While watching Angie Harmon’s “Buried in Barstow” on Lifetime the other eve, I recognized the actor in a supporting role, Kristopher Polaha. Harmon, formerly of “Rizzoli and Isles,” plays Hazel King, the owner of a diner café, where Pohala’s character, Elliot, chows, and he’s an unemployed patron who becomes a hired hand washing dishes to pay for his meals.
Anyway, if his name sounds Hawaiian, and many folks assumed he’s local — but he’s not. He’s Czech by birth.
Kristoffer Polaha
I remember Polaha when he starred in 2004’s primetime soap opera dubbed “North Shore.” Yep, he’s spent time here in the midst of the fictional Grand Waimea Hotel and Resort, now the Turtle Bay Resort, and one of his three sons was born in Hawaii.
A second season for “Buried” is likely.
Polaha earlier appeared in “Wonder Woman” and did a “Hawaii Five-0” segment while living here.
He’s seen as Wyatt Huntley in this weekend’s dinosaur thriller, “Jurassic World: Dominion,” which opened Friday (June 10).
Finally, Hallmark regulars might remember Pohala, too, since he’s frequently in the stream of glam girls and studly guys – seven films and counting. …
Chef Hazama on Food Network show
Colin Hazama
Did you catch chef Colin Hazama, formerly of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, on the Food Network’s “Alex Vs. World” last week? Hazama lost his job in the kitchen of the Pink Palace, due to the pandemic, but his impressive appearance didn’t make the cut, so there won’t be another Hawaii chef during the run of the show, which is fueled by competing chefs from each of the 50 states. He’s back at his pop-up C4 operations, where he’s offering comfort food embracing local ingredients representing his island roots. …
Broadway grosses, week ending June 5
“The Music Man” continues to top the weekly Broadway gross charts, a testament to the powerful box office attraction to Hugh Jackman, in the titular role.
The rundown, courtesy The Broadway League:
Show Name
GrossGross
TotalAttn
Capacity
%Capacity
A STRANGE LOOP
$685,772.13
6,520
7,296
89.36%
ALADDIN
$1,188,639.17
13,207
13,816
95.59%
AMERICAN BUFFALO
$433,548.80
4,413
6,008
73.45%
BEETLEJUICE
$1,019,501.50
8,894
12,816
69.40%
CHICAGO
$763,452.49
7,798
8,640
90.25%
COME FROM AWAY
$461,759.50
5,326
8,368
63.65%
COMPANY
$582,979.15
5,486
8,368
65.56%
DEAR EVAN HANSEN
$508,454.95
5,473
7,872
69.52%
FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE / WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF
$300,666.34
4,354
6,184
70.41%
FUNNY GIRL
$1,178,026.75
8,554
9,752
87.72%
GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY
$308,134.24
3,544
6,384
55.51%
HADESTOWN
$846,938.85
7,146
7,344
97.30%
HAMILTON
$2,191,718.00
10,591
10,592
99.99%
HANGMEN
$257,198.56
2,796
6,416
43.58%
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
$1,331,192.30
11,382
12,976
87.72%
HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE
$160,548.00
3,348
4,459
75.08%
MACBETH
$995,270.20
6,670
8,408
79.33%
MJ THE MUSICAL
$1,402,897.40
10,509
11,096
94.71%
MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL
$1,196,718.80
9,583
10,400
92.14%
PARADISE SQUARE
$229,336.70
4,599
7,856
58.54%
PLAZA SUITE
$1,576,899.55
7,687
7,800
98.55%
POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE
The Tony Awards, when Broadway honors its best, will be held this Sunday, in a two-part programming sked, the first on the Paramount network at 1 p.m. Hawaii time, the second in prime time at 2 p.m. via CBS and originating from Radio City Music Hall.
Unlike the Oscars, when audiences and voters can watch movies live or streamed, the Tonys are a notable New York tradition. You can’t see a new or revived musical or play, unless you see ‘em in a Broadway theater. And since the pandemic has altered the going-out-to-be-entertained element, one wonders how many voters actually attended a show to cast their votes.
For non-theatergoers, the Broadway A-list may not be familiar. So stars as presenters or luminaries as performers may not be familiar to the stay-at-homers. Heck, I’ve not been to Broadway since the summer of 2019, and haven’t been able to give my regards to Broadway, to coin the familiar phase. Hope to go soon, but it likely will be later.
The galaxy this year will include the known, the unknown, and the on-the-way-uppers.
The Tony Award
Glimpse at this rundown of bold face names, and see if you recognize the talents. Some are movie stars or recording acts, so your memory bell might jingle. One island star, who has earned a Tony, will be aboard, as a presenter; see if you can pick her out. A former Islander who now is a producer, has a nominated production, but an actor, not the musical , is a contender. Know who the local dude is and which production is his?
The lineup of “names” this year, in alphabetical order: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Skylar Astin, Zach Braff, Danielle Brooks, Danny Burstein, Len Cariou, RuPaul Charles, Jessica Chastain, Lilli Cooper, Bryan Cranston, Wilson Cruz.
Also, Colman Domingo, Anthony Edwards, Cynthia Erivo, Raúl Esparza, Laurence Fishburne, Andrew Garfield, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Tony Goldwyn, David Alan Grier, Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Hudson, Paris Jackson, Prince Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L Jackson, Nathan Lane, Telly Leung, Judith Light, Josh Lucas.
Further, Gaten Matarazzo, Ruthie Ann Miles, Patina Miller, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Sarah Paulson, Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Pope, Billy Porter, Chita Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Phillipa Soo, Sarah Silverman, George Takei, Aaron Tveit, Adrienne Warren, Patrick Wilson, and Bowen Yang.
The first show, hosted by Darren Criss and Julianne Hough, starts at 1 p.m., with coverage streamed on Paramount Plus, sister station of CBS.
The parade of musical and drama actors, both in leading and featured roles from nominated shows such as “Music Man,” “Plaza Suite,” “Take Me Out,” “A Strange Loop,” “How I Learned to Drive,” “Funny Girl,” “MJ: The Musical,” “Company,” “Six” and “POTUS,” will be highlights in a three-hour presentation starting at 2 p.m. on CBS. Ariana DeBose, an Oscar winning actress from “West Side Story,” will host the main spectacle.
Ruthie Ann Miles
The Hawaii presence.: The previous Hawaii Tony winner is Ruthie Ann Miles, who earned her statuette as a featured musical actress in “The King and I” in 2015; she is a presenter. The producer whose “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a nominee this year, is Kevin McCollum, who also is a previous multi-Tony winner for such shows as “Rent” and “Avenue Q.” …
And the nominees are…
The complete list of the 2022 Tony nominees might be helpful, if you’re tuning in the show:
If you spot a temporary yellow street sign which says “DKMD,” with arrows pointing left or right, it’s the first clue that Season 2 filming has begun for Disney+’s Hawaii-based “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” series, starring Peyton Elizabeth Lee, as the minor who has a major youth presence as a licensed doctor at a hospital.
Peyton Elizabeth Lee
About the tell-tale directional sign: DK stands for Doogie Kamealoha, MD is for medical doctor. The code name, thus, is DKMD, and if you spot it somewhere in your community, that’s an indication that shooting is under way nearby. Follow the arrows.
The first evidence of the sign appearance was in May in Waimanalo, where the TV home of Lahela “Doogie” Kamealoha lives, the teen who leads two lives: as a teen with peer needs, as an MD who can perform surgery. It’s a wholly Disneyesque project, for sure, with meaningful and plenty ‘ohana rituals. ‘Ohana, of course, means family, which was the core of Stitch, in Disney’s earlier Hawaii-set “Lilo and Stitch” animated series and films.
Like the sophomore first season, “Doogie” will film 10 episodes with production expected to continue till mid-August, or thereabout. Season 2 episodes will launch in the fall.
The series, created by Kourtney Kang (who also is an executive producer), is a reboot of NeilPatrick Harris’ “Doogie Houser, M.D.” The island version has a credible cast, including Jason Scott Lee, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Matthew Sato, Wes Tian,Emma Meisel, Mapuana Makie, Jeffrey. Bowyer Chapman, Ronnie Chieng, and Alex Aiono. Expect a few additions this year….
Around town…
Lacey Chabert
Lacey Chabert, who played Little Cossette in “Les Miserables” on Broadway, before becoming part of the cast of “Party of Five” on Fox, has become a hugely popular Hallmark star with nearly 30 projects thus far. She’s been in town filming “Groundswell,” under the Crown MediaFamily Network banner (the company produces the Hallmark projects, too).
And local singer Anuhea plays herself – as a “celebrity host,” — in a segment involving a cooking competition. …
Then there’s Blake Vanamserfoorth —formerly from Hawaii but now a Venice Beach resident who launched his own clothing brand — will be seen in “Vanjie: 24 Hours of Love,” airing beginning June 9 via WOW Presents Plus, a streaming service. The reality dating show, reeling back the curtain on gay romance quests, is produced by the makers of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Vanamserfoorth is a contestant on the series, which will feature conversations about sex positivity and other topics within the gay dating community.
In his pre-airing notes, Vanamserfoorth indicates his intent is to find a date who makes him laugh and isn’t afraid to voice his opinion, a companion who loves to dress up and go to parties. Game on! …
The Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” isn’t the only one donning masks on Broadway.
The Broadway League has just extended the facemask requirement, through June 30, because New York’s COVID-19 alert level has escalated to “high,”despite New York Eric Adams, mayor of New York, just saying that “we are not at the point of mandating masks,” a few days ago.
The cautionary adjustment for mask-wearing applies to indoor settings, which, of course, includes play-going on Broadway.
Ben Crawford
Among the Broadway community, the mask requirement will be monitored in the weeks ahead, but the possibility of extending the rule till July, or even later, could happen, depending on the pandemic temperature.
Masks on Broadway have been required since theaters reopened last year; the protocol on proof of vaccination has been removed, like in most communities.
So if you’re heading to Broadway, masks still matter, so bring and wear your masks that cover your noses and mouths. Unlike the Phantom’s, which covers half his face. Oh, the latest actor playing the Phantom is Ben Crawford. …
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Here, there, everywhere…
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic, was spotted at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The group has been in town for a private concert at the Four Seasons resort at Ko Olina.. The band’s “I Ain’t Worried” tune is in the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise “Top Gun: Maverick” blockbuster, which certainly must be a career boost. …
Brother Noland and Tavana will share the spotlight in a show at 4 p.m. June 25 at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on the Big Island. Tickets: $35 general, $60VIP, at www.hawaiistars.com …
Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, formerly The Young Rascals, will give six performances at 6:30 and 9 p.m. June 10, 11 and 12 at Blue Note Hawaii. Presume the repertoire will be loaded with flashback Rascals hit, including “My Hawaii,” a fave back in the day that originally featured the voice of Eddie Brigati. Other hits: “Groovin’,” “Good Lovin’,” “How Can I Be Sure,” “It’s a Beautiful Mornin’,” and “People Got to be Free.” Tickets: $45, loge and bar area; $55, premium seating; at www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890…
