By Alli Myers

What’s on your holiday wish list this year? A big reality check is usually a good thing for people around the holidays. Are you asking for too much?  There are a lot of families out there that aren’t as fortunate as others during this time. While you’re dreaming about those ever-famous sugarplums and expensive Apple products, designer clothes or a fancy new watch, there’s a little kid out there that only wants a toy truck or a Barbie doll for the holidays. Some want warm sheets for their beds, or a new jacket with all its buttons to keep warm during winter. The simplest thing could light up a child’s world this time of year through participation in the Adopt-A-Family (AAF) program run by The Salvation Army.

By adopting a family with AAF, both individual and group sponsors help to provide reasonable wish list items to a family that would otherwise have a slightly less merry holiday.

The Salvation Army website states, “Being adopted is designed to be a once or, on very rare occasions, twice in a lifetime event for recipient families.” The guidelines supplied by the Salvation Army state that only $45 is required to make a happy holiday possible for a family of two (one parent and a child). There’s no limit to the amount that the sponsor can give, but it’s surprising just how far that money can go. Of the $45 donation, just $25 can purchase several gifts for a hopeful child, leaving $20 to supply a good amount of food for the family during the holidays.

Students right here at MSU are getting involved this holiday season doing whatever they can to help bring a little joy to their neighbors.

Education freshman Kara Kavulich said that she and her family adopted a family last year, and said that it was one of the most rewarding feelings she has ever experienced.

“It felt amazing to know that I was giving Christmas to two little kids that otherwise would have seen nothing under their tree,” Kavulich said.

Grandma’s Comfort (GC) is a charity right here in Lansing that helps give to a lot of people in the community, especially around the holidays. President Diane Zimmerman is the “grandma” in the name, and is actually an MSU alumna. She founded GC on Christmas in 2005. GC started out supplying blankets but has expanded in the past several years. They now provide birthday gifts, necessities for pregnant women in shelters, comfort bags for women and children in shelters and school supplies. The organization has also helped two orphanages and one boys’ school in Haiti.

The blankets supplied are both hand made and purchased, and also donated from members of the community. GC is always accepting donations, and it is an easy way to get involved right here at school.

Zimmerman explained, “We have no employees; we have a few specialists that help us and about 60 volunteers who help wrap and make gifts.”

Whether you take the time to make a blanket or purchase something that could help a child or a family in need, anything you can do will go a long way with Grandma’s Comfort.

Another way to help out is through Toys for Tots, a well-known program that is run by the United States Marine Corps, Toys for Tots has donation stations where donors can drop off toys that will be donated to less fortunate kids for the holidays.

“I bought a couple toys to donate to Toys for Tots, and I think that is just such a great cause,” said biochemistry and molecular biology sophomore Hailey Caudill. She added that even by spending less than five dollars, she was able to get some coloring pages and crayons that she knows will bring a smile to a child’s face.

“I can’t imagine being a little kid and thinking, ‘Why didn’t Santa come visit me this year?’” Caudill said.

Even though the holidays are meant to be about family, friends and happiness, a gift here and there definitely never upset a child. Anything you can do to help out this holiday season can go a whole lot farther than you think, and the AAF, Marine Corps, Grandma’s Comfort and The Salvation Army have made it their mission to help spread holiday cheer. Stop and think about what you are fortunate enough to have this season, and think about what you can give to others to keep the holiday spirit alive!

This month, I chose a different location for some samplings of student songs. The library is teeming with people the weeks before and during finals week, so I was sure I’d get some good responses. I was right, but after this third round of queries, I’ve learned a few things about students:

1. We have a wide variety of musical tastes at MSU.

2. Someone is always listening to Amy Whinehouse.

3. Someone is always listening to Wiz Khalifa.

4. People often use their headphones as a reason to not talk to you.

5. Every one who does answer is happy you asked!

This month’s mix is pretty interesting, and would be a good playlist to finish up your studying. Watch the video below to see what gets people in the mood… to study, of course.

By Emily Green

The Barnes and Noble located on the corner of Grand River  and Charles Street  here in East Lansing is closing its doors on December 31. Barnes and Noble had just recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary at that location in September.

“I think that this will be a big loss to the city. It is an ideal set up for East Lansing and I hate to see it go,” said R. Dale Wilson, professor of marketing at MSU.

“Barnes and Noble is a place to read, browse and socialize. It is a retail anchor in East Lansing. I will miss it,” said Patricia Huddleston, professor of retailing.

While the reason for the closure is unknown, the vice president of development at Barnes and Noble David Deason did release a statement saying, “The current lease is at its end of term and we will be closing the store at the end of this year.”

Photo Credit: Julia Grippe

The company is keeping pretty tight lipped about the reason for the closure. While Barnes and Noble employees were questioned, they declined to comment on the story. It is known, however that the company and the building owner were unable to agree on the cost of a new lease for the upcoming year, which played a role in the closing of the store.

Huddleston speculates that this Barnes and Noble was one of their less profitable stores to begin with and that parking is a big issue. “If you do not have campus parking, or are on foot, you have to pay for parking. This makes the location of the store less convenient.”

“Many citizens of East Lansing will be disappointed by the closure, and wish that the two could’ve came to an agreement on the leasing price,” said Wilson.

The reaction to the closure of the store will most likely vary from person to person depending on who you ask. Both elementary education freshman Caitlin Karram and Lyman Briggs Freshman Darren Donnelly were not aware of the closing, but were also not very upset that Barnes and Noble will be closing.

“I would rather buy books online, it is easier,” Donnelly said. This brings up the debate on whether online shopping and e-readers will end up putting traditional books stores out of business.

“We are in the transition mode from traditional to online retailers, consumer preference is hurting their business,” Wilson stated.

On the other hand, biochemistry freshman Alek Guettler and Lyman Briggs freshman Breanna Borg were shocked to hear the news.

“I am very upset and very surprised,” Borg said.

With the closing of Barnes and Noble in a prime retail space and one of the biggest buildings on Grand River,  it may make people wonder how long will it be until another business will take its’ place, and what that  business  will be. Jacobson’s Department store was located in that building before Barnes and Noble moved into it.

Photo Credit: Julia Grippe

“It will be hard to find one retailer to take over the space. It may have to be subdivide,” offered Wilson.

While agreeing with Wilson that a good option for the building would be to subdivide it, Huddleston suggested that, “It might be interesting to subdivide the building as an incubator for local entrepreneurs to start up a business and merchandise their stuff; this could be a creative way to use the space.”

Some of the students on campus also shared what they might like to see open up in the vacated building once Barnes and Noble is gone.

“I would love to see another book store open there. I think that location is great for books,” said Guettler.

“I want to see a nice sit down restaurant go into the building,” Karram said. Even with many different ideas on what will fill the newly vacated building once Barnes and Noble is gone, both Wilson and Huddleston agreed that it will be hard to say how long the building will stay unoccupied.

With the closing of Barnes and Noble creeping closer by the day, whether you are upset or indifferent about the closing it is becoming apparent that the citizens of East Lansing will need to find a new place where they can buy books and music while also spending a quiet afternoon wandering through the shelves, or  to study silently.

“We will lose a convenient place for students and faculty of Michigan State to buy non-school books,” Huddleston said. Schuler Books and Music will now be the closet major book store to campus. It is located in the Meridian Mall.

November has brought us unexpectedly warm weather and sudden snow fall. Yet rain or shine, MSU students are always listening to music as they trek to and from class. I know I always want to know what they’re listening to, so once again, I’ve used my privileges as Arts & Culture editor to find out for myself. Watch the video below to see the music tastes of even more students!

By Alli Myers

Haunted houses are a Halloween classic. There’s always a handful of people who simply love to be scared out of their minds leading up to the 31st of October. The MSU Department of Theatre is the group behind the scenes of MSU’s very own “Haunted Aud”. Every year the department turns the Auditorium, located on Farm Lane and Auditorium Road, into a haunted house for students to go through during the weekend of Halloween. This year, the event was held from the 28th through the 30th. Anyone was welcome, students or not, from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

This year’s theme was a psychiatric ward. The line waiting to go in was set up like the waiting room in a hospital, and the Auditorium was filled with actors from the department portraying the patients and doctors. When let in to the first hallway, visitors were greeted by the doctors and nurses of the ward, who were every bit as troubled as the patients. There was someone following you down almost every hallway, people screaming for help to get out of the psych ward, and amazing props. Among these were patients screaming chained to beds, body parts scattered around the rooms, chainsaws, medical devices and much more. All of this and more often made you forget you were even in the Auditorium.

“The Auditorium is creepy without even trying, so we make it even scarier,” said theater sophomore Shannon Melick. The fact that MSU’s Auditorium has all of the necessary props to put on almost any kind of show supplied them with everything needed to perform a complete makeover on the space.

Peter Martino, a junior in the Department of Theatre studying lighting design, was the master electrician for the event.

“My favorite part about Haunted Aud is having students come through and showing them that our department can do more than put on a play,” he said.

Turning the Auditorium into a spooky haunted house was done on a budget of about $500, Martino said. The event cost $10 for students, and was used as a fundraiser for the theater department.

Melick went through the Auditorium on opening night and said, “The only thing that made it a little scary for me was that I knew almost all of the actors.” She said that hearing her own name down almost every hallway gave her even more goose bumps than she already had, but at the same time reminded her more than others that it was all just a setup.

The theatre department has a few plays coming up for the end of the semester.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

“The Beaux Stratagem” will be held on November 20 in the Arena Theater. Melick described the play as a “restoration comedy”. Written by George Farquhar in 1707, it centers around two men trying to find rich heiresses to marry in order to restore their fortunes. Following “The Beaux Stratagem” is the fifth annual Freshmen Showcase, running from Dec. 2-4, where all the new freshmen in the department show off their talent in a series of shows.

Also approaching are a few big events from the MSU Roial Players, a student-led theater group that runs through the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. “Audience”, a short comedic play, will take place Nov. 17-20. Following “Audience” is “The Laramie Project”, described by Roial Art Director Megan Kelly as “a compilation of interviews surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student from Laramie, Wyo.”

Between the theater department and the Roial Players, MSU has a lot of shows and events coming up. Tickets for the theater shows can be found purchased from the Wharton Center Box Office, and tickets for Roial events can be purchased at the door in the basement of Snyder-Phillips Hall.

By Emily Green

Since Starbucks opened its doors in Seattle Washington 1971, it has been satisfying coffee lovers and curing the caffeine cravings of people everywhere.  Whether you’re a coffee addict or not Starbucks is still a great place to quench your thirst with non-coffee beverages or to satisfy your sweet tooth with a variety of desserts. Now, 40 years later, nothing much has changed, except for the fact that the company has expanded their brand globally with over 17,000 locations, in 57 different countries, gaining dedicated followers like groupies to a rock band, and it keeps on getting bigger.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

This year was Starbucks Coffee Company’s 40th anniversary, and to commemorate this milestone, Starbucks took the opportunity to spice up their already booming business.   A subtle change that Starbucks has made following their recent anniversary was to alter their long standing logo from the classic picture of a mermaid and the words “Starbucks Coffee,” to simply the picture. Starbucks also came out with a new blend of coffee, called the Tribute Blend, for the anniversary. The Tribute blend is made up of aged Sumatra, Papua New Guinea, sun-dried Ethiopia and Colombia coffee beans.

Also commemorating the anniversary is the publishing of a book by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, titled Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul. In the book, Schultz writes about the struggles, like when Shultz decide to step back into the role of CEO in 2008, to help reinstate the company’s financial health, and the eventual success of the Starbucks Company.

“Starbucks is my favorite coffee shop,” said chemical engineering freshman Andrew Lantz. With statements like these we can see why there seems to be a Starbucks mania going on across the country.

Starbucks still appears to be a fast growing and competitive company with new stores seemingly popping up on every street corner. Michigan State is joining in on the mania – on September 26 they opened a new Starbucks store here on campus in Wells Hall, (and yes they do accept Sparty cash).

Jacob Mercado, one of the supervisors of the Starbucks in East Lansing on Grand River, said they opened in the new location because of “growth of the economy and simply because the space opened up.” Students on campus appear to be happy about it, as they anxiously wait for coffee in a line that winds halfway down the hallway.

Photo Credit: Jenna Chabot

“I don’t think that the new Starbucks will affect the business of Starbucks on Grand River, people go there when it is convenient for them, but they come here to relax and study,” Mercado said. We saw if this statement was accurate by seeing what actual customers had to say, after stopping by the Starbucks on campus.

“No, I only come when it is on my way to class,” was the response from both Lizzy Wacker, a kinesiology freshman, and Lantz, when asked if they come to this Starbucks regularly.

For the Starbucks veterans who think they know it all, hold on to your seats because you are about to find out some big news. Did you know that there is a secret Starbucks menu? So when the person in line before you orders a drink that takes longer to say than to drink, no, they did not just make it up on the spot. It really does  exist.  Have you ever heard of a Zebra Mocha or a Crunch Berry Frappuccino?  Well they are two of the fun flavors you might want to try the next time you go to Starbucks. If you are interested in checking out  any of the other  secret Starbucks  treats here is a link to a website that will show you quite a few of them: http://www.ranker.com/list/starbucks-secret-menu-items/secret-menu-items.

“The 40^th anniversary was a very big deal for Starbucks as a company,” Mercado said. “It was the first coffee shop of its kind. Starbucks opened up a whole new market and culture for coffee shops. Starbucks was the pioneer of the coffee industry,” Mercado offered enthusiastically.

Seeing someone who believes in Starbucks this much was refreshing. Starbucks has become more than a coffee shop, it is a place where people can go to hang with friends or relax, and it is a social hub buzzing with conversation and the smell of brewing coffee beans.

By Emily Green

When we think of poetry reading, we might visualize a coffee shop with cozy couches, people drinking cappuccinos, relaxing while listening to someone read a poem in a soothing voice. We can keep the coffee and the couches, but when you go see the MSU Slam Poetry Team perform, you might as well throw that tranquil, quiet notion out the window because they are anything but. Slam poetry are poems meant to be performed for a live audience in a competitive format.

“Slam Poetry is part spoken word, part rap without the music, part theater – and all soul… It’s basically poetry on steroids,” said Professor Rose Cooper, the MSU Slam Poetry Team advisor.

Brian Fritz performing; Photo credit - Katie Hoffman

A Poetry Slam is essentially an informal gathering of friends sharing their talents and the art of poetry with one another. However, when the first person stands up to perform, the mood shifts from socializing to a more serious tone and the performer takes center stage. The audience sits inclined slightly forward in their seats, listening intently to the story that is being written in the air through words, snapping their fingers with approval.

MSU’s slam team started in late 2007 and by early 2008 it consisted of only four members. By the next year, however, membership had more than doubled in size. Today the team consists of about 20 dedicated members.

“The slam team to me is the ability to step back from the week, take a break and focus on what I want to do. Writing is a big part of my life and no matter what I end up doing I will always love writing,” said creative writing and RCAH junior Austin Gorsuch, president of the Slam Team. It seemed to me that all the members of the team felt the same way Gorsuch did; they became and stayed a part of the team because they loved writing and each other.

The team members all knew each other by name, and said they had developed friendships outside of the club.

“I have made good friends here, people that I can go and talk to outside of the meetings for advice and help,” said English senior Briana Walz.

“One of my favorite parts about the team is that is keeps me writing, and one of the worst things for a writer is to stop writing,” said James Madison sophomore Nicole Stancil.

Inez Garzaniti performing; Photo credit - Katie Hoffman

Team members keep each other writing or thinking in the mindset of a poetry writer through various methods; for example, by playing a silly game or actually taking the time to write a new poem during the meeting. Whatever it is they might be doing, they do with a purpose.

“I joined because I saw a slam poet perform and I knew that’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to move people,” Stancil said.

Walz added, “I love the slam aspect of slam poetry it’s serious, but also fun I get absorbed into it.”

These two members of the team said they really enjoy the atmosphere of actual slams. They like performing as well as just watching others perform in slams. To them it is about the content and purpose of the poetry.

“I think the MSU Slam Poetry Team provides a voice of Spartan pride.  Our members are often called upon by MSU officials to represent State in spoken word at various events,” Cooper said.

Opportunities like these are essential to the team to show off their skills. It also shows that they must be good at what they do to be asked to represent MSU at events.

There is no other team like them on campus and it is a unique and beneficial experience to be a part of, “not only for aspiring poets, but for any person at MSU who would like to learn how to effectively express themselves verbally,” Cooper said.

This is true at the meetings where the team works on writing skills as well as the ability to speak comfortably in front of a group of people. The poetry slam team is about more than just the slams. It is an outlet for creativity and a place to gain skills in poetry and public speaking. If you want to find out for yourself, the team is open to all members and accepts anyone who wants to join.

“If you are interested in prose, poetry, public speaking, or just want to come listen, we are always looking for new people,” Gorsuch said.

Photo credit - Katie Hoffman

I had the pleasure of seeing the MSU Slam Poetry Team perform at their Halloween Slam on October 26. It sure was a treat, and I didn’t even have to parade around in a costume screaming  ”trick or treat” to experience it.

Here are the rules to a poetry slam:

As many of the members that wish to perform are welcome to. Before they begin performing, the team must find five judges to judge the poets on their performance. After the poem is over, the judges hold up the scores – the lowest and highest score for each person are dropped, then the remaining three are added together to form the final score for that round. After everyone has performed, the top four performers move onto the second round, and the highest score from that round wins.

This slam, however, had a little bit of twist. In honor of Halloween, during the first round all of the competitors were required to write a poem based on their costume, followed by a free-for-all second round. There was a dinosaur, Pocahontas, a rock climber and a grandma in attendance, to name a few of the costumes.

In the second round, there was a tie between competitors Inez Garzaniti and Robbie Craemer. To settle the tie, the two poets had to battle it out at Wanderer’s Teahouse and Café’s open mic night. The winner of the tie-breaker and the Halloween Slam was Robbie Craemer.

The team meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Bessey Hall Writing Center if you want to check them out, or like them on Facebook at MSU Slam Poetry Team.

By Julia Grippe

Some stores start putting out Christmas items as early as June despite the negative comments made by consumers.

The Christmas creep is a marketing and sales phenomenon where stores compete to get the early dollar, which results in the holiday season starting earlier and earlier each year.

Bonnie Knutson, a hospitality business professor at MSU and expert in buying trends and strategic marketing, says people have less money to spend in the current economy, but they are always willing to spend on their children and family.

“If retail stores don’t get their share during the Christmas season, they are going to have to work twice as hard the rest of the year,” said Knutson.

Knutson said that consumers have four emotions: happy, sad, glad or afraid. Consumers buy most when they are happy.

Retail stores tend to push the idea of Christmas because the holiday season is usually a happy time of the year. This results in consumers buying more, said Knutson.

Some stores, such as Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, have made an industry of Christmas 365 days a year, said Knutson.

Even when on vacation in a warm place, Knutson said she always buys a Christmas ornament. People still think about Christmas even in the off-season.

Photo credit -- Julia Grippe

Retail stores are starting to advertise for Christmas more aggressively on the Internet. Knutson said people are doing more research online for what they want to buy so they can get their shopping done faster when physically in the store.

“The less time in the mall, the less time for impulse buying,” Knutson said.

The day after Thanksgiving, or better known as black Friday, is a strategic way to get consumers in their stores and to get the early dollar, Knutson said.

Typically, stores usually open as early as 4 a.m on black Friday but recently some stores are staying open for a full 24 hours. Other stores are even having online specials the day of Thanksgiving, said Knutson.

Erica Johnson, the executive team leader at Target in Okemos, said this year they are being more aggressive by opening at midnight like stores such as Walmart did last year.

Johnson said Christmas ads for Target go out the first week in November, and Christmas merchandise usually goes up right after Halloween decorations come down. Target must condense their Halloween items in order to put Christmas items up.

“We not only want the earliest ad but also the best and most creative ad,” said Johnson.

For craft stores, the holiday season starts even earlier than the end of October. Scott Pertz, store manager at Hobby Lobby in East Lansing, said the Christmas supply comes out as early as June.

“We could have Christmas stuff out year round and it would sell,” said Pertz.

Hobby Lobby receives Christmas shipment in April, and since Christmas is such a large area, they need to start putting it out early in order for the entire shipment to be out in time and look presentable, said Pertz.

Christmas items alone take up 26 aisles in the store, said Pertz.

Pertz said they start with the things people need to make and create crafts such as wreaths and ornament kits and then start putting out decorations and other merchandise.

Photo credit -- Julia Grippe

“If we put Christmas supplies out earlier, we have a better chance of selling it at full price,” said Pertz.

Hobby Lobby gets a negative reaction from its customers when they see Christmas items out in June and keep making negative comments all the way through September, said Pertz.

“They say things such as, ‘I can’t believe you’re putting this out already,’” he said.

He said the people who actually like the Christmas supplies out early don’t say anything at all.

Dale Wilson, a marketing professor at MSU said, “People love to complain.”

When it comes to the holiday season, many people argue that Christmas is commercialized.

Wilson said Christmas is a major holiday and retailers want their share of it.

Many of the MSU marketing students learn about the “cumulative effect,” said Wilson. This theory explains that as you see and hear different advertisements, the effect of those ads builds over time. “The first time you see an ad, it might not work. The third or fourth time, it becomes effective.”

When talking about Christmas advertisements, Wilson said there is an advantage to early advertising and putting out Christmas merchandise early.

“It can be annoying, but it works to have those types of items out early.”

Although a lot of people complain and say negative things, Wilson said he doesn’t think it turns anybody off from buying items from stores that put Christmas supplies out early.

“It’s not like they wont go back to that store,” he said.

One reason stores are more aggressive during the holiday season is because a lot of retail stores don’t make a lot of money until after Thanksgiving.

“The period between Thanksgiving and News Years adds to the profit.”

Sitting on the bus, walking to class, riding down Farm Lane on your bike… Do you ever wonder what the person next to you is listening to? They may seem completely entranced in their music or they may be mouthing the lyrics. Or maybe, you can actually hear what’s blasting through those headphones. Either way, you’ll never really know unless you ask them, like we did!  After witnessing Ty Currell’s video in New York City over the summer (click here to watch), TBG thought it would be interesting what you’re listening to. Watch the video below to see what Spartans have on their playlist.

By Alyssa Firth

Jersey Boys, a musical based on the life of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, has just finished up with its run at the Wharton Center. I had an opportunity to speak with Michael Lomenda while he toured in Omaha, Nebraska last month. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada, Lomenda tells TBG about how he got his start in musicals and what everyday life is like for a star in Jersey Boys.

Michael Lomenda, photo courtesy of David Leyes

Alyssa Firth: I haven’t seen the play, but I know your character is Nick. Can you describe him a little bit?

Michael Lomenda: Nick is the bassist of the group. He sings bass and he also plays bass, the instrument and he’s sort of the quiet, silent type, you know? He doesn’t say a whole lot in the group, but he’s credited by Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli as sort of the arranger of the group. He created a lot of the great vocal arrangements and also Frankie sometimes talks about him as the guy who helped him early on with his voice and coaching his voice early on, so Frankie’s got a pretty distinctive style so that’s kind of an awesome credit to his name.

AF: When and where did you start performing?

ML: When did I start performing? That’s a good question.

You know, it was sort of a young thing. I guess I kind of got into it early on. My dad was a pro hockey player in the states in the 70s and I kind of didn’t take to that, so I think my parents wanted to get their kids involved in something, so I kind of took to the arts and started early on playing classical piano and all that kind of stuff. And then performing wise, I sort of kind of fell into it.

My small town was like population 5,000, so there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunity you’d think, but actually there was a surprising amount of opportunity. A young sort of drama teacher, an art teacher, came in and took me under their wing and it got me into the arts and gave me a lot of really great opportunities to perform and work with some great folks. And then I sort of moved out to Toronto for three years for Sheridan College which was a music theatre program and I had previously taken a year of acting in Alberta at Red Deer College and a bunch of my buddies were, you know, wanting to go on a trip to Toronto. It’s a four hour flight away from where I was taking school.

I said, “Sure, let’s go. Let’s go for a fun time. I’ll audition for this school.” And meanwhile, just really wanted to go out and have a good time and then I went to school, actually got into a school for three years and then it’s been around 10 years that I’ve been performing.

AF: I know you just rejoined the cast. Is this your first time being back with them or when did you come back?

ML: Well the Toronto Company was done in August of 2010 and there was about a six month hiatus where I did other shows and things like that and then they gave me a call and said they wanted me to come down and join this tour, the first national in Miami, because the guy who was playing Nick was going on a bit of a vacation. So I flew down to Baltimore and then I rehearsed with them in Baltimore for a week and then flew with them to Miami for three weeks, which was great, and then another five or six months passed and then they gave me a call and said they wanted me to come down as sort of a permanent person on tour. So I flew in not yesterday, but the day before, so I flew in Wednesday and I did some press in the morning. On Thursday I had to put in some rehearsal which is basically just, you know, you’re on stage with the cast and then last night I did my first show.

AF: How did that go?

ML: I think it went okay, this is certainly a very, I would say, a typical rehearsal process. Usually you get a couple more days to rehearse Usually you get your bearings, so this is a pretty fast process for me. It was kind of a roller coaster, but I think it went across okay.

AF: What’s an average day of rehearsal and performance for you?

MK: Well, we do eight shows a week and sometimes it changes. The schedules will change; different cities warrant different schedules. Usually you have evening performances around 8 or 7:30 and so you get up and I mean most theatre folks are not early risers because we sort of work at night, but I get up and go to the gym and grab a breakfast. I mean, I’m really excited about touring around the states and seeing the cities so I’ll be out, you know, being a geeky tourist, you know, taking in all the sights and going to the art galleries and all that stuff. Then basically, go for a half hour call for your evening show and some people arrive earlier, some people arrive later, but you have to be there at half hour, so I prefer to be there about 45 minutes early. And then you know you do your show and if there’s a rehearsal, they’ll call you during the day for probably about four hours and, you know, it’s pretty casual. Everybody sort of knows the rhythm of things around here, so they’ll go in for a rehearsal and work on whatever they need to and then we’ll go for dinner and then we do a show.

Yeah pretty simple. I think a lot of people think that we rehearse a lot and that’s not to say that we don’t. Sometimes there’s a lot of people coming and going from a company for whatever reason, whether they’re new swings or vacations or all that kind of stuff, that are coming in and things like that. There is a lot of rehearsal and lately there’s been a lot of rehearsal, but for the most part, you know, we have our weeks pretty much free which is great.

AF: What do you do personally to prepare for your role besides with the cast?

ML: Well, individually there’s of course I mean it’s sort of funny. The hair is kind of one of the big things about the period. It’s sort of 50s, 60s, 70s and if you go and look at some of those pictures online of that era and those guys during that era, they had some pretty awesome hair. So the hair takes a little bit of time cause you’re using- I certainly use a lot more hair gel and spray than I would use in my hair on a daily basis that’s for sure.

A lot of people do a vocal warm up, which is kind of key. especially Frankies. I know Frankies have very personalized, very specific warm up that helps them sing that hefty role. I mean, they sing 27 songs in the show and I think there’s like only 30 or something like that so they’re pretty much on stage for the whole show. They have a really extensive warm up. And like I said, it’s very specific. Some people don’t eat certain things during the day, like milk products and stuff like that because it’s harder to sing, but for me personally, I like to go to the gym ahead of time to get my body warmed up.

I get to the theatre about an hour to 45 minutes ahead of time and I like to go around and sort of chat with everybody and see how their day’s going and you know, just sort of connect with them cause we’re going to connect on stage in about an hour and it’s important to sort of touch base with everybody and then I start you know getting ready. I shave everyday, you put your hair on, you get your mic, you know, and you have to get all wired up and then you just sort of take your time to focus and do a little bit of a vocal warm up and what not and then you’re ready to go

AF: Did you always see yourself performing in broadway musicals? Was it what you had planned in the beginning?

ML: My life has a funny way of never really — if I don’t plan things, they just go in an awesome direction. That’s one thing I’ve learned. I just sort of go with the flow and let it take me where I’m going.

I mean certainly when you go to music theatre college and you study to go in the realm of music theatre, I think it’s a goal for everybody to do big, awesome broadway shows, especially like this one.

This is something that is, you know, it’s sort of funny it just kind of happened this way where I’ve come across this role at this point in my life and my career and I think it’s for me it’s been such a wonderful milestone for me to be doing this particular show at this point in my life, in my career. It’s just been the pinocle really for me and so yeah, I guess indirectly it’s been a goal to have something this gratifying to do at this point in my life and career, but I can’t say I’ve totally planned for it. It’s just kind of you know you sort of do your hard work and put your head down and hope that this kind of stuff happens.

AF: Have you performed at the Wharton Center before?

ML: No I haven’t. I have not actually been to Michigan before so I’m super excited. I’m doing my research online so that I can go around, pick up on all the history and all the arts and culture and night life and all that stuff, so I’m excited.

AF: Out of all the places you’ve performed, what’s your favorite city that you’ve been to?

ML: Well, I can say I was on a cruise ship at one point so I saw a lot of cities internationally that I loved and I went back to Barcelona and those things, but you know, it’s funny. It’s hard because I think every city is so different and there are  things like I’m noticing Omaha is really receptive to this show and they’re really excited and they’re listening and they’re great folks down here. And other times I’ve performed in audiences that are just bouncing off the walls and raucous and dancing in the aisles and you know.

So every audience is different, but they all seem to kind of, for this particular show, they all seem to kind of get up on their feet at the end of it. It’s kind of unreal. It’s like this crazy, phenomenon that this show has created and every night people are just up and dancing in the aisles and singing and you know, it’s kind of the unreal job to do, to be able to bring this story to everybody every night and have them walk out every night humming the tunes and being so excited about it

AF: We are a university, so what piece of advice would you give to an aspiring theatre student?

ML: Well, I think nowadays with the advent of you know American Idol and that kind of stuff, I think you now theatrically speaking, a lot more people seem to be interested in getting into music theatre which is awesome. And Glee and all that kind of stuff.

It’s really sort of changing the face of music theatre and I would say there’s just a lot of hard work that’s involved in doing what we do, which is sort of implicit in any career, but I think the key to it all is that you have to love it enough to get through the rough times because I think that’s where people tend to fall off in this career. You have to just know within your heart of hearts that you love performing and that you love the arts and all that kind of stuff enough to dedicate your life to it. Even when you’re working another job and running out and doing auditions and it can be really hectic and hard on you sometimes, you just have to make sure that that love is deeply routed within you. And I think also you have to really get to know yourself cause I think the best thing for artists and for people who perform is life experience and I think if you are limited with your life experience sometimes that can limit you as an artist, too, and I think that getting the most out of life and experiencing life to it’s fullest really informs you as an artist and really sort of puts your eyes and ears and your senses and I think that’s kind of a key to being a really detailed, exciting artist.

AF: Anything else you want to tell us about the show?

ML: Personally, I think this is a show that connects to a lot of people, not only because of the music because I think the music is sort of spanned so many decades and I think that’s why there’s so many different age groups that come to this show cause these guys just made incredible music for so many decades so I think it’s connected to so many people, but I think what people kind of want out of Jersey Boys is kind of a surprise about the story behind all of this music. I think it’ s kind of cool. It’s a backstage sort of pass to the goings on of this group of four blue collar guys who rose to fame and just kind of fell apart. And I think it surprises people cause it gets you with the story just as much as the music and that’s, I think, why people keep coming back and people are feeling so connected to this and that’s a really really special, incredible thing.