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Diamond Head Theatre’s 2026-27 season will be an all-musical affair, featuring four favorite classics and two Hawaii premieres of recent titles.

Thus, the shows will provide a spectrum of astonishing and satisfying theatrical experiences, which should pique the interest of the old and the young alike, beginning with the compelling soul-tugging “Fiddler on the Roof” and winding up with the outrageously funny “Hairspray.”

The season also will be a stellar opportunity for skilled singers and dancers to strut their stuff by auditioning for the varied roles.

The rundown:

• “Fiddler on the Roof,”  Sept. 25 to Oct. 11 2026 – One of the most beloved classics of the Broadway repertoire, this is the treasured tale of Tevye, a poor milkman and his wife and five daughters, who reside in the Russian village of Anateva.  The opening number, “Tradition,” says and shows it all – a cornerstone of musical comedy theater, with book by Jerry Bock, music by Joseph Stein, and lyrics by Sheldon Harvey. Tevye and his wife, the sharp-tongued Golde, lead lives that are as precarious as the perch of a fiddler on a roof, which give the show its title. The score boasts a wealth of hit songs that reflect the love, faith and life challenges of the family: “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “To Life,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and “Do You Love Me.”
• “How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical,” Nov. 20 to Dec. 6 2026 – This holiday classic, from the stories of Dr. Seuss, was a children’s book and animated movie before segueing into a stage favorite for the Christmas season. The mean and green Grinch is the keen figure in an outing for both children, teens and adult audiences, and features its celebratory hit song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and a world full of the Whos. The playwright is  Timothy Mason.
• “Into the Woods,” Jan. 22 to Feb. 7 2027 – This Tony-winning musical, with storybook characters, is timeless and  tuneful, with wishes galore: Cinderella wishes to go to the ball, Prince Charming wishes to find the maiden who lost her shoe at the ball, the Baker and his Wife wish for a baby,  Little Red Riding Hood  wishes to visit her grandma, and  Jack of the beanstalk fame wishes to return home. The show was written by James Lapine with words and lyrics composed byStephen Sondheim. The audience might wish for one singular sensation of a song in the score, but there’s a bonanza of choices: “No One Is Alone,” “Stay With Me,” “Children Will Listen,” and “Last Midnight.” In the forested woods, however, happily ever after isn’t always so.
• “Suffs,” March 12 to 28 2027 – “Suffs,” short for “suffragists,” is an award-winning show by Shaina Taub, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, and even starred in the original Broadway production. It Is a tale of the struggle for equality, the power of protest, and the relevance of the fight today. The original production featured an all-female cast, with women playing all roles, including the male characters, providing a unique and compelling perspective to the story; there’s no indication that DHT will go down this avenue. 
• “Pirates! The Penzance Musical,” May 21 to June 6 2027 – This reimagining of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic operetta,  was a 2025 hit on Broadway. The razzle-dazzle of G&S’s Penzance have been transported to New Orleans’s French Quarters, and the operetta flavor has been seasoned with Caribbean rhythms and jazz. The book and lyrics are by Rupert Holmes. The plot follows Frederic, who is mistakenly apprenticed to a band of tender-hearted pirates until his 21st birthday. But due to a leap year technicality, his apprenticeship is extended, complicating his love for Mabel. The Pirate King and the tongue-twisting Major-General are aboard ship, along with new young lovers, fleet-footed police, and footloose pirates.
• “Hairspray,” July 23 to Aug. 8 2027 – First there was a movie by John Waters, then a Broadway show, and “Hairspray” thus became an iconic legend of 1960s Baltimore. Plus-size teenager Tracy Tumblad has one mission in life – to gain fame on the “Corny Collins Show,” the “American Bandstand”/Dick Clark sound-alike. Edna Tumblad, Tracy’s mom, is part of the legendary folks here – cuz she’s portrayed by a dude, who’ll become a notable sort in the process. The book is by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas McKeehan, based on the Waters film, with music byMarc Shaman and Scott Wittman. Themes include racial prejudice and integration, and size-hate and social change. The anthem, “You Can’t Stop the Beat”r ules here, but other danceable and singable hits include “Good Morning Baltimore” and “I Can Hear the Bells.”

DHT advisories:

Season ticket sales are now underway and current subscribers must sign up by May 8. By phone: box office at (808) 733-0274. By mail: DHT, 520 Makapuu Ave., Honolulu HI 96826. Box office hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

To change current subscriptions, call or visit the box office.

Important operational changes:

• All Thursday performances will begin at 7 p.m.
• All Sunday shows will start at 3 p.m.
• A new Thursday subscription show will be added; thus, the first Thursday option will become a second Thursday choice, the second Thursday will become the third.
• The current first Saturday matinee will become the second.
• The current second Saturday matinee will become the third.
• The Friday opening night will not be changed, so the planned new Thursday performance will precede the usual opening night.
• Shows prior to the opening night week could be added; they constitute extensions before the openings. (This option already has happened; the current show, “West Side Story,” had been slated prior to its March 20 debut, though at least two shows last week had to be canceled due to last week’s Kona low storms).

‘Harry Potter’ spell rules on Broadway

“Harry Potter” continues to have box office magic on Broadway, grossing $2.5 million for the week ending March 15. Only one other show – “Hamilton”—is in the $2 million club.

The Top 10:

1—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $2.507 million

2—“Hamilton,” $2.117 million

3—“Wicked,” $1.723 million

4—“The Lion King,” $1.718 milion

5—“Just in Time,” $1.680 million

6—“Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” $1.430 million

7—“Chess,” $1.331 million

8—“The Outsiders,” $1.296 million

9—“MJ the Musical,” $1.180 million

10—“Every Brilliant Thing,” $1.107 million

The complete list, courtesy the Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz…

Award-winning Robert Cazimero and his hula Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua will go Windward in March, making their debut at  the Windward Community College’s Paliku Theatre in two shows at 2 and 6 p.m. March 22.

The concerts, themed “A Ko‘olau Au” (“I Am the Windward Side”), will pay tribute to the region. Cazimero said the show’s title is derived “from an old chant many schools perform.”

He added, “What is most important is the fact that we are going to be doing songs for the Windward side of O‘ahu, from Waimanalo to Paumalū. It’s a celebration for its people, ‘aina and mele.”

The Windward side, with its verdant and dominating Ko‘olau rmountain range, is notably impressive and inspiring especially during the winter raining season, like now. Over the decades, it has motivated and stimulated the imagination of many. Windward resources are plentiful;  the Pahinui family in Waimanalo has been prolific singers-musicians, Singers-composers have made their marks with hit songs (think Jerry Santos of Olomana, with “Kuu Home O Kahaluu” and Jay Larrin, with “The Ko‘olaus Are Sleeping Now.”

Historic towns and communities like Lanikai, Kailua, Kaneohe, Waiahole, Ka‘a,’awa, Kahana, Punalu’u and La’ie have also inspired songs and mele;  even Hollywood has been lured to a popular site, Kualoa Ranch, and welcomed filmdom’s Steven Spielberg and his “Jurassic Park” dinosaur box office hits.

So there is no shortage of titles and theses from Cazimero and Halau Na Kamalei, reigning Merrie Monarch Festival winners.

“I am a towny,” said Cazimero, “and there is no doubt and I do love it. But it’s easy to let what you see at face value overshadow what you need for my heart’s value. When that happens, I drive through the Pali, to the Windward side of the Ko`olau. It fills and replenish me and is the inspiration for our show.”

A few other performers will be secured, but not yet  named. Negotiatons also are underway for “the conglomerate of three hula halau,” he noted.

He added, “As should be expected, HNKOL will be there as well as Bob’s Boys. That would be my band consisting of Kaipo Hale, Keala Chock and Richard Heirakuji. (The gents made their debut as a backup band) at Cazimerio’s two concerts last Oct. 11 and 12 at Leeward Communty Theatre). I’m hoping that Miss Kanoe Kaumeheiwa Miller will be there, but I haven’t heard back from her yet.”

“It is my birthday month, but we’re not gonna be celebrating that too much. Cazimero will perform at his birthday bash at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at Chef Chai and it’s already virtually sold out. For reservation inquiries, call the retaurant at (808) 585-0011.

Cazimero, a legendary vocalist, showman, and recording artist, is featured at his first-time art show in the Gallery Iolani adjoining Paliki Theatre. The display, focusing on Robert and his brother Roland Cazimero and the Cazimero ‘ohana, will be open before the 2 p.m. Paliku concert and after the show, and also before the 6 p.m. finale.

“We’re taking advantage of the gallery next door and incorporating what’s there for the show,” said Cazimero. “It’s an opportunity to talk about those that I love in the gallery that are no longer here. I’m hoping that after the concert people will go to the gallery and appreciate it even more. It gives me chicken skin.”

Proceeds from the concerts will go to the sponsoring Wahea Foundation, and beneficiaries include Cazimero and his singing-and-dancing halau gentlemen.

Tickets go on sale this week, with all seats priced at $50, though University of Hawaii students with student ID cards can purchase limited student tickets for $25, with a link at www.waheafoundationb@gmail.com

And that’s Show Biz…

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