Category: Show Biz

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UKULELE FEST LIVE-STREAMING NOW

A live-streaming Ukulele Festival now is underway, though 3 p.m. today (July 18).

Hosted by ukulele legends Roy Sakuma, Jake Shimabukuro and Herb Ohta Jr., the virtual event the event is being held on the Ukulele Festival Hawaii YouTube channel.

Many other Hawaii musicians – including Ho’okena, Brittni Paiva, Kalei Gamiao and Correy Fujimoto – are also participating.

A tribute to Willie K. – a versatile over-all musician-singer, who played ukulele and guitar, in a myriad of styles, from Hawaiian to jazz, from opera to blues – will also be among the day’s special events.

The day’s schedule: 

Bright Kids event

While most kids still are on summer vacation, many youngsters are participating in the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation summer workshops, which began on July 6 at several sites:

–Two classrooms and the cafeteria at St. Ann’s School in Kaneohe are home base for dance and other sessions, with Marcelo Pacleb’s 24-VII studio at nearby Windward Mall also headquartering for some sessions.

— High school students are participating in a “Bright and Early” pilot project at Windward Community College, where they will receive college credits for their summertime academics.

According to Ligaya Stice, executive director of IABK, negotiations and planning are underway for the organization to stage a holiday special in December, with a partnership with 24/VII, a mall tennant. Details will be announced. …

More Van Gogh

Due to public response, “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” has been extended through Sept. 26 at the Hawaii Convention Center.

The walk-through exhibit, featuring a myriad of Van Gogh art, has been an eye-thrilling, moving attraction where viewers become part of a constantly changing art experience.

For tickets, go to www.vangoghhonolulu.com …

One more “Chorus Line” show

If you’re seeking seats to Diamond Head Theatre’s “A Chorus Line,” a final performance at 7:30 p.m. Thursday Aug. 5 has just been added. Act quickly; will be sold out in hours.

Tickets: $25. Visit www.diamondheadtheatre.com for tickets.

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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BROADWAY NAMES TOP EMMY NOMS

When the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards are staged Sept. 19 on CBS, the competition will feel like a Tony Awards evening because of a range Broadway stars dominating the list of nominees. A few already have claimed a Tony.

“Hamilton,” the mega-hit musical on the Great White Way, nabbed 12 nominations for the widely applauded televised reboot of a filmed performance streamed on Disney+ earlier this year.

Notable previous Tony winners are among the top nominees, as the taped movie of a stage production has been deemed worthy of consideration in the limited or anthology series or movies.

Thus, key “Hamilton” talent, most of them original cast members of the Broadway hit, are vying for Emmys:

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of “Hamilton,” was the titular star on Broadway and on film.
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom.
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in Anthology or Movie: Renee Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo.
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in Anthology or Movie: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff and Anthony Ramos.
  • Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded): “Hamilton” and “David Byrne’s American Utopia” (released on HBO/HBO Max
  • Among other Broadway troupers in contention:
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Porter in “Pose.”
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama: Mj Rodriguez in “Pose.” (The first trans woman nominated).
  • Outstanding Drama Series: “Pose.”
  • Guest Appearance in a Series: Bernadette Peters, on “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.”
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology: Cynthia Erivo, for “Genius,” portraying Aretha Franklin.
  • Uzo Abuda, “In Treatment.”
  • Allison Janney, in “Mom.”
  • John Lithgow, in “Perry Mason.”
  • William H. Macy, in “Shame.”
  • Ewan McGreggor, in “Halston.”
  • Phyllicia Rashad, in “This Is Us.”
  • Josh O’Conner, in “The Crown.”
  • Ashley Park, in “Emily in Paris.”
  • “Tina,” HBO’s documentary, with clips from the Broadway musical on Tina Turner’s life, for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Special.
  • Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, for Original Music and Lyrics for “WandaVision.”
  • David Rockwell, for Outstanding Production for a Variety Special, for his work on the televised 2020 Academy Awards.

Numerous Broadway talent also performed on “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,” vying for Outstanding Television Movie. And Marc Shaiman provided an original song in “Soundtrack of Our Lives.” …

To reiterate, this is not a full compilation of nominees; the focus here is on the community of Broadway troupers in contention for Emmys; if some or many win, Tony wins, too. …

Make your own ‘A Chorus Line’ playbill

If you’re attending the opening performance of “A Chorus Line,” or any of the shows through Aug. 8 at Diamond Head Theatre, I suggest you make your own playbill and bring it with you.

Download and make your own playbill.

The pandemic has eliminated hand-out playbills that list songs, production credits, and cast list with photos to help identify the performers and backstage artists.

I know, DHT should have published the usual program as a salute to its cast and an amenity to its playgoers, but throughout this coronavirus cloud, we’ve all have had to do what we need to do to enjoy the disruptions and challenges of getting through this malady.

How to create your own playbill? Go to the DHT website; if you ordered tickets, you should have received a note about downloading the credits. Do so; print out the pages, then assemble in the sequence required. I stapled the pages and cut off unwanted borders, and covered the stapled edge with washi tape (Scotch tape will do), mostly to avoid knicks from the pointy metallic staples on the spine, Voila, you’ll have a playbill to peruse.

You’ll likely have the urge to peek to see who’s who and when; you’ll sure to be curious about an actor, singer, or dancer.

Additional advice: “A Chorus Line” runs 2 hours, without an intermission (the show is programmed that way) so do your bathroom before curtain or afterwards. Social distancing  protocols are in place,  mandating seats and empty spaces.  But for all practical purposes, each show will be “sold out.”

To director-choreographer Greg Zane and his cast, “break a leg!”…

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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KUMU KAHUA STREAMING ‘STEW RICE’

“Stew Rice,” a popular play by the late Edward Sakamoto, will be revived in a special play reading, streaming at 7 p.m. Saturday (July 17) on YouTube and Kumu Kahua’s Facebook page. There is no admission/viewing fee.

The local comedy, with its original 1995 season cast, will reunite Karen Kaulana, Amy Nishihara, Sharon Aoki, Michael “Sun” Lee, Jason Scott Lee and Marcus Oshiro.

View it at https://www.youtube.com/c/KumuKahuaTheatre

The event will be co-hosted by KHON’s Brook Lee (the 1997 Miss Hawai’i, Miss USA and Miss Universe) and Wil Kahele, a Hawaii actor, writer and director. There also will be tributes to Sakamoto and director Jim Nakamoto.

Details: http://bit.ly/SupportStewRice and http://bit.ly/StewRiceSponsorship.

Obamas delivering ‘Blackout’ on Netflix

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama: Providing Netflix programming.

The Obamas are coming to Netflix, in their inimitable way — supporting a project dubbed “Blackout,” which is being monitored as both a TV series and a likely film adaptation.

President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground company will partner with Temple Hill, the group that produced the Kevin Hart “Fatherhood” film, to develop six different love stories, each created by a different writer, dealing with blackout in New York during a hot summer night. The format will be to stage and shape reactions of 12 teens with six shots of love, the theory being that blackouts provoke a myriad of tales, with both personal and potentially universal implications.

The blackout notion coincidentally rings a bell, with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s summer musical, “In the Heights,” now on the big screen and also streaming via HBO Max, which includes a blackout issue. It’s an unintended but familiar model of how an inconvenient lack of power might trigger curious responses. New York, obviously, is a bedrock of unexpected experiences.

The six writers tapped to author the stories are Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon, all with previous cinematic credits.

The Obamas inked a producing deal with Netflix in 2018 and have other projects in development. Perhaps they may consider to someday focus on a Hawaii-based product, like what happens when a huge tidal wave threatens a beachfront complex in a community with no easy way to avoid rising waters? Hmmmm…

Two Honolulans in off-Broadway comedy

Jason Tam

Former Honolulans Jason Tam (“A Chorus Line,” “Be More Chill,” “Jesus Christ Superstar”) and Ann Harada (“Avenue Q,” “Les Miserables,” “Cinderella”) are among the performers in “Fairycakes,” an off-Broadway show opening at the Greenwich House Theater beginning Oct. 14.

The comedy is by Douglas Carter Beane, who also will direct, through its Jan. 2 2022 run. The cast also features Mo Rocco, Jackie Hoffman, Julie Halston, Brooks Ashmanskas, Kuhoo Verma and Jamen Nanthajkumar. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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‘NCIS HAWAII’ DEBUTS SEPT. 20

CBS has readjusted the premiere of “NCSI: Hawai‘i,” which now appears to be at 9 p.m. Sept. 20, following the launch at 8 p.m. of the 19th season of its hallmark “NCIS” original starring Mark Harmon.

The Hawai‘I debut of the third spin-off of the NCIS brand, following the mothership show which has been the network’s top-rated procedural for every year of its existence, appears to give the newbie a nudge in viewership and ratings. Anytime a top-tier show provides a lead-in to introduce a new member of the family, is not only smart marketing but brilliant plan to help the novice find its footing.

After all, the Pearl Harbor based series has broken a rule from past ventures. Vanessa Lachey, portraying Jane Tennant, is the series’ first woman to rule in the NCIS nest. She is also a person of color – Lachey is part Filipino – to gain inner circle diversity bragging rights.

Enver Gjokaj

The series has been quietly filming episodes for the launch, with the Hawai‘i show being the first to surface without the traditional pilot. This one is sailing right into the seas of residency, in a market far away from earlier shows based on the Mainland.

Though it’s been quiet on the filming front, CBS continues to name actors in recurring roles, including the latest, Enver Leif Gjokaj, playing a Navy Capt. Joe Milius, in the NCIS hierarchy. Gjokaj has appeared in Marvel’s “Agents of SHIELD” and ABC’s “The Rookies.”

Alex Tarrant

His arrival, according to Variety, follows an explosive aircraft crash which he is summon to investigate. He thinks it’s no accident, Tennant believes otherwise, in the first measure of friction in paradise.

Alex Tarrant, a co-star named to play NCIS agent and local resident Kai, also is new to the cast. He looks very much like a local, but in actuality, he is a New Zealand actor-cinematographer, who has been filming “The Lord of the Rings.”

It’s curious to note that the ranks of secondary roles/actors continue to mount, with Mainland or foreign talent tapped for these characters, rather than someone who actually is a Hawaii actor and resides here.

‘Wonder’ returns this fall

“The Wonder Years” is returning to ABC, with a new wrinkle. And it’s been 30 years that the original graced those black-and-white TV screens

The reboot  will feature a black cast, now set in Montgomery, Alabama, going back to the formative days with the nostalgia focusing on 12-year-old Dean, played by Elisah “EJ” Williams , with Don Cheadle providing narratives when required.

The revival is produced by “Empire” creator Lee Daniels, and one of the producers is Fred Savage, all grown up, the original Kevin Arnold, in the popular series that ran for six seasons. So he brings perspective to the new “Wonder” plate. …

Singular sensation

Diamond Head Theatre’s “A Chorus Line,” which premieres this Friday (July 16), has added a week of shows, through Aug. 8. If you want to secure seats, most of the run is sold out; at last check, best dates for ticket-buying is Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. Isolated single seats might also be available on other dates.

Greg Zane

Greg Zane, who is directing and choreographing, is fine-tuning the Michael Bennett musical, an homage to those chorus liners aching to land a role in a Broadway show. It’s noted for its strategic dancing, that soul-stirring “One (Singular Sensation)” finale, a mylar-reflecting “The Music and the Mirror” dance solo by Cassie, a lead role portrayed by Kira Stone, and an emotional and explosive monologue by the Paul San Marco character, played by Dwayne Sakaguchi.

Advisory: this is a no-intermission show, so plan accordingly. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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WONG DEEMED RICHEST CELEB CHEF

Though he’s shuttered his signature restaurant in Honolulu, Alan Wong is deemed to be the richest celebrity chef in the world.

The laurel comes in an article, assembled by the Wealthy Gorilla (a site that assembles a variety of best-of lists and cites Money Inc. and Celebrity Net Worth among its sources), which says Wong’s net worth is $1.1 billion, topping an elitist Top 20 that includes household names such as Jamie Oliver (No. 2), Nobu Matsuhisa (No. 4), Rachel Ray (No. 7), Guy Fieri (No. 20), Bobby Flay (No. 9), Giada de Laurentiis (No. 17) and Ina Garten (No. 11).

“Alan Wong is the richest celebrity chef in the world,” the article says.

Alan Wong

Of course, we know him well in the islands; he’s one of 12 restaurateurs who founded the Hawaii Regional Cuisine to emphasize farm-to-table homegrown ingredients and diverse influences that created a then-new American regional cuisine.

His isle restaurants, plus one in Japan, enabled him to amass a cooking/restaurant formula that topped more than $1 billion.

Among his credits: serving as a judge on the Food Network’s “Top Chef” competition, but perhaps his best known feather in his kitchen cap, preparing a luau feast at the White House lawn for then-president Barack Obama, another local he did pretty well in polling. …

For the Top 20 listing and the story, visit https://wealthygorilla.com/richest-celebrity-chefs/ …

Hither and yon…

Johnny Valentine

Two shows at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace that are worth checking out:

  •  Honolulu Jazz Quartet, July 16. John Kolivas and his jazz musicians perform original and popular jazz tunes.
  • Johnny Valentine Trio, July 17. The evening’s theme is “Hawaii’s Hits of the.  ‘70s,” so anticipate a menu of Cecilio and Kapono, Kalapana, The Sunday Manoa, Keola and Kapono Beamer and more.
  • For reservations, visit https://medicissupperclub.com/


Out Maui way, the popular Wednesday Hawaiiana event, George Kahumoku Jr.’s Slack Key Show, is adding a Saturday night extra, from 6:30 p.m. every Saturday (starting this weekend) from 6:30 p.m., at the same venue, the Aloha Pavilion of the Napili Kai Beach Resort. Get tickets at slackkeyshow.com, using promo code SAT25NOW. …

MVT’s ‘Daddy’ has ‘legs’

Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Daddy Long Legs” has “legs,” the show biz term to indicate power at the box office.

The musical, in its premier Hawaii run, has been extended for an additional four performances, at 7:30 p.m. July 16, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. July 17 and at 3 p.m. July 18. Because of the current pandemic, social distancing protocols prevail, with seats spaced out accordingly. Visit www.manoavalleytheatre.com …

And that’s “Show Biz.”…