Month: December 2023

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LIKE SANTA, CAZIMERO MAKING ROUNDS

 Robert Cazimero will be  in Santa Claus mode, minus the red suit and white beard, this holiday season, making the rounds at two venues.

He has two separate shows – a pair of major performances, with his hula halau involved, at Leeward Community College this weekend (Saturday night and Sunday afternoon – Dec. 9 and 10) – plus five more intimate performances, when he’s at the piano at Chef Chai Dec. 13 to 17.

“‘Tis the season,” Cazimero said, in an email from Tokyo. “I can’t believe the Christmas concert is almost here. I’ve been working on it since July.”

 He added, “I’m excited for it (the Leeward production) and nervous at the same time. What makes things solid for me is the fact that I am surrounded with great people. The crew at Leeward Community College, my cast of dancers, singers, and musicians, as well as good friends and family members never go unappreciated. It is my life, and I am loving it.”

The theater at the Leeward campus, has been a viable showcase for his singing from his keyboard and spacious enough for his singing/dancing Hālau Nā Kamalei o Līlīlehua.

“The concert will be full of wonderful things that most people would expect. Great singing, dancing, fun things, surprises, and opportunities to reflect on gratitude and wonder.” 

The key to the annual Kalikimaka spectacle – besides kumu hula Cazimero—is the versatile ensemble of male dancers who can sing beside dance and also play drums.

Another watchable element is the array of costumes –  ancient and contemporary Hawaiian as well as casual attire, dependent on the ‘olelo – and if you’re seated near the stage, a photo op for sure.

Because it’s the Christmas season, the concert will engage familiar carols.

Cazimero is keen on themes, so the first half is themed Green, the second half is White.

As for the Chef Chai shows, the format is casual and commonly unscripted. His gig here usually is one-nighter, themed Full Moon Concert, with two hula dancers. But because of demand, the booking was expanded to five nights.

It’s a dinner show, so plan to eat while watching.

“A Robert Cazimero Christmas”

What: A celebration of the holidays, featuring Hawaiian and holiday music and dance

When: At 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and 2 p.m. Dec. 10

Where: Leeward Community College Theatre

Tickets: $30 to $55, available at the Leeward box office at (808) 455-0385 or online https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=leecc

“Full Moon Christmas Concert” “

What: a casual show with Robert Cazimero at the keyboard.

When: Dec. 13 through 17, with dinner from 5:30 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Chef Chai

Tickets: $99, includes a hearty meal, at cheffai.com/chai-reservations/ or (808) 585-0011

Meanwhile, on Broadway, the ‘Lion’ roars

Looks like “The Lion King” will be king of the Broadway jungle, as it continues to occupy No. 1 on the weekly gross compilation, courtesy The Broadway League.

The top 10 grossing shows:

1—”The Lion King,” $2,399 million.
2—”Wicked,” $2,109 million.

3—“Hamilton,” $1,972 million.

4—”Merrily We Roll Along,” $1,833 million.”

5—“MJ The Musical,” $1,643 million.”

6—”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,”

7—”Aladdin,” $1,499 million.

8—”Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,402million. 

10—“Back To The Future: The Musical,” $1,191 million.

The complete run-down:

And that’s Show Biz…

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I COULD HAVE GLANCED ALL NIGHT

It’s daring, it’s different, it’s delightful.

It’s Diamond Head Theatre’s revival of “My Fair Lady”!

It takes risks with its basic pristine set in stark white, like a mammoth canvas, where projections add color on smaller scenic drops from the fly loft.

It delivers a new wrinkle — the opening overture is a precious, unexpected  dance opportunity — which is an additive to showcase a terrific dance ensemble. And costumes floating in from the fly space? Too bad wearers couldn’t just slip into the descending gowns and suits.

It boasts a stellar cast of principal actors who inhabit the essence of the show’s familiar musical and comedic gems, but certainly fresh and formidable. This is not a rom-com, but admittedly, Henry Higgins might come off as a pushy bully and Eliza Doolittle a victim in his ploy to make her wrongs right. Just remember, this is show biz.

The Alan Jay Lerner and  Frederick Loewe favorite opened Friday (Dec. 1) and has an extended run through Dec. 30 . Yes, there are attitudes of verbal abuse, sexism perhaps, colonial, and societal prejudice in this vintage story, but you can’t rewrite the play, inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” so interpretation and presentation are the underlying challenge. Forget the now, and enjoy the wow of each scene.

I took in the Saturday (Dec. 2) performance and was happily charmed by the innovation of the stylish look and versatility of the set and the splendid casting of actors with depth.

Anna Young as Eliza, and Garrett Hols as Higgins, in the “Rain in Spain” scene. Photo by Brandon Miyagi.

Truly, I could have glanced all night.

So, director Bryce Chaddick retains the beloved story but alters the playing field; if you can’t rewrite it, neutralize the playground.

Dawn Oshima, set and lighting designer, created a basic three-panel wall in white, that features occasional projections, with a few lowering and raising of mini scene tricks including vertical panels that can be illuminated with hues and a basic “door” panel to serve as entrances and exits for some scenes. You won’t see the usual environments of Covent Garden, Wimpole Street, Ascot, Higgins’ home, and other key spots in the storytelling. You have to imagine it all and depend on those rectangular backdrops from start to end.

As Eliza Doolittle, Anna Young struggles a bit in the early scene as a flower girl with a Cockney accent amid the setting of the large white background panels. So, viewers have to bring imagination to see or feel her loverly thoughts, as Eliza sings “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.” But when she full-blooms, under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins, hiccups hardly happen.  Her shining moment is when she delivers “I Could Have Danced All Night, her personal, triumphant declaration of independence. Just you wait, Young /Eliza is a powerhouse.

As Higgins, Garrett Hols is the master of the production, delivering a performance with vigor and voltage with polish and precision. His lines are mouthfuls, delivered with confidence and speed, and his tempo is terrific. His mission to convert the lowly flower girl is an opportunity to elevate her status by undoing her inability to speak, well, English. The pain, it’s plain, is actually in his gain. His moments of glory include “I’m an Ordinary Man,” which reveals his inner thoughts, and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” which expresses his softer, romantic side. If he accomplishes his feat, he wants to strut Eliza in front of his mom, Mrs. Higgins, played by Betty Bolton, and get her seal of approval, as if she were a show dog. (FYI, David L. Young, spouse of Anna Young, is understudy of Higgins, and it would be fun to see the couple in action).

Betty Bolton is Mrs. Higgins, seated left, and Young as Eliza, seated center in the “Ascot Gavotte scene, which shows the stunning black, white and silver finery designed by Kimmerie H.O. Jones. Photo by Brandon Miyagi.

As Colonel Pickering, Eli K.M. Foster is the third wheel in this journey—a sidekick of Higgins curious about his notions and his insistence and kind of a leash to monitor the transformational goal.

As Eliza’s father Alfred P. Doolittle, Miles Phillips steals scenes, notably on the early “With a Little Bit of Luck” in Act 1, leading up to “Get Me to the Church on Time” in Act 2.

Eliza’s suitor, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, is portrayed by Andrew Erwin, whose solo song is “On the Street Where You Live.” While he looks the part, his voice was pitchy and tentative. He ought to avoid the guardrails on the street; he nearly toppled one at the show I saw.

And The “Loverly Quartet” – David L. Young, Alex Bishop, Alston Alika Albarado and Isaac Liu – provide a foundation of four-part harmonies that are a bit of a hallmark of the show.

The techies – Dawn Oshima, lighting; Kimmerie H.O. Jones, costumes; Aiko Schick, hair and make-up; and Kerri Yoneda, sound – do their magic. And Jenny Shiroma’s musical direction and Ahnya Chang’s choreography, work in tandem to produce elegant, exciting moments, especially when sweeping dancers swirl and twirl in elegant costumes, with alluring attitude that seems they could have pranced all night…

And that’s Show Biz…

‘My Fair Lady’

A musical by Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music), adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s film, “Pygmalion.”

Where: Diamond Head Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 17, the original closing date; extended through Dec. 30, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20, 21, 22, 23, 29, and 30; plus 3 p.m. Dec. 30

Tickets: $37 to $62, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com, (808) 733-0274

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NO DILEMMA FOR COMEDIAN FRANK

At 75, comedian Frank DeLima has common aging issues. Body aches everywhere, loss of memory, unstable legs.

At his brunch show Sunday (Dec. 3) at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki resort, he celebrated the upcoming holidays with hilarity and ho-ho-ho revelations about his life. He shared a solution to his tiring legs, explaining his frontside (tummy) is now the same size as his backside (butt), which gives him equilibrium.

Such was the tone, and temperament, of his presentation.

Yes, he donned a Santa’s outfit. Yes, he delivered the expected “Filipino Christmas,” which simultaneously salutes the yuletide and pokes fun at Filipinos. No racism intended – never, in a DeLima show – but the underlying fodder for his success over the past 47 years as a comedian who demonstrates his adoration of local ethnicities (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Polynesian, Portuguese, and yes, particularly Filipino) because that’s his brand. He generates laughs because he celebrates, not condemns,  the races here.

You’ve heard the jovial jokes, right? He learned, first hand, the idiosyncrasies of island living, in the Pauoa Valley region where he grew up. His gags may be exaggerated, but reflect truths – Japanese listening to Naniwabushi radio programs, with unique vocal tones; Chinese burning firecrackers at gravesites, bringing manapua to share with the deceased; Okinawans, with hairy chests, arms and legs, and so on.

A masterful parody creator, he unveiled his latest “Kona Low,” the term favored by weather forecastors, referring to what used to be called “Kona weather,” singing the newbie to the tune of the oldie “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let it Snow!” He relied on what he called his “teleprompter,” a cardboard roll-out with lyrics, with the liner comprised of Clorox boxes. So DeLima.

An earlier parody, to the tune of “Mack the Knife,” described the unfortunate fate of Captain Cook, the presumed discoverer of the Hawaiian Islands, who was eaten by the Hawaiians, as the legend goes.

Other namedropping melodies tapped King Kamehameha and Imelda Marcos.

Audience participation is part of DeLima’s agenda, so not surprisingly, he beckoned audience members to take the stage for his laugh-loaded ritual of rendering the island version of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” from 12 televisions to one mynah bird in one papaya tree. Happily, or perhaps laughingly, the dude tapped to do the mynah/papaya line could not get it right until the bitter end, earning cheers and hurrahs for his achievement.

‘Twas a sweet end to the show.

And that’s Show Biz…

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KONA LOW FUELS DELIMA PARODY

Comedian Frank DeLima’s latest parody, “Kona Low” is timely, topical, and terrific.

The melody is the Christmas classic, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

“I wrote it late Wednesday and recorded it yesterday (Thursday),” said DeLima, a versatile and successful parody creator. “ It took me couple hours to write the lyrics.”

For the uninformed, “Kona Low” is what meteorologists now call what used to be known as “Kona Weather.”

For DeLima, inspiration happens anytime, anywhere.

“ Kona Low was all I heard all week –I heard ‘Let It Snow!’ on KSSK  after they were discussing ‘Kona Low’ on Wednesday morning on my way back from visiting Red Hill Elementary (he regularly visits schools to deliver motivational talks to students) — and that’s when I thought, eh, I should do a parody.”

He plans to deliver a live performance of “Kona Low” at his Comedy Brunch gig at 1 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 3) at Blue Note Hawaii.

“Still gotta sing it over and over to get the lyrics solid in my brain,” said DeLima about memorizing the song before the Sunday.

The words – largely in pidgin – go like this:

Oh da weddah outside stay ugly

Da air real tick and muggy

Da wind stay hardly blow  

 Kona low, Kona low, Kona low.

One minute da sun stay shining

Next minute da tunda and lightning

Wen da wadda dump you nevah know

Kona low, Kona low, Kona Low

Wearing a hoodie (for protection from the Kona Low rain), DeLima has posted a video of the parody, which will bring a chuckle, or even a belly laugh, upon watching.

The parody continues with warnings of caution due to flooding, mudslides and overflowing streams, and puddle boats big and small that could cause your vehicle to stall … all in his inimitable brand of lingo.

 Since forecasters predict more unsettling Kona Low conditions over the weekend, the time for the song is now, before the rains subside.

To watch the video, visit my website at wayneharada.com

But please, please, please: you can download the video for free, at www.frankdelima.com but I urge you consider a donation to enable DeLima to continue his good work with his student enrichment program…

Comedy Brunch with Frank DeLima

When: 1 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 3); doors open at 11:30 a.m.

Where: Blue Note Hawaii, at the Outrigger Waikiiki resort

Tickets: $45 for premium seating, $35 for loge seating and bar zone

Reservations: www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890

And that’s Show Biz…