Or he’s landed a show with a title that promotes goodness, including luck.
Or quite likely, “Good Night, and Good Luck” was the play Broadway has been anticipating, the one that broke the weekly box office grosses, with a dazzling and dizzying $3.3 million for the week ending March 23.
George Clooney, the actor making his debut on the Great White Way, is the focus of the buzz and the big box office, whose numbers exceeded that of “Othello,” which has Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal in the leads, which dropped to No. 3 this week with $2.529 million. But “Wicked,” still defying gravity, remains a secure No.2 with its $2.545 million take.
George Clooney, the star in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” tops Broadway grosses.
“Good Night, and Good Luck” explores a tangle of themes including truth, intimidation, and the courage of corporate media. Clooney, who adapted the play with Grant Hoslov, from the earlier film version, portrays veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow, an iconic CBS anchor, who recreates a historic faceoff with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who, at the height of the Red Scare, attempted to weed out imagined communist infiltration of the U.S. government.
The show gets its name from Murrow’s iconic signature sign-off, “good night, and good luck” at the end of his telecasts.
To understand the economics of the top shows, “Good Night, and Good Luck” is playing at the Winter Garden, which has 1,545 seats, priced from $307.07 to $775. In comparison, “Othello” is unfolding at the Barrymore Theatre, with $1,043 seats and typically selling for $897.
Star wattage is a factor on pricing, and still another element in the formula: “Good Night, and Good Luck” and “Othello” are in limited runs, a common rule when “name” actors are on stage.
But if you’re thinking of heading to New York, seats are available if you decide to score a pair of tickets with your charge cards.
‘Night’ tops Broadway grosses for week ending March 24
“Grease is the word, is the word that you heard “It’s got a groove, it’s got a meaning “Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion “Now, grease is the way we are feeling.”
— From the title tune of “Grease,” the musical
Your first encounter of the show “Grease,” now at Diamond Head Theatre, is an oversized cut-out of a red car frame hanging over the proscenium of the venue, created by set designer Deanne Kennedy.
It is formidable, dominating, and reflecting a precise groove, of the time (circa 1959), the place (Rydell High School), the emotion (nostalgic teen-age angst) of an indefatigable serving of pop culture.
The show’s two centerpiece figures, Danny Zucko (played by Cameron Scot) and Sandy Dumbrowski (portrayed by Sophia Ysrael), initially lack chemistry and spark, like two lost souls from different sides of the railroad tracks. Summer’s over, and they’re back in school, with uncertainties of direction.
They are eventually united in song, dance and romance, in a powerful story tenderly directed by Michael Ng, in collaboration with the agile and imaginative choreography by Dwayne Sakaguchi. They both connect the dots in this familiar journey.
Such teamwork throughout the creative ranks eventually makes “Grease” a well-oiled wonderment, though the ghosts of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John unintentionally linger from a hit film that obstructs the Danny/Sandy relationship.in the stage version. It’s not till Sandy, like the Newton-John’s late-in-the-show remake in a body-clinging leather outfit, that she starts percolating.
Sophia Ysrael is Sandy Dumbrowski in “Grease.” Photo by Brandon Miyagi.
Homecomings can be a snoozer, after all. The point is, unless you’re hip to the relatability of being greased, your presence has ceased.
Two things help bring the magic of “Grease” to life:
— The rich well of rock/pop classics. Happily, DHT has invested in paying extra royalties fees, to enable the cast to sing tracks from the movie, like “Grease,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Sandy” and “You’re the One That I Want.” These titles are solid gold, so the inclusion is a triumph for the audience.
The ensemble offers rigorous dancing in the show’s megamixes. Photo by Brandon Miyagi.
— The use of group vocals and dances by the company of troupers, in moments that might be termed “megamixes” of specific tunes, is part of the process toward satisfaction.. The title song “Grease,” is the essence of time and place and even pace, but melodies like,“Shakin’ at the High School Hop,” “Born to Hand Jive,” and the finale version of “You’re the One That I Want” are hallmark. Karaoke meets disco, resulting in rousing vocals and choreographic explosions.
Secondary characters steal some of the thunder in the show. For instance, Jody Bill as Betty Rizzo, has a leading lady moment, on “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee;” Jantzen Shinmoto as Kenickie puts sizzle into “Greased Lightning;” Kiakahi Kekoa as Roger and Lainey Hicks as Jan shine on “Mooning;” Gabriel Ryan-Kern as Johnny makes “Born to Hand Jive” come alive; and Jeff Andrews as Teen Angel and Parker Kilkenny as Frenchy team up wonderfully on “Beauty School Dropout.”
The hand jive number is one of the megamixes of songs. — Photo by Brandon Miyagi.
A production of this magnitude – with a cast of nearly 30 — requires a vigorous and versatile ensemble: Kirra Baughn, Drew Bright, Victoria Chang, Paul Garcia, Justin Garde, Sammy Houghtailing, Caris Leong, Shane Nishimura, Maggie Ryan, Gabriel Ryan-Kern, Emi Sampson, and Jasmine Weldon provide dependable and exquisite support.
Designer Kennedy’s bag of set tricks work well; besides the car motif at the proscenium, she constructs smaller pieces (like sofa chairs, easier to move) and aerial groupings of signs and ribbons (not a task to fly up and down, and quiet) and scaled-down towers for Rydell High signage (moveable with barely a squeak). Oh, a smart move, too, to position a six-piece orchestra in an elevated stage; nice to see and applaud maestro Darcie Yoshinaga and her seven-piece ork here instead of the invisible pit.
Not certain who gets credit for creating Kenickie’s red car, seemingly a full-sized sedan; is it Kennedy’s vision, or part of the wizardry of Kyle Conner’s props design?
Chris Gouveia’s light design and La Tanya Siliao’s sound design are right on target.
Other background heroes include Emily Lane (costumes) and Aiko Schick (hair and make-up), whose tasks involve scores of color-coordinated gears for men and women, with seemingly unending costume changes, and beaucoup wig creations for the myriad of required looks.
It all adds up to a satisfying funfest…
And that’s Show Biz…
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“Grease”
What: A musical about homecoming teens at Rydell High School, with book and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Case, with a title tune by Barry Gibb
Where: Diamond Head Theatre
When: Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; also, at 3 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through April 20.
Medici’s, the supper club at Manoa Marketplace, apparently is shutting down for good, following a performance by the Shari Lynn Trio, tomorrow (March 22) night.
The performance, featuring singer Shari Lynn Acebedo and her backup musicians Jim Howard (piano) and John Kolivas (bass), was to be staged earlier, but was rescheduled because club owner Tim Stanton, and its longtime chef, was assaulted recently.
Medici’s is upstairs from the Manoa School of Music, operated bythe chef’s wife Carolyn Stanton. Nearly 400 students take classes, as a bridge to potential music careers but the school, like the club, will close its doors this weekend, after more than a decade at the marketplace.
Shari Lynn
“This is very sad,” said Shari, who has staged numerous shows at Medici’s, catering to an older audience who applaud her shows, which features jazz, Broadway favorites, and classics from the Great American songbook. “There are very few cubs in town that feature jazz and cabaret, in such a lovely setting,” she said.
Besides patrons of the evening music, which includes several genres, a network of teachers at the music school “now have to look for another place to teach,” said Shari. “I wish them much success in their quest for a new venue for the school and performance. And I thank them for their great support of me as a teacher and a performer.”
Those who frequent the club, the school and the marketplace have never questioned the safety of the environment, which includes several restaurants, an okazuya, a bakery, a post office and a laundry nestled in the back of the center. The tenants in the front corridor of the marketplace include a Longs, a Safeway, a McDonald’s, a coffee shop and a bank.
Stanton was assaulted in a hallway and believes it was a homeless person who attacked him and escaped. Merchants since have asked Alexander & Baldwin, which operates and owns Manoa Marketplace, to install and increase security measures.
Other acts who had bookings at Medici’s also will cancel their future gigs; there is no immediate plan to reopen at the current site, or in another venue.
Medici’s has an online presence, but regrettably, the website is woefully outdated without a formal notice of its abrupt closing…
As a veteran Hawaiian entertainer, he’s done a lot of different things in his ongoing career, and is truly a pioneer and survivor in a field where many others have struggled and even failed.
As a serenading singer-pianist at Chef Chai’s on Kapiolani Boulevard, Cazimero makes his magic work, month after month.
And March being his birthday month, and March 20 being his birthday, Cazimero soldiers on, demonstrating his flexibility as kumu hula, crooner, and raconteur. He’s at Chai’s through Sunday (March 23), in an ongoing fundraiser for his Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua.
Robert Cazimero
Best known as a Hawaiian trouper, Cazimero possesses a quick mind and a wide repertoire, and thus is capable of delivering hapa-haole tunes like “Hawaiian Hospitality,” “For You a Lei,” “Lahainaluna,” and “Hanalei Moon.”
He also programs melodies with instinct, sharing “Wahine Ilikea” and “Puu Hone,” two of many iconic favorites he recorded with his late brother, Roland Cazimero. There’s plenty of memories in these flashbacks. There’s also a renewed vigor where he’s revisiting songs he shelved because they required competency and integrity with Roland, like the “Hokulea” song his bro composed back in the day.
I’ve come to anticipate his occasional surprises, where he dusts off an oft-forgotten number, like “Aioa,” and a gem of a song from the left field, “Trees,” a lyric poem by Joyce Kilmer that also is a song seldom heard. Nifty job of discovery and recovery.
Yes, there are hula interludes with his regular dancers, Sky Perkins Gora and Bully Keola Makaiau
And special guest hula dancers, like six from Halau I Ka Wekiu, were invitees to perform to fill he aisles with their “My Sweet Gardenia Lei” number.
On this particular eve, Malia Ka‘ai was an invitee to render “O Makalapua,” a rare honor for a singer, since most guests are hula dancers.
Every so often, Cazimero dusts off Disney ditties, and travels the childhood trail as he did last night with a medley of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” a Mouseketeer chant, and “Bibbidi -Bobbedi-Boo”… plus the ancient “I’m a Little Teapot” tune.
Reservations for the birthday celebration/halau fundraiser is $159, at www.opentable.com/r/chef-chai-honolulu …
Around town
Mary Gutzi
Mary Gutzi, a Broadway actress who’s often at home in Honolulu, will be featured in “Lillian,” a Readers Theatre presentation, at 7:30 p.m. March 24, 25, 26, 31 and April 1 and 2, at The Actors Group’s Brad Powell Theatre at Dole Cannery.
The show, by William Luce, is directed by Vanita Rae Smith, and is set in a room at a New York hospital, where Lillian Hellman awaits the death of her companion, Dashiel Hammett, in a seductive memoir of her life and times. Tickets: https://taghawaii.net/reader-s-theatre …
Shari Lynn, center, flanked by Jim Howard, left, and John Kolivas, right.
The Shari Lynn Trio will take the stage at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace from 7 p.m. Saturday (March 22).
Singer Shari, backed by keyboarder Jim Howard and bassist John Kolivas, is known for her repertoire of jazz, the Great American Songbook and Broadway fare.
TAG — The Actors Group – has announced its 2025-26 season at the Brad Powell Theatre at Dole Cannery.
TAG will continue its cycle of August Wilson plays – three titles are on the agenda this coming season – with two world premieres plus one Hawaii premiere. The island launch is the first by a work by popular island playwright Lee Cataluna, which makes its world debut next spring.
The slate:
“The Piano Lesson,” a Wilson drama, Sept. 5 to 21 2025, directed by Shervelle Hanna.
‘Higher! Higher!,” a musical by Tom Cooper, Oct. 31 to Nov. 16, 2025, directed by Brad Powell.
“Seven Guitars,” another Wilson entry, Jan. 9 to 25, 2026.
“Fire Pit,” by Cataluna, March 6 to 22, 2026, in a world premiere directed by Betty Burdick.
Lee Cataluna
“Fences,” the final Wilson drama, May 1 to 17, 2026.
“The Lake Effect,” by Rajiv Joseph, June 26 to July 12, 2026, in its Hawaii premiere.
Robert Cazimero will stage a birthday event from 5 p.m. today (March 19) through Sunday (March 23) at Chef Chai’s.
Robert Cazimero
His serenades, from the grand piano, will feature periodic hula from his usual pair of dancers, with other impromptu participation from hula troupers among the diners.
Cazimero’s actual birthday is tomorrow (March 20), when he turns 76. The event is a fundraiser for his Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua, which is headed to Hilo next month to compete in the Merrie Monarch Festival.
The last time kumu hula Cazimero and his male dancers ventured to the Merrie Monarch competition in April 2015, they copped first place in the kane division, as well as best-overall laurels.
Cazimero participates in the hula competish once a decade, so this year is the timetable for that visit.
Reservations for the birthday celebration is $159, at www.opentable.com/r/chef-chai-honolulu …
Broadway grosses, for week ending March 16
George Clooney
Though “Othello” continues to top the Broadway charts – indeed, “the play’s the thing” – George Clooney’s debut in “Good Night and Good Morning” drama proved to be quite a draw, and clearly means star power works. It’s the No. 3 attraction, on the Great White Way.
