“Forever Plaid,” a nostalgic and heavenly off-Broadway musical comedy by Stuart Ross, with loads of harmony, old-school charm, and scores of familiar boy-group hits, opens Friday (May 28) at Diamond Theatre. Shows Thursdays through Sundays (times vary), through June 6. Tickets: $22, at diamondheadtheatre.com..”
“Tiny Beautiful Things,” a dramatic comedy by Nia Vardalos, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed, continues Thursdays through Sundays, May 6 through May 23, at Manoa Valley Theatre. About Sugar, an advice columnist, stalled in her own problems. Tickets: $40 adults, $35 seniors and military, $22 those 25, at manoavalleytheatre.com.
NIGHTCLUBS
Henry Kapono hosts The Makaha Sons, at 6 p.m. May 18, Blue Note Hawaii. Tickets: $35 at bluenotehawaii.com. Live screen option available, $20. Visit bluenotehawaii.com.
Shari Lynn, at 6:30 p.m. Friday May 21, Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner. Tickets: $59, includes show and dinner, at medicismanoamarketplace.com www.tix.com.
The Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s “The HI Way” television series has been nominated for six regional Emmy Awaards.
The theater group had to pivot from live productions to virtual because of last year’s pandemic, and since March 2020, the resident ensemble has produced 21 half-hour episodes that have connected with more than 4 million views via TV stations.
“HTY’s shift to digital production would not have been possible without the incredible support we received from our community partners,” said Becky Dunning, HTY managing director. Supporters included government and foundation grantors, she said, along with corporate donors and community individuals “who recognized the importance of keeping Hawaii children engaged and excited about learning during the pandemic.”
Eric Johnson, HTY’s artistic director, commended teachers who embraced the show’s content for distance-learning and in-person classes, and said the shows “celebrates what is unique about our culture, lifting up local stories and perspectives, and celebrating the values of diversity, environmental stewardship and aloha.”
Gerard Elmore
The six nominated episodes are “Pono,” “Respect Racism,” “Energy” and “Da Holidays,” with a special nominee in Gerard Elmore, who directed “Surfing.”
Episodes for season three are now televised on Hawaii News Now stations as well as the theater’s website, www.htyweb.org.
Season four premieres in fall of this year. …
DHT’s nostalgic ‘Forever Plaid’ opens May 28
“Forever Plaid,” an off-Broadway musical brimming with nostalgia and tuneful oldies, opens May 28 at Diamond Head Theatre, eight performances through June 5. Facial masks are required to attend, with social distancing protocols prevailing, meaning limited seating in the theater.
The show has a heavenly twist; four buddies named Sparky, Smudge, Jinx and Frankie head to a gig when a school bus collides with their car, terminating their career. But the stars were aligned and the group’s fate is reborn so the foursome can continue its musical journey.
The show is a tribute to 19502 guy-group music – think the Four Seasons from another era – with emphasis on four-part harmony. Thus, the score features the likes of Four Freshmen, FourAces and Four Lads and titles such as “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “No Not Much,” “Moments to Remember,” “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing,” “Rags to Riches,” and “Shangri-La.”
Andrew Sakaguchi returns home from New York to direct and choreograph, with Maika‘i Nash conducting the orchestra.
The cast features Tyler Devere as Jinx, Scott Fikse as Smudge, Ryan Michel as Frankie and Will Thomson as Sparky.
Playdates: 7:30 p.m. May 28, 7:30 p.m. May 29, 4 p.m. May 30, 7:30 p.m. June 3, 7:30 p.m. June 4, 3 p.m. June 5, 7:30 p.m. June 5 and 4 p.m. June 6.
Tickets: $22 at diamondheadtheatre.com …
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Remembering Willie K
Willie K will be remembered in a Celebration of Life in the form of a drive-through from 2 to 4 p.m. May 18 at the Wahikuli Wayside State Park on Maui.
Willie K
The Kahaiali‘i ‘Ohana – Willie’s family and friends – is presenting the drive-through, in a one-way traffic route below the Lahaina Fire Station.
Some traffic restrictions will be in place, with no-left turns and no-parking in the nearby lots.
Uncle Willie, the beloved entertainer, died May 18 2020,
He is widely known for his expansive musical repertoire, ranging from old-style Hawaiian to the blues, from operatic arias to country tunes, from contemporary Hawaiiana to jazz. He was a regular at several Maui sites and the Blue Note Hawaii club in Waikiki, where he serenaded his fans monthly until illness prevented him from performing.
Willie Awihilima Kahaiali‘i is survived by his wife, Debbie Kahaiali‘I and children Karshaun, Max, Lycettiana and Antoinette. …
Remember when I discussed my recent experiences regarding surgery for my perennial lower back pain?
I feel the urgency to bring you up to snuff on my journey to wellness.
Simply put: You can’t achieve wellness without health insurance. As a senior citizen, I have Medicare coverage, with HMSA as my secondary insurance, and boy, am I lucky.
My procedure, if you recall, involved minor surgery to implant a battery in my left butt, and wires on my spine, to embrace the technology of neurostimulation to address the sore back.
It’s working, thank God, since my pain management doctor, Dr. Jeffrey Loh at Queen’s Medical Center, implanted the battery and wires as an alternate means to reduce my pain levels.
Yes, the bionic implants let my brain know that the aches are, well, decreasing.
But here’s the thing: Surgery costs. A lot. Plenty, in fact.
Insurance will be covering most of the fees.
I won’t admit what the final bill is, since I’ve yet to receive one, but a preliminary “statement” from Queen’s — outlining sums for all elements of the surgery — was astonishing.
I could have bought perhaps three or four brand new mid-range cars, in cash. Or, if I went the luxury auto route, I might have been able to possibly secure two new cars.
The statement was a wake-up call. I never discussed the anticipated cost with my surgeon, but I knew insurance would provide courage. I did not expect the costliness of the procedure — part of the Same Day Surgery service, where I was admitted to Queen’s mid-afternoon, prepped for the incisions, and nursed in both the pre- and post-surgery process.
The statement broke down the charges for the procedure, for pharmacy fees, for OR charges, for other supplies and for anesthesia.
I’m not complaining but I am so appreciative of the medical plan, which covers all costs, including medication, hopefully making my co-payment minimal.
I had supportive, wonderful nurses, before and after the surgery, and I thank Dr. Loh, for his guidance and his service.
I will always remember my few hours at Queen’s, notably for a photo of myself wearing the requisite blue shower-like cap, to keep the hair in place during the procedure. My cousin quipped, after seeing me becapped: “Everything’s better with blue bonnet on it.”
It was sorta the sonnet of this experience.
But one curiosity of the prelim statement. It had a charge listed as my co-pay. For $1. No zeroes. A buck. Can you imagine this?
“Hawai’i Aloha,” the soul-stirring tune that bonds like glue, commonly sung en masse with hands entwined, at the end of a Hawaiian event; almost always rendered in the Hawaiian language. (Lyrics are here: https://www.huapala.org/Hawaii/Hawaii_Aloha.html ); also, a stunning video is performed by isle youths and professional entertainers; a definitive new -generation favorite: https://www.manamele.org/hawai-i-aloha
Among other songs you should know to be a kamaaina: “E Kuu Morning Dew” and “Hawaiian Lullaby,” the latter commonly referred to as “Where I Live, There Are Rainbows. No-no-no, those are the opening lyrics.
