Category: Updates

Jason Tam,  one of Broadway’s popular singer-actors with roots in Hawaii, continues to develop his catalogue of credits.

You might remember him as the apostle Peter when NBC Live staged “Jesus Christ Superstar” on TV or as Paul San Marcos in the last revival of “A Chorus Line,” which earned him accolades.

Tam will portray John McCain, the late Republican senator from Arizona, in the world premiere of an upcoming off-Broadway musical satire, “Ghost of John McCain,” opening Sept. 24 at the SoHo Playhouse after a series of previews beginning Sept. 3.

Featuring a book by Scott Elmegreen and a score by Drew Fornarola, “Ghost of John McCain” is described as “an uproarious exploration of power, rivalry, and the human condition” and “the ticket we need during the election cycle from hell.”

The plot envisions McCain –the former U.S. senator from Arizona, who served as a Naval officer before turning to politics – amid an unusual heavenly environment.

With its political spin, with an election forthcoming, the show is timely with other lead players including Luke Kolbe Mannikus as Donald Trump and Zonya Love as Kamala Harris.

When McCain awakens in the afterlife, he finds himself trapped inside the mind of former president Trump, alongside a quasi-Greek Chorus of other public figures: Hillary Clinton, Roy Cohn, Eva Perón, Teddy Roosevelt, Robert Jordan, and Lindsey Graham. In order to escape, the motley crew is forced to engage in a high-stakes debate over life, legacy, and American values.

Catie Davis will direct…

Martin Nievera to mark 42^nd anniversary

Martin Nievera, known as the Concert King of the Philippines, will celebrate his 42^nd anniversary as a show biz veteran, with a performance at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The venue, also known as The Big Dome, is located in Araneta City in the Cubao are of Quezon City, in the Philippines.

Nievera has performed numerous times in Hawaii and watched the Society of Seven shows regularly at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel, because his dad, Roberto Nievera, was the resident romantic singer.

He attended Kaiser High School and graduated from a Concord, Calif. school. It was his exposure to the SOS performances that piqued his interest in becoming a crooner himself.

In the Philippines, he became a recording artist, a concert performer, a TV star and movie leading man, creating a brand crossing all facets of entertainment. The concert focus has become his signature…

‘Wicked’ tops ‘Lion’ in Broadway grosses

Something “Wicked” this way comes

Last week brought an interesting mix at the pinnacle of Broadway shows. Could all those filmic pitches, about the Thanksgiving arrival of “Wicked,” the movie, fuel the New York musical production to leap to No 1, dethroning “The Lion King”?

And what’s with “The Wiz”? It jumped up on the Yellow Brick Road to No. 4 this week. Further, “Hell’s Kitchen” dropped from No. 4 to No. 6.

The Top 10:

1—”Wicked,” $2.226 million

 2—”The Lion King,” $2.136 million.

3—”Hamilton,” $1.947 million.

 4—”The Wiz,” $1.683 million.

 5—”Aladdin,” $1.594 million.

6—”Hell’s Kitchen,” $1.544 million,

 7—”Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1.504 million.

8—”The Outsiders,” $1.486 million.

 9—”MJ the Musical,” $1.324 million.

10—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.317 million.

The entire list, courtesy the Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz…

It’s time to focus again on the blatant, ongoing mispronunciation of three common Japanese words/names.

Broadcasters – on radio, TV, you name it – don’t properly  pronounce three common Japanese terms or names:

1. Honda, the car.
2. Tokyo, the city.
3. Panko, the breadcrumbs favored by chefs.

I have friends named Honda; it’s a valid surname here and in Japan. They say it this way: “Hohn-da.” Yep, there is the Honda car brand. Media announcers unknowingly utter it as “Hahn-da.”  “Hohn” and “Hahn” are not one and the same. FHI , one of the original founders of the Honda vehicle is Soichiro Honda, whose  business was Honda Motor Company. No ifs, ands or buts. To reiterate, it’s “Hohn-da.”

Then there’s the city of Tokyo. It’s a two-syllable name, “Toh-kyo,”  if pronounced properly. However, you unilaterally hear it as a three-syllable name, “Toh-kee-yo.” Uh, uh, it’s “Toh-kyo.” If it were a three syllable name, it would have to be spelled “To-ki-yo.”

Then there’s that product now universally utilized by chefs and home cooks. In Hawaii, locals know “Panko” well,  an integral ingredient for tonkatsu or tempura. It’s properly pronounced “Pahn-ko,” but elsewhere, folks say it as “Pann-ko,” like in “frying pan.”

In 2021, I discussed this dilemma, but it still persists.

Then there’s yet other badly, frequently mispronounced word. It’s karaoke. Perhaps fodder for another time…

‘Twas one of those days yesterday, when breakfast for dinner mattered. Been months since I’ve ordered a morning meal for dinner: Specifically, Liliha Bakery’s two-eggs-with-meat choice.

Chose a hamburger with two over-easy eggs. Came with a scoop of rice and a teeny green salad. The usual biscuits with jelly completed the dinner.

If you go this route, ask for (no extra charge) a side of brown gravy, for dipping. And don’t forget the coffee.

McDonald’s has been issuing kid-friendly toys with their Happy Meals for decades. These trinkets have been popular and fun.

Beginning tomorrow (Aug. 13), McD will introduce six new drinking cup designs, with nostalgic adults in mind, with meal purchases at breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The collector’s plastic cups will be a stroll down memory lane, with flashback motifs like Barbie, Beanie Babies, Hello Kitty, Shrek and more – like a nostalgic Coca-Cola choice with the classic white polar bear.

Might be worth exploring. The kids may take over the cups, but parents who remember past McD promotions might have some ’plaining to do.

Breaking news: Seize the day! Get tickets, if they’re still available! Disney’s “Newsies,” staged by the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community University, is quite a revelation.

It’s a dance-centric show,  with oodles of bright moments, and  a remarkable experience with much to embrace!

Let me count the ways:

• This is clearly and immediately the best end-of-summer show, reflecting a joyous cast of young folks and a handful of seasoned performers. No secret here – it’s the kids that’ll win you over, as the energized “newsies”  — 17 in all (including a couple of girls playing newsboys). They’ve got spunk, energy, desire and mobility, reflecting the kind of unity and esprit of a genuine team effort. There are many standouts, who are carrying on the wisdom and spirit of the late Ron Bright, who planted seeds while a drama mentor at Castle High School, who continued his prolific theatricals at Paliku Theatre until his death. This is an endeavor reflecting his inspiration and a milestone of sorts, in an unstated but visible and audible passing-of-the-torch moment for the current team of talented artisans on and off stage.

• Cast standouts: Genesis Kaeo as the indefatigable Jack Kelly, leader of the “newsies,” or paper carriers and hawkers; Lennox Kepa as Crutchie, Kelly’s loyal sidekick; Seanalei Nishimura, as an ascending news reporter and the show’s love interest; Devon Nekoba, a very familiar stage and radio talent (dating back to the Mr. B. era), for his multiple roles and costuming and, yes, even wigs; Kalani Hicks, as publisher Joseph Pulitzer, the villain of the piece; Alison Maldonado, as diva Medda Lark, in her pink feather boa; and Tom Holowach, as President Roosevelt, in a late-in-the-show cameo.

• The offstage movers and shapers are the unsung heroes of this venture, guiding the cast from the get-go. Director Mary Chesnut Hicks and choreographer Ahnya Chang are co-captain visionaries, inspiring the troupers and the other team techies to flourish (loved the snappy tap-dancing and aerial dynamic leaps);  Clarke Bright, musical director, hits all the right notes with a 10-member orchestra, perhaps the largest number of musicians in community theater, in an expanded “pit” that is now visible, not hidden ‘neath the stage;  Roslyn Catracchia, vocal director, is new to the IABK ‘ohana and shares her mana‘o beautifully. And kudos to set designer DeAnne Kennedy, whose functional and practical two-pieces of matching architectural edifices with ladders and stairways that serve as dorms or second-tier sing-and-dance space, all moveable and magical in ever-changing motifs, the best set in local theater in a long time; lighting design by Janine Myers, sound design by Steven Nelson, costume design by Anna Foster (smart palate for the youths, comprising caps, vests and trousers in era-appropriate beiges and browns, with a green vest to isolate Jack Kelly from the corps); hair and make-up design by Kevin Murata, and props design by Annie Yoshida embellish the entire experience.

The best-known tune in the show is “Seize the Day,” performed by the ensemble in both Acts 1 and 2, delivering an expected punch. There’s strength in numbers, too, like “The World Will Know,” a pledge of power, though the wistful, quiet moments, like Jack Kelly’s anthem of his Sante Fe dream in the opening moments of the show, and Crutchie’s symbolic and earnest revelation to his Jack, in his “Letter From the Refuge.”

Finally, a Bright Kid show always provide a few quirky asides. Like, Bright family members always wind up as pit musicians (Lynelle Bright, Chris Bright), onstage performers (Drew Bright as Specs, Caity Bright as Hannah) or committee volunteers, like costume construction members Jodi Bright Stein and Paraluman Stice-Durkin); plus kinfolk from recent productions (Azaliah Kekuna as Mike, yes, a girl playing a boy); she’s the sister of Ezekiel Kekuna, an ex-Bright Kid wrapping up his gig as Young Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King.” These family ties often bring a twinkle to the wrinkle of an all-in-the-‘ohana tradition…

The show opened last Friday (Aug. 9), with performances continuing at 4:30 p.m. today (Aug. 11), and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24, with matinees at 4 p.m. Aug.  18, and 25.

And that’s Show Biz…

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‘Newsies’

What: A Disney musical, presented by the I’m a Bright Kids Foundation, featuring music by Alan Menkin, lyrics by Jack Feldman, and book by Harvey Fierstein;  based on a 1999 Disney film by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, inspired by a real-life strike by a rag-tag group of newspaper carriers, who challenged a powerhouse journalist,Joseph Pulitzer.

Where: Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College

When:  Remaining shows at 4 p.m. today (Aug. 11) and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24, and matinees at 4 p.m. Aug 18, and 25

Tickets:  premium, $44; adults 18 to 64, $35; seniors 65+, students 12-17, military with ID, $29; children 6 to 11, $24; at  https://cur8.com/24380/project/85292 or www.imabrightkid.org/tickets  …