For no reason the other day, I had a momentary flashback to…
fingerpainting?
What’s that, you ask?
If you are of a certain age, you should recall this curious but fun “art project,” where your grade school teacher would hand out oversized sheets of paper to hand-craft, or finger-paint a scene.
The paint was a liquified goo, oozing and swishing as you ran your fingers and hands, creating images that had to be dried.
And yep, you got to take this art home for your parents’ gallery of childhood creativity.
Your fingers and hand were “paintbrushes” in fingerpainting.
I recall the paint had a special smell and pasty texture.
Then today, I got an errant email about making-your-own paint for fingerpainting.
The scent must be from corn starch and sugar, yielding the oozy quality.
Single fingers can create still-life flowers
I don’t remember if the teacher made the paint – or it was a staple product back in the day –but an attached recipe (that showed up in my email) shows you can revive this art form for your child or grandchild.
The colors come from food coloring. Of course, the primary hues, when mixed, result in new colors. Like red and blue yields purple; blue and yellow, green.
Recipe for fingerpaints.
The painting style may vary, using your hands and fingers to swish amid blobs of several colors; or single finger to paint, create, with you digits as brushes, to create still-life flowers or landscapes.
Suggestion: when the dry out, you can create note cards covers by cutting the art to card size and securing with rubber cement or double-sided tape.
If nothing else, it’s a silly but fun stroll down memory lane.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the birth of the United States Air Force, OLELO Channel 53 (Spectrum) and Channel 1053 ( Hawaiian Telcom) will present the world television premiere of Joe Moore’s 2007 play, “Prophecy & Honor – The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell,” at 6 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 4).
Additional telecasts will be at 4 p.m. Monday (Labor Day, Sept. 5), at 8 p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 6), and at 10 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 7.)
“Prophecy & Honor” was a rare theatrical event, with Hollywood names performing alongside local actors. Such casting was a coup then, and remains one of the most ambitious stage endeavors here.
The archival video to be shown is a revised version of a live production staged Aug. 19, 2007, at the Hawaii Theatre. The show was a benefit produced by and for the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
Joe Moore
Moore penned the play in 1992, which was performed at Diamond Head Theatre in 1993. The central character is Gen. Billy Mitchell, regarded as the Father of the U.S. Air Force, and the drama focuses on his sensational court martial in 1925 for insubordination; he was critical of the nation’s top military and civilian leaders for disgraceful condition of aviation, and not providing a proper pace to air power in organizing the national defense of the country).
Of special interest to Hawaii viewers, the court martial reveals chilling details of his prediction – 16 years before it actually happened – of Japan’s surprise attack of Pearl Harbor, which triggered the start of World War II.
Richard Dreyfuss
Moore appears as Mitchell and Richard Dreyfuss as Congressman Frank Reid (Mitchell’s civilian defense lawyer), and the impressive cast includes George Segal and Terence Knapp as the military prosecuting lawyers, Don Stroud as Mitchell’s military defense lawyer, David Farmer as the court-martial judge, Dezmond Gilla as the Pilot Narrator and Frank DeLima as Congressman Fiorello LaGuardia. Others in the cast include Allen Cole, Matthew Pedersen, Teresa Moore, Bree Bumatai, Greg Howell, George O’Hanlon, Bob Whiting, Rico Tudor and Bill Bigelow. …
$3 Movies!
Today (Sept. 3) is National Cinema Day, with Consolidated theaters offering $3 admission, $3 popcorn and $3 sodas today. (The snack costs are for any size).
But unless you already have tickets to the more popular features, you’re out of luck. Features such as “Top Gun: Maverick,” “League of Superpets,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and “Spiderman: No Way Home” are wholly sold out. Regal screens also should have the $3 tickets, if not already gone.
Beats the $7 promotion for tickets at Tuesday shows ($10 at Ward and Kahala). Can’t get any cheaper, unless it’s free!
And all that jazz
The Dan Del Negro Trio will be featured in an evening of jazz at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at Medici’s at Manoa Maketplace. The combo features Del Negro on piano, Abe Lagrimas Jr. on drums, and Shawn Conley on bass. Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner service ($75). Reservations: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/musicatmedicis/5142/event/1285950 or (808) 351-0901 …
The Honolulu Jazz Quartet, led by John Kolivas, does two shows tomorrow (Sept. 4) at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki resort. Showtimes are at 6:30 and 9 p.m., with doors opening at 5 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $15, $25 and $35. Reservations: (808) 777-4890 or www.bluenotehawaii.com …
Willkommen to “Cabaret,” when Manoa Valley Theatre revives the Tony and Oscar-winning evergreen musical beginning Sept. 8. Finally, the new season launches in September.
MVT will convert its black box environs to reimagine the Kit Kat Klub, the seedy Berlin nightclub, “where everything is beautiful,” as the Emcee declares. The theater will have limited VIP cabaret seating, with tables and chairs, atmospherically creating the vibes of the club.
Up front seats on both sides of stage will put you as close as you can be without being a cast member.
So who’s playing who?
Gage Thomas
Gage Thomas will enact the role of the Emcee, who welcomes the audience as host of the evening. Other cast members: Nick Amador (Cliff Bradshaw), Marisa Noelle (Sally Bowles), Susan Hawes (Fraulein Schneider),Sally Swanson (Fraulein Kost), Mo Radke (Herr Schultz), Rob Duval (Ernst Ludwig), Marcus Stanger (Max). The Kit Dancers are Alex Zinov, Emily North, Taylan Claro, Asha DuMonthier, Chloe Tower, Sean Kaya, Eriq James, with Olivia Manayan the female swing.
Alex Munro is director, Maka‘i Nash is musical director, assisted by Justin Garde; Dwayne Sakaguchi is choreographer, Shell Dalzell is technical director, Willie Sable, is set designer and scenic artist; Calitin Tong is prop designer, Janine Myers is lighting designer, Maile Speetjens is costume designer, Lisa Ponce de Leon is makeup designer, Lock Lynch is sound designer and engineer, Aly Sutton is stage manager, and director assistants are Aiko Denise Chinen and Olivia Manayan.
The Tony-winning show, still running on Broadway and an Oscar-winning film that triggered cinematic interest in musical productions, needs little introduction. Germanic sentiments are high, and the Emcee tracks the tale about the American writer Bradshaw, who is attracted to the saucy Sally Bowles, and embraces folks surviving under the cloud of the Third Reich.
The score, by the prolific duo comprising Fred Kander and Fred Ebb, includes songs that would fit a jukebox, including the title song, plus other memorable ditties shared by different characters, such as “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Perfectly Marvelous,” “Two Ladies,” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” and “Money.”
Playdates are Sept. 8 to 25, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with 3 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets: $42 for adults, $37 for seniors and military, and $24 for youths 25 and younger, available at www.manoavalleytheatre.com or at (808) 988-6131.
Outside beverages or food are prohibited, but in-theater beverage service will be available, as expected at a cabaret. …
Hot and Cole
Over at Diamond Head Theatre, Cole Porter’s beloved shipboard musical, “Anything Goes,” sets sail Sept. 9, playing through Sept. 25.
The tale involves Reno Sweeney, a nightclub songstress and evangelist, who is booked on the S.S. Americana, sailing to England. Her pal, Billy Crocker, is a stowaway, to be close to his love, Hope Harcourt, but there’s a problem – she’s engaged to Moonface Martin.
So the love triangle has to be resolved, but enroute to the finale, there’s a body of Porter songs and lyrics – think, “Anything Goes,” “Easy to Love,” “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “All Through the Night” – plus tap-dancing sailors and a smidgen of blackmail, all leading up to the grand finale. The characters are based on the original book by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, and on a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman.
Andrew Sakaguchi will portray Billy Crocker, Jody Bill is Reno Sweeney, Christine Kluvo plays Hope Harcourt; Ahnya Chang is Erma, and Matthew Pedersen enacts Moonface Martin.
John Rampage is directing, with tap choreography by Caryn Yee and musical direction by Jenny Shiroma
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, at 3 p.m. Saturdays and at 4 p.m. Sundays (no Saturday matinee Sept. 10).
“The Three Phantoms,” a musical revue featuring actors who have played the Phantom, will be a Broadway-extra of sorts, when it plays at 7 pm. Oct. 29 and 2 p.m. Oct. 30.
Craig Schulman
Hawaii theater will remember Craig Schulman, whose performance as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” made him an instant fave of locals, and he is featured with Keith Buterbaugh, Gary Mauer, and Dan Riddle in an evening of Broadway tunes not just from “The Phantom of the Opera,” in which Schulman donned the mask, but not here.
This program will include male repertoire from Great White Way solo, duet and trio renderings of faves from “Phantom,” “Les Miz,” “Miss Saigon,” and other possibilities from “Damn Yankees,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “South Pacific,” and “Kiss Me Kate.”
An earlier version of “The Three Phantoms” previously played here, with a different cast.
After two years of waiting, because of the pandemic, the Tony-winning “Jersey Boys” will finally open Sept. 13 and run through Sept. 25,at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Yep, the musical about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons will finally make its Hawaii premiere in a two-week run.
You know the hits: “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” ”Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “My Eyes Adore You,” among others.
Tickets previously bought will be accepted for the run, but for questions, visit the Blaisdell box office or visit www.ticketmaster.com to verify the new playdates. Tickets start at $45.
Broadway grosses, for week ending Aug. 28
There were no $3 million shows last week, though the usual top grossing productions prevailed.
“The Music Man” pulled in $2,716 million, for No. 1.
“Hamilton,” at $2,072 million, was No. 2.
“The Lion King,” with $1,795 million, was No. 3.
And at No. 4, “MJ,” the Michael Jackson musical, was a skosh behind “King” at $1,731 million.
First, there was the PBS documentary, “Waterman,” that profiled the life and times of Duke Kahanamoku, the beloved surfer-swimmer known as the Ambassador of Aloha. Jason Momoa, the Islander who become a superstar actor thanks to “Aquaman,” narrated that documentary.
Soon, “Aquaman” Momoa will be producing a feature film on Kahanamoku, the iconic Hawaiian Olympian winner, widely credited as the father of surfing. Momoa is teaming up with producer Peter Safran to tell the story of Hawaii’s first well-known surfer-swimmer,
Duke Kahanamoku
Jason Momoa
who was a five-time Olympian, who broke racial stereotypes when he was a minority Hawaiian swimmer who helped popularize surfing in his lifetime, competing in four Olympic Games in 1912, 1920, 1924 and 1932.
And writing the screenplay for this project is Christopher Kekaniokalani Bright, who has been based in California, but settled back at home in Hawaii to diligently and quietly work on the script. Bright is the grandson of the late Ronald Bright and Mo Bright; Ron was the popular teacher-director-mentor of thousands of island actors and techies who earned their stripes in Bright-directed productions at the Ron Bright Theatre at Castle High School and Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College.
Christopher Bright
Chris Bright has been on stage, performing in musicals helmed by his grandfather, but has focused on shaping scripts, including “Conviction,” a 2018 Black List selection.
Details are still scanty; there’s no data on when the filming will start, or where it will be done; when a casting call will be held and the biggest wonderment: will a Hawaiian, from here or elsewhere, be tapped to portray Kahanamoku.
Over the decades, there have been trademark issues on rights to projects involving Kahanamoku. Momoa, Safran and producers Susan Miller Carlson and Eric Carlson of Carlson Company have been negotiating with Don Love, a California investor who has been operating Malama Pono Ltd.since 1999, to manage IP (intellectual property) rights to Kahanamoku’s legacy.
After his notable athletic career, Kahanamoku served as the sheriff of Honolulu until the early 1960s and had various jobs as a gas station owner and was the namesake of Duke Kahamaoku’s, the fabled International Market Place nightclub, where Don Ho launched his global fame. The Duke often made appearances at the restaurant club, in the era when entrepreneur Kimo McVay operated Duke’s.
Kahanamoku died of a heart attack in January, 1968, at age 77. …
Mariota is a TOYA
Marcus Maritoa
Kudos to Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota, quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, who has been named one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the U.S. Junior Chamber (Jaycees). The awards will be formally made at Virginia Beach next month.
He was nominated for the laurel by the Rising Phoenix Jaycees, who wasted no time to honor the former Saint Louis Crusader. Hope the function doesn’t conflict with a Falcons game. …
One for the grandparents
Frank DeLima will stage a brunch show to mark Grandparents Day
from 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Central Oahu Event Center, formerly Dot’s in Wahiawa.
Frank DeLima
DeLima will perform at 12:30 a.m., preceded by a brunch buffet from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
A brunch for kupuna is not all that common, but DeLima has been booking brunch gigs recently —twice at Blue Note Hawaii, for Easter, with another coming up on Dec. 11. Before the Pagoda Restaurant welcomed Sorabol as its current tenant, DeLima did brunch and evening shows at the Pagoda ballroom.
The Wahiawa brunch event will offer a range of assorted breakfast breads and pastries, salads and anti pasto dishes, with entrees such as fresh island catch, medallions of chicken in sun-dried tomato and mushroom cream, braised shoulder of beef with cremini mushroom sauce, and a lavish display of desserts, accompanied by coffee, tea or hibiscus-mint iced tea. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase.
The buffet is $47 for adults, $23.50 for youths under 19, and free for keiki 5 and under.
The Central Oahu Event Center is located at 130 Mango St., in Wahiawa.
Makamaka refers to beloved friends, who effortlessly give and take, and share and demonstrate, unifying the gift and power of friendship.
For Jerry Santos, Kuuipo “Ipo” Kumukahi, Haunani Apoliona and Ryan Tang, last night ‘s (Aug.27) gig at the Hawaii Convention Center was a genuine evening of makamaka. It was all about fond memories, rich vocals and instrumentals, and contagious camaraderie. It was spontaneous and revealing, as if they assembled to have a great time, singing and strumming with sheer joy.
In short, this was a smooth, backyard or back-porch jam session, with generous servings of makamaka. Hence, the monicker for the event, “Na Kupuna Nights,” was fitting; it was a gathering of kupuna performing and kupuna listening and watching. OK, the crowd wasn’t comprised of all seniors, but grey and white hair were plentiful. Everyone was soaking up the aloha, called makamaka.
Santos, of course, is best known as the singer-composer-guitarist of Olomana, the legendary group he led through the rebirth of Hawaiian music in the 1970s, when he was a newbie who became one of the somebodies that helped shape and inspired a generation of entertainers who would become, over time, the emerging stars of the Hawaii over the past three decades.
Na Makamaka, from left: Kuuipo Kumukahi, Jerry Santos, Haunani Apoliona and Ryan Tang
She strums both ukulele and guitar with astounding ease.
Kumukahi, a Hilo native, is a versatile vocalist with a wealth of memories, shared through the songs she learned from her mom. She is one of the most underrated female singers of her generation, who performed with Santos and Olomana for the past two decades. Apoliona, best known for her work with Alu Like and OHA, Hawaiian non-profits, when she wasn’t alternate or fulltime singer with Olomana. She brings a rare touch in local combos, because she is a master of 12-string guitar.
Jerry Santos\
Tang, who also used to be a part of Olomana, has become an intermittent semi-regular. But Olomana, the group, has not had a regular Waikiki gig since the pandemic shuttered all venues and sentenced bands to the unemployment line. And clearly, this Na Kupuna event was not an Olomana show; imagine, this was a rare instance when Santos did not render “E Kuu Home O Kahaluu,” his signature since he and the band became household names, because this was all about makamaka.
Kuuipo Kumukahi
This all-star combo put their voices and instruments out there to share the remembrances of hearty music and life moments past, beginning their journey with Santos’ “Come to Me Gently,” a warm, retroactive ballad that beckons give-and-take aloha, with its inclusive “Hawaii Is Calling” lyric.
Haunani Apoliona
A gigantic medley of familiar songs – weaving one song after another, like sewing a lei of gentle blossoms – including “Na Ali‘i,” “Wahine Ilikea,” and “Pearly Shells” (well, the Hawaiian version, “Pupu A ‘O ‘’Ewa”). The end product was the abundant esprit of commonality and community, with individuals bonding in oneness. Surely, many in the audience were lip-synching quietly, which is OK and part of this sharing experience.
Not surprising, this generous medley – which ran for perhaps 20 to 25 minutes – also included wonderful visual and aural snapshots of each vocalist and instrumentalist. That is, Santos got some guitar licks in, besides his sweet upper-register tones; Kumukahi, switched from guitar to ukulele, pouring out small-kid-time recollections as well as a song bag of Hilo-related tunes; Apoliona, who has not been part of this kind of musicianship during the pandemic, shared her from-the-gut vocals while doing her 12-string thing; and Tang did harmonies as well as a splendid bass solo, even putting his elbow to work on his electric bass. And his hula-dancing wife, Rae Tang, also shared her talent.
Ray Tang
Kumukahi, often labeled the Sweetheart of Hawaiian Music, shared a song, “Bumbye,” composed by Puakea Nogelmeier for his foster mother, Ululani Kumukahi, who is Ipo’s mom. As she tells it, the Hawaiian scholar-composer wrote the tune when visiting mama Kumukahi when she was in the hospital, and based the hilarious melody and lyrics, in Hawaiian, which was a 2014 Na Hoku Hanohano winner. Daughter Kumukahi “owns” the song, and she delivered with wonderful gestures whenever she came to the title, a pidgin word for later, not now, bumbye. Got it?
“He Ono,” the tongue-twisting ditty about eating all kinds of food, was another of Kumukahi’s gift for the evening; in Hawaiian, it’s lively stuff; in English, she delivers the lyrics (mentioning the likes of manapua and half moons) which is funny as hell.
Santos made an early declaration, about kupunahood. The evening, sponsored by the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society, is all about kokua for kupuna. Santos, with a straight face, said “We are kupuna, too,” admitting the years that all of his musical partners have spent, shaping the face of island music and becoming the face of makamaka.
