal written for amplified chamber trio and cal challenges and charms of “Vox Balae-
cultural vibe is right for “Vox Balaenae.” cymbals — perched on Donakowski’s cello based on the songs of whales. nae.” But he feels that empathy, the heart of
“There’s a whole aural landscape that stand. the piece, is in short supply.
most people going to traditional chamber “It’s kind of a smorgasbord of 20th-cen- opportunity. It’s just not done.” “There’s just a lot of meanness out there,”
concerts have never heard before,” Sherman tury extended techniques for flute, key- He thought “Vox Balaenae” would make Sherman said. “Whatever musicians and
said. “It reminds people that they are not board and cello,” Sherman said. But it’s not a nice follow-up to last year’s Absolute artists can do to help people think about
the center of the universe. This represents, musical anarchy. Sherman said the unusual Music ear-stretcher, “Quartet for the End of things other than themselves, I’m all for it.”
Curtain Call jobs she depended on to pay for her ailing
father’s medication.
The cover of the playbill for Lansing
rma, as Jamie; Jesse Deardorff-Green, as
Ted; and Anna Hill, as Sheri, offered de-
termined performances that got me to
walls matched the hues of the workers’
uniforms, which were fashioned in all their
humiliating glory by Stephanie Hender-
from page 9 Community College’s black box play in- believe in the unsubstantiated characters son. Only the cowboy boots Stephen Clark
cluded the quote, “We are all free now. overseeing the Torpedo Subs franchise, of- awkwardly walked around in seemed out
was mixed with some harshness and in- We can do what we want.” But that never fering substance and distinction to their of place. Clark played the only customer to
trospection. I found the mix less appealing seemed possible unfolding roles. The trio made their sub- visit the shop during the weeks it was open.
in “SAL-9000,” and thought it was a little for the principal stantial, anything-but-subtle parts any- The surreal Sandwich — embodied
“American Hero”
too long. The charm of having a passionate LCC Theatre Program characters, be- thing but sub-par. However, Bess Wolh’s by Ndegwa McCloud — felt incongruent
relationship with a washer gradually dissi- 8 p.m. Friday, March 24 and cause the issues of substandard script, with its dubious sub- in a play that dwelled on miserable lives
pated like a cloud of bubbles. Saturday, March 25 corporate aban- text, doomed their efforts to failure — in and bad choices. The flamboyant and glit-
$10/$5 students donment and my subjective opinion. tery figment-of-a-dream character, de-
Despair on rye
LCC Black Box Theatre inequality that What was authentically sublime was spite McCloud’s charming performance,
Gannon Building, Room 168
422 N. Washington Square,
caused their dis- the “American Hero” set, designed by seemed more like a lost member of Parlia-
mal states were Bob Fernholz, who also designed the ment Funkedelic inserted as weird comic
‘American Hero’ explores the Lansing
(517) 483-1488, lcc.com/ never conquered. play’s crafty lighting. Realistic signage relief than a plausible solution to real-life
struggle of the under-employed cma/events Those weren’t by Taylor Riffle added to the sub shop injustice.
the only question- décor. Props designed by Madj Shank Dunia Zawideh, in her brief role as
By DAVID WINKELSTERN
able moments during the play. Why did a included a real soda dispenser and cash Beth the manager, was memorable — but
In his director’s notes, Andy Callis sug- mom fighting for child custody attempt register and walls adorned with loaves remembered most for being hard to com-
gested that “American Hero” had heroic murder? How could a subway chain shop of bread. Oddly, though, there was no prehend. Hunter Folleth, as corporate-
characters who found solu- survive while selling peanut butter and jelly sign of an oven. type Gregory, suited his role, even if his
Review tions to “problematic lives.” sandwiches as a mainstay? Why did an em- The set, complete with detailed panel- role didn’t seem an accurate executive
But when the play ended, all ployee think a trip to tour the corporate of- ing, trim work and bright paint, would have stereotype.
three lead characters — former “sandwich fice was such a grand “prize?” Why would a fit a big-budget TV studio as well as the Alas, the true heroes of “American Hero”
artists” for a national sandwich chain — corporate executive reveal intimate details black box stage. Accurate sound additions were none of the mostly-selfish characters
were still unfairly unemployed. One was in of his life to underlings he has just met? by Scott Crandall, including “pings” when portrayed on the LCC stage. It was most
jeopardy of losing her kids, one still strug- And why did the shop manager disappear? anyone came through the entranceway, heroic when the steadfast actors delivered
gled with a shaky marriage and an MBA The sandwich-maker leads were not to were also professionally executed. those characters’ full-of-stumbles-in–logic
he couldn’t use and the third lost the two blame my bewilderments. Michelle Le- Coordinated, colorful furniture and lines without stumbling.You can also read
