Category: Show Biz

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‘LES MIZ’–A SHOW FOR ALL SEASONS

You missed a sparkling gem, if you didn’t tune in to PBS’ retelecast of the 25th anniversary of the “Les Miserables” milestone concert at O2, last night (June 13) on TV.  The mammoth Brit arena was converted into a massive stage to celebrate the show’s enduring popularity…originally in 2010.

Nonetheless, the screening stirred memories and recalled what an astounding score Alain Boublil and and Claude-Michel Schonberg created, based on the Victor Hugo novel. Simply, “Les Miz” is a show for all seasons — never out of fashion.

PBS first aired this one in October 2010 and the show remained a snapshot of a theatrical giant, whose popularity has not declined an iota.

The stellar cast brought back that galaxy of theatrical luminaries, significantly and resourcefully relying on the words and music that have made “Les Miz” a powerful evergreen. The actors donned costumes but let the poetry and poignancy of the score to re-tell the saga of the jailed protagonist who stole bread to feed his family and stalked by an irrepressible policeman who made it his life’s work to right what he felt was wrong.

With a cast of more than 300 and an orchestra that sounded like 300 and a chorus of extras donning T-shirts displaying the familiar face of little Cosette, “Les Miz” was pure theater.

Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean

Consider the who’s who in the ranks:

  • Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean. A stunning tenor, who owned “Bring Him Home.”
  • Norm Lewis as Javert. A powerful presence, with a conflicted agenda.
  • Lea Salonga as Fantine. A gem from the get-go, delivering the role’s indelible “I Dreamed a Dream.”
  • Nick Jonas as Marius. A bit reserved, as the lone survivor of the war, but possessing the necessary youthfulness.
  • Ramin Karimloo, as Enjolras. A booming voice, and “One Day More”/”Do You Hear the People Sing” are his one-two take-away anthems.
  • Samantha Barks, as Eponine. The love-stricken “boy” whose “On My Own” resonates the theme of sacrifice and commitment.
  • Katie Hall as grown-up Cosette. Her heart was full of love, with cheer to spare.
  • Matt Lucas and Jenny Galloway, as the Thenardiers. Masters of the house, and masters of comedic hi-jinx.
  • Mia Jenkins as Young Cosette. Her “Castle on the Cloud” projected innocence and hope.
  • Robert Madge as Gavroche. His “Little People” exuded the feistiness of a young, reliable soldier.

David Charles Abell conducted the orchestra with grandeur and control, shepherding the mass choruses and legendary actors to march to a uniform drum.

The stage was devoid of sets like the show’s famed barricade or the signature turntable of a conventional production, so the audience had to toss in their imagination to fill in the blanks. And Gavroche’s death, a moment of awe, was not part of the theatrics.

Watching on TV, “Les Miz” felt like real theater, a habit that had been halted since the start of the pandemic 16 months ago. So in households galore, “Les Miz” was a welcome visitor and perhaps a means to jump-start a visit to a real theater in the near future…

Channel hopping

In the NCIS  TV universe, filming starts here today (June 14) on CBS'”NCIS: Hawai’i.” If you encounter those filming and catering vans across the city in the weeks ahead, it’s likely to be the cast and crew of the latest franchise in the NCIS family. To the show’s creators and actors and techies, welcome to the islands. May your stay be fruitful. See ya’ in the fall, when the Hawai’i brand starts sharing its glow to the rest of the world…

Meanwhile, in the California-based show; Barrett Foa (Eric Beale) and Renee Felice Smith (Nell Jones) will not return in “NCIS: Los Angeles” next season. Instead, Gerald McRaney (Admiral Hollis Kilbride), introduced this year, will replace them in season 13. …

And Eric Christian Olsen (Marty Deeks), captured as “L.A.” wound up season 12, will return to the CBS procedural along with on-screen spouse Daniela Ruah (Kensi Blye). However, Olsen has another TV production ahead during the off-time: “Woke,” which is filming its second season as Olsen as an exec producer. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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LOCAL LINK IN NEW ‘HEIGHTS’ FILM

Kevin McCollum, an executive producer of the just-released “In the Heights” musical film, brings an island link to the summer’s first hit film.

McCollum, who earlier co-produced “Heights” in its Broadway incarnation, has had a New York career spanning 25 years. He has earned the Tony Award for Best Musical for “In the Heights” (2008), “Avenue Q” (2004) and “Rent” (1996).  In the upcoming Broadway season beginning Sept. 14, McCollum will be represented with “Six” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” two newbies on Broadway.

He also previously produced “Motown: The Musical,” “Something Rotten,” “Hand to God” and “The Drowsy Chaperone” on Broadway.

Kevin McCollum

His film credit this year will be the new vision of an old favorite, “West Side Story,” directed by Steven Spielberg.

McCollum was born in Hawaii, the son of Sue McCollum Gereben; she  appeared in “Hawaii Five-0” and was active with media groups including the Honolulu Press Club. …

Meaningful numbers

In the aforementioned “In the Heights,”  there’s a bunch of numbers for a hot lottery ticket, and the sum of $96,000 as the amount of the prize.

Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, has a particular interest in figures, so the 96,000 number is the title of the lavish water and swimming pool production number.

But New York Magazine’s Vulture wing also reports the background story on the lottery ticket number: 5-7-16-26-33.

Turns out Chu’s wife Kristin Hodge was hapax with their second son, the film was being shot, and as the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” shared this cooky series of reasons of why those figs were assembled: 5 is his wife’s birthday month; 7-16 is their daughter’s birthday; 7-26 is their anniversary date and also the due date of their son.

“When I showed my wife (the numbers), she was like, ‘You know our anniversary is the 27th, right? And the baby is due on the 27th,” he was quoted. But a few weeks after the shoot, the boy was born … on July 26, “so he had my back,” said Chu. And rightfully, the toddler was named Jonathan Heights Chu. Imagine the story he’ll share when he grows up. …

Fashion focus

Bruno Mars says his fashion muse is Cher.

Bruno Mars

Well, maybe he was kidding when asked whose style inspired him.

InStyle interviewed Mars, the superstar from Hawaii, and Mars credited Cher as his muse. The changed his mind and said he is his own muse.

Amusing? Maybe.

Mars is the inspiration behind his Ricky Regal lifestyle brand, named after his alter ego, and the Lacoste fashion house describes the Mars product thusly: “Inspired by a lust for life and an entrepreneurial Midas touch.”  It’s a luxurious but sporty line. …

The Emmy goes to …

The Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Hawaii News Now, and Ballet Hawaii were bestowed regional Emmy awards recently from the Northern California competition.

HTY’s TV show, “The HI Way,” earned three awards:

  • For Arts/Entertainment – Long Format: “Da Holidays: The HI Way” (NMG Network/HTY), Jason Cutinella, Katie Pickman, exec producers; Eric Johnson, producer.
  • For Arts/Entertainment – Long Format: “Pono: The HI Way.” Same creators.
  • For Informational/Instructional – Long Form content: “Racism: The HI Way,” episode eight. Same creators.

Hawaii News Now won three::

  • For Hard News Report – “On the Frontline: Honolulu EMS,”  KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now. Allyson Blair, reporter; Jonathan Suyat, photographer.
  • For Historic/Cultural – Long Format: “Queen Liliuokalani Keiki Hoike,” KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now,” Guy Sibilla, Wendy Suite, exec producers; Mary Beth McClelland, producer; Josephine Kristine, director-editor; Kennedy Carson and Lacy Deniz, hosts.
  • For Spot Announcement/Campaign – “Ballet Hawaii’s #Arts Beyond Covid,” KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now/Ballet Hawaii. Pamela Taylor Tongg, exec producer; Stasia Droze Jost, producer-director-writer-editor; Deborah Glazer, producer-director-writer-editor…

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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‘SUNSHINE BOYS’ POSTPONED A SECOND TIME AT HAWAII THEATRE

Update: After this column was posted this morning, I got an email from Joe Moore, announcing yet another postponement of “The Sunshine Boys.” Thus, the following column has been revised.–Wayne Harada

For the second time since the pandemic shutdown began nearly two years ago, the production of “The Sunshine Boys” — which was listed in an email announcement from the Hawaii Theatre — has been delayed again.

New performance dates are June 16 through June 26…in 2022.

The comedy, by Neil Simon, will feature Joe Moore, Hawaii’s longtime most-watched news anchor on KHON-TV, and his one-time Army buddy, Pat Sajak, the host of the wildly popular syndicated “Wheel of Fortune” game show.

“Mighty kind of you featuring ‘The Sunshine Boys’ in today’s Show Biz column online…and I hate to disappoint, but for the second year in a row, the Covid pandemic has forced us to postpone the show for a year,” said Moore in an email. “Large gatherings are still not allowed under the state’s restrictions, so rather than perform the show to a widely spaced, one-third capacity audience who might might not feel comfortable in a large crowd yet,  Pat and I along with Greg Dunn, head of Hawaii Theatre, decided it best to postpone the benefit run as we want to raise as much money as possible for the theatre.”

Joe Moore

On a family note, the play also will mark the professional acting debut of Bryce Moore, son of the newsman. Bryce previously co-starred in “Under the Blood Red Sun,” a made-in-Hawaii film.

The supporting cast also will include Therese Olival, Robert Duvall, Jeanne Wynn Herring, Matthew Mazzella,  Bart DaSilva, and Robert Doan.

Moore and Sajak have frequently performed together on stage in Hawaii. Because one lives here and the other on the mainland, rehearsals are frequently done virtually.

Pat Sajak

Moore portrays Willie Clark and Sajak is Al Lewis in the play about the reunion of vaudevillian vets tapped by CBS to do a TV special. Willie Clark’s nephew (Bryce Moore) attempts to bring the duo together, but longstanding grudges and friction resurface, and the question of ageism raises doubt about whether the duo can succeed and mend the broken bridges of the past.

Rob Duvall, a multiple Po’okela Award winner, will direct.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, with additional matinee shows at 2 p.m. Saturdays, through June 27.

Tickets; $30 to $75, available at www.hawaiitheatare.com.

Chai opens newest, KALO, with Hawaiian food

Chai Chaowasaree, owner-chef of Chef Chai’s, has opened a new restaurant, KALO: Hawaiian food by Chai’s, in the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Waikiki Beach, at 400 Royal Hawaiian Avenue at Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki. Spada Bar and Restaurant previously occupied the site.

Chai Chaowasaree

KALO offers a range of Hawaiian small plates, side dishes and entrees including a Hawaiian sampler, pineapple lobster curry, grilled rib eye steak and oxtail soup, served from 4 to 10 p.m.

“I chose the name KALO because it honors one of the most important staple foods among native Hawaiians,” said Chaowasaree of taro, the iconic diet item among Hawaiians.

A breakfast menu – with variations of eggs and Portuguese sausage, pancakes, poke bowls topped with fried eggs, beef stew with rice – will be served beginning July 1 , from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Reservations: 931-6222…

And that’s “Show Biz.”…

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TWO MORE JOIN ‘NCIS: HAWAI’I’ CAST

“NCIS: Hawai‘i,” scheduled for a Sept. 1 launch on CBS, continues to name subsidiary cast members.

The latest additions:

  •  Tori Anderson, who will portray Kate Whistler, an ambitious agent with the Defense Intelligence Agency with goals to rise up the professional ladder. Her feisty goals will become evident as the CBS series progresses.
  • Kian Talan, who will play Alex Tennant, the oldest child of team leader Jane Tennant, enacted by Vanessa Lachey. He is 16, strong-willed, mature beyond his age, who is struggling with the effects of his parents’ divorce, but a good child nonetheless.

Whether a locally hired actor snags perhaps the seventh key role is yet to be seen. Ya never know, of course, till it happens.

Yasmine Al-Bustam, as Lucy; Jason Antoo, as Ernie; and Noah Mills, as Jessie; were previously announced in key roles, providing, so far, an ensemble of six major players to date.

Tori Anderson
Kian Talan

The team behind the scenes include two execs from the now-shuttered “NCIS: New Orleans,” Christopher Silber and Jan Nash as executive producers and showrunners, with Matt Bosack from “Seal Team” part of the team.

Lachey, the first female to lead an NCIS unit, will be overseeing and exploring crimes and mishaps against the backdrop of Pearl Harbor, with competing familial issues as well. …

Talk about people

Wearing facemasks, Justin and Hailey Bieber popped into TJ’s Sports Bar & Grill one recent night, surprising locals who were there, including entertainer Kekoa Kane, who was singing there. Kane was able to get photos taken with Bieber, who previously has spent time on the Neighbor Islands, renting high-profile, extravagant accommodations. Well, you only live once. …

Bright Kid scholarships

As part of the education core of the I Am a Bright Kid (IABK) Foundation, academic scholarships are awarded to deserving theatrical students.

Grace Rogers, Kalaheo High student, earned the IABK Foundation Performing Arts Award and a cash scholarship of $1,500. She will attend Emerson College this fall, pursuing a BFA in theater education and performance, and is a former participant in the IABK Summer Program in 2020.

“Theater connects people,” says Grace. “That connection is so much more valuable than any silly insecurity I may have, and I love performing because it allows me to experience that brief and beautiful feeling over and over again. I never knew Mr. Bright, but I believe that he shared this belief. As an educator, I can only hope to leave a fraction of the impact that Mr. Bright left on his students and his community.”

Ty Souza-Martinez won a $500 scholarship in the performing arts category and is currently studying vocal performance at Colorado State University in Pueblo.

And Taysha Paige of Kapolei High was awarded $500 and will attend the University of Hawaii West Oahu this fall, and commented, “I know that the rewards lie in the lives I change and the hearts I touch.”

Five years ago, Katie Yoshioka (Baldwin High School, ’17) won an IABK scholarship and completed her BA in education at Pacific University in three years. She graduates this month with a master’s in teaching and will teach kindergarten at West Union Elementary in Hillsboro, OR. “I am very excited to have my own classroom and complete my goals,” she says. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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LOCAL ACTOR IN ‘SIMPLE MAN’ FILM

Steve Iwamoto, a Hawaii resident and a late-blooming actor, stars in
“I Was a Simple Man,” which has been acquired by Strand Releasing for North America screenings.

Turns out that Iwamoto is the first cousin of singer-turned-business-guru Kevin Iwamoto, aka Kevin I, the singer.

“You can clearly see the family resemblance,” says Kevin. “He’s the son of my dad’s older brother.”

Steve Iwamoto

The fact that cousin Steve stars opposite Constance Wu in this film was a mild surprise. That it had its premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival was joyous.

Kevin Iwamoto

“I always thought for years that I was the only one in the family with the creative gene, but my cousin proves it existed, albeit later in life,” says Kevin.

The film, by Christopher Makoto Yogi, is described as a lyrical ghost story set in an Oahu countryside. It is rich in familial struggles with terminal illness, caregiving, obligations, but wider elements like respect and mortality. Steve plays Masao, whose sunset years are fading due to failing health as estranged family members strive to provide the support and care he needs.

When Masao is visited by his deceased wife Grace (Wu) where the ghost strand unfolds, he is forced to face the decisions of his past.

The multi-generational film features an ensemble of Asian American and Native Hawaiian actors beyond the two leads, including Kanoa Goo, Tim Chiou and Chanel Akiko Hirai. Its simplicity, with the ghost-story element, provides serenity as well as suspense.

Wu might be remembered for her roles in the zany hit film “Crazy Wild Asians” and the TV series “Fresh Off the Boat.”

No indication yet if “I Was a Simple Man,” clearly more art film than blockbuster summer fare, might be shown here. …

Lee Cataluna has a bold pace this summer

Lee Cataluna

No rest for Lee Cataluna, a former colleague from our newspapering days, this summer.

As she announced on Facebook, the prolific playwright when she’s not writing for Civil Beat, faces a busy two months. So  she’s on leave as a journalist till Aug. 1.

This is her agenda of projects, by numbers:

1 — She’s been commissioned by the San Francisco Playhouse to write a play.

2 — There’s an upcoming play reading with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

3 — She’s working on another play, from a ReImagine grant.

4 – She’s prepping an anthology of four of her works, to be published next year.

5 – She’s committed to do a piece for Dramatic Publishing and Childsplay.

So the next two months will be extremely fantastic and productive.

You know, if you know me, that Lee wrote “You Somebody” with me in mind, which was produced twice in sell-out productions at Diamond Head Theatre.

And yes, I recall our conversation when she yearned to be in my “Show Biz” column, print edition, some years before she ultimately became a “somebody” herself.

So Lee, this is my first online column that mentions you. In usual boldface, of course. And enjoy your fruitful summer …

Trump’s blog site is history

One dude who won’t have a happy summer is former President Donald Trump. His blog – established after social media sources such as Twitter and Facebook banned him because of untruths he posted, alleging the election was stolen from him  – has been permanently shut down less than a month after it was established.

The blog, titled “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” is history, according to online sources such as CNBC and Variety. The site had a lukewarm response and was mocked by some sources.

“It will not be returning,” his senior aide Jason Miller said on CNBC. He added that the website blog was part of an auxiliary plan “to the broader efforts we have and are working on.”

Trump was effective with his online rants, until he was suspended, then ultimately banned, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google over his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, a charge the ex-pres has denied, claiming “free speech has been taken away from the President.” …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …