A ROUGH START FOR ‘MAMMA MIA!’

“Mamma Mia!,” with a story and plot fueled by the music of the Swedish band ABBA, is widely considered comfort food for theater fans. Critics rarely give the show a thumb’s up

I loved the Broadway version, which ran at the Winter Garden in New York for 12 years and transferred to the Broadhurst Theatre for two more years.

First, a disclosure: I like comfort food and I adore the nostalgia of “Mamma Mia” in the early 2000s, because it’s a jukebox musical that chugs with ABBA melodies, boasts family virtues, amplifies the disco beat, and treasures girl and boy bands.

“Mamma Mia!,” the first show of the 2023-24 season at Diamond Head Theatre’s new facility, seems to have a disconnect problem, at least at Saturday night’s (Sept. 24) production I saw. The generally faithful audience seemed distant, sitting on their hands in the early moments of the show, and even the cast appeared to be somewhat disengaged, lacking chemistry.

It was discomforting, disturbing, disappointing that something was off kilter – like the feeling you get when you drop a quarter in the jukebox and it struggles to deliver the songs.

So, Act 1, which contains key ABBA tunes, was a see-sawing struggle to get into the groove. By Act 2, the audience and the cast seemed to separately find their mojo, right down to the longish final curtain call. So, the vehicle started, albeit a bit tardy.

The production, directed by Michael Ng in his DHT debut, offers lots to like. He brings vigor in his effort to rekindle ABBA’s moods, music, and manners.

His two female leads, Teagan Staslawicz as Sophie Sheridan and Alison Aldcroft as Donna Sheridan, project strong and luminous voices, as daughter and mother, respectively, living on a Greek island on the eve of the nuptuals of Sophie, 20, who wants her unknown dad to give her away, something her single mom, who independently operates a taverna, doesn’t know about and wouldn’t approve Sophie’s motives.

Teagan Staskawicz as Sophie, center, flanked by best buds Olivia Manahan as Ali and Marie Chiyo Staples as Lisa, in “Mamma Mia!”

Sophie peeks into Donna’s diary and discovers one of mom’s three beaus previous lovers two decades ago might be her dad, so she shoots off invites to each, who simultaneously arrive but not bearing gifts like those famous wise men.

At previous performances I’ve seen, the spectators spontaneously bounce to the rhythms, even sing and clap along, but not so here. Awkward.

Weary from rehearsals? A backstage issue? An off night?

One can wonder, but the reality is, the cast – singers and dancers – soldiered on and had to earn the applause. Might’ve happened somewhere between Donna and the company’s ensemble embrace of “Money, Money, Money” or Donna’s and Sophie’s romp on the title song with the three gents (Jeff Andrews as Harry Bright, Kirk A. Lapilio Jr. as Bill Austin and Kalani Hicks as Sam Carmichael) .

A gentle reminder here:  “Mamma Mia!” has a built-in exclamation point, for positivity! Lest you forget, the show was created by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, the ABBA composers (with material contributed by Stig Anderson), with book by Catherine Johnson.

Quibble all you want, but the songs rarely describe the precise moments nor suit the performers. But this compilation is a quilt work of 20-plus ABBA numbers, and they made the cut, wherever there was a need.

Here’s where director Ng has found his niche. He enlists Dwayne Sakaguchi, also a first timer choreographing a DHT production, and Sakaguchi brings sass, swagger and inventive moves to energize the cast, including one hilarious number with the gents flinging arms and hands, with legs kicking to and fro, dancing with scuba gear flippers on.

Such body language of the choreographics enlivens the audience, since the production numbers are plentiful, providing action and reaction to Jenny Shiroma’s lively musical direction.

Alson Aldcroft, center, in blue, as Donna Sheridan; Alison Maldanado, left, in green, as Rosie Mulligan; and Laura Brucia Hamm, right, in purple, as Tanya; in “Mamma Mia!

And finally, the DHT stage is filled with scenics, designed by Deanne Kennedy, that fill the space and the eye. The main sets are a pair of tavernas, resembling Mediterranean stucco edifices, augmented by occasional windows dropped from the fly space, to suggest bedroom activities, and a shimmering curtain. The latter effect enables lighting designer Dawn Oshima to add a stunning circular ball of lights to enhance the effects of a nightlife scene and add dangling lights beneath the stage proscenium. And can’t forget the iridescence of the rainbow hues for the entr’acte that kicks off Act 2

Aiko Schick’s hair and makeup design captures disco ‘dos, to complement Emily Lane’s ‘70s costume retro gear, with obvious fun and freedom to dress Donna and the Dynamo’s ABBA-inspired garb of dated scalloped sleeves and platform shoes – a girl band to the max.

Of course, the trio of beaus also have the opportunity to be ABBA-fied in those gawd awful gear from the past.

Kerri Yoneda’s sound design had some issues in Act 2, notably with Donna’s miking, too soft on volume. Surely, the fine-tuning has been completed by now.

The score is not exactly stuff you’d chirp with your paramour; you know ‘em all, don’t ya, complete with repetitious titles like “Honey, Honey,” “Money, Money, Money,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and “I Do, I Do, I Do.”

One substantial, endearing and comical number is “Take a Chance on Me,” when Alison Maldanado as Rosie (one of Donna’s BFF) pursues the available Lapililo (Bill), trying to get him to commit (he does, by the finale). It’s a rare instance when the song fuels the action.

The wedding guest list includes Olivia Manayan (Ali) and Marie Chiyo Staples (Lisa), Sophie’s best friends, and their “Honey, Honey” effort was one of those hollow, distancing vocals, despite their physical girly hugs and cheer, at the Saturday performance.

Donna’s buds’ collaborative tunes, with the aforementioned Maldanado (Rosie) and Laura Bruci Hamm (Tanya), include “Chiquitita” and “Dancing Queen.” Logic is not the operative word in this one.

If you know the plot, you know that Sophie’s choice is to call off the wedding, but one is ultimately staged for a happily-ever-after “I Do, I Do” finish.

Cynics should stay home, but if you’re willing to take a chance (if you can secure tickets), you’ll likely sing, or clap, or tap along to the frivolity and fun. And finally admit you’ve been  closeted ABBA admirer for years. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

“Mamma Mia!”

A musical with music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, with  contributions from Stig Anderson

Where: Diamond Head Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays ; 3 p.m. Saturdays Oct. 1 and 7; 4 p.m. Sundays Oct. 1, 8 and 15; special performance at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 to benefit Maui wild fire victims. Note: most performances sold out

Tickets: $37 to $62, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or (808) 733-0274

ARE YOU OLD, OR OLDER TO REMEMBER?

Received this “You Might Be Old If…” compilation that has been making the rounds on Facebook.

It’s a great reflection of things past, but clearly a list of more recent experiences.

So I put on my memory cap, and searched the cobwebs of my growing-up time, and came up with a “You Might Be Older Than Old If…” version.

Of course, there could easily be an Old-Like-God compilation, if someone is willing to share…

You might be older than old if …

  • You shopped at the five-and-dime store.
  • You had milk delivered in glass bottles to your doorstep.
  • You ordered chocolate and strawberry milk.
  • You had washing machines with wringers.
  • You remember your five-digit telephone number.
  • You bought groceries from the yasai-man (vegetable seller who also sold fish and meat from a wagon/truck).
  • You bought dim sum from the manapua man who had two tin cans hanging from a pole.
  • You pounded your own mochi at home for new year’s.
  • You owned fountain pens with a jar of ink with a well for refilling the pen, before the arrival of ball-point pens,.
  • You watched movies in the hub of downtown movie houses, including the Hawaii Theatre, Princess Theatre, Liberty Theatre, King Theatre.
  • You purchased aku bones at the market for a delish dinner.
  • You made your own tsukemono by soaking cabbage in a large pot with water and old bread, with a stone weight to keep the contents in water.
  • You wore festive kimono (girls and women) or yukata tops (boys and men) to go summertime bon dances at local Buddhist churches.
  • You slept in sleeping bags, on the floor, while in grade school.
  • You wore Buster Brown shoes.
  • Your elders watched Japanese films at Aala Park and the Kukui St. area.
  • You had manual typewriters, with black replacement ink in a spool, and red-and-black in if you were able to afford ‘em.
  • You owned a phonograph with multiple speed choices, to play 78 rpm, 45 rpm and 33 rpm discs?
  • You communicated by snail mail, not e-mail, and when needed, paid extra postage for air-mail.
  • You used bubble lights on your Christmas tree.
  • You and the family ventured to Fort Street to view Liberty House’s decorated, animate Christmas show in its storefront windows.
  • You  watched prime-TV series, like “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which were shown here a week after its mainland airing.
  • You remember when the 50th State Fair was the 49th State Fair.
  • You rode city buses, operated by Honolulu Rapid Transit, which were trolleys requiring electricity.
  • You recall when Kalanianaole Hwy. was three-lanes, one heading to the Hawaii Kai, one heading to town, and the center lane for left or right turns?
  • You took your own pot, to order take-out saimin, from a saimin stand?
  • You attended Japanese language school, which were common after-school destinations, for those of Japanese ancestry.
  • You took in first-run movies at the Waikiki #1, Waikiki #2, and Waikiki #3, plus the Kuhio, in Waikiki.  And the Royal Theatre, also in Waikiki.
  • You saw in Don Ho, at his mom’s Honey’s in Kaneohe, before he went big-time at Dulke Kahanamoku’s at the International Market Place. It’s where he first introduced Marlene Sai to local audiences.
  • You watched the original “Sunrise” live morning show on KGMB, hosted by Kini Popo  (Carl Hebenstreit) and featuring Lei Becker.

BUTCHER PAPER, NEWSBOY, MATCHBOOK?

Just asking…

When was the last time you…

…had a butcher wrap up your steak purchase in the pink butcher paper of the past?

…bought a newspaper from a child hawker, instead of from a vending machine?

…collected a match book or match box from a restaurant where smoking now is banned, anyway?

DHT’S TAMASHIRO: ‘TIMING IS RIGHT’

As a youth, Trevor Tamashiro had inclinations about becoming an actor in musicals.

“I went to college to major in theater,” he said. “I had plans to pursue studies at the Ailey School (of the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York).”

But after college, he retooled his goals to the administrative side of the performing arts, “because I was hooked on admin,” he said.  “I went to Columbia University, to learn about the admin side, not to major in fundraising.”

In May of this year, Tamashiro – born and raised in Honolulu – was hired to lead Diamond Head Theatre as executive director and the history-making first Asian American to shape the future of Hawaii’s largest theater group.

He succeeds Deena Dray, who resigned before the formal launch of the new $22 million headquarters, which had just opened after 125 years of service in an aging facility a stone’s throw from Diamond Head, the state’s best known landmark.

Over breakfast at Zippy’s Kahala recently, Tamashiro, 42, shared his thoughts and plans about his stewardship of DHT.

Yes, he’s immensely thrilled to be back in the islands, after years of different stints in mostly fund-raising jobs at non-profit entertainment endeavors in The Big Apple.

He is old enough to make a difference with the skills suited for his administrative and funding tasks, yet young enough to have potential longevity to build and grow and soldier on, for the next four of five decades of service, lord willing.

“I think my timing’s great,” he said of his situation. “Not really thinking of making it to the 200th anniversary, however.”

On paper, he boasts nearly two decades of experience in non-profit executive leadership, having served as chief advancement officer of The Diller-Quaile School of Music, deputy director of the Saratoga International Theater Institute, deputy program director for the Drama League of New York and  briefly allied with the Broadway Dance Center. He also is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is a certified fundraising executive.

Early on, he was ready to set roots in the craft he enjoys: live theater. Live, stage musicals.

“I was in the ensemble of ‘The King and I’ at DHT in 1999,” said Tamashiro, flashing a huge grin indicative of a truly happy memory. But his official stage debut was earlier in 1996, when he was 16 or 17, appearing in Army Community Theatre’s “Damn Yankees.”  “My first show,” he smiled with more good cheer.

A few days after he took on the leadership, he was mingling with locals taking in DHT’s “Beauty and the Beast” production. Eyes and ears wide open, he attends the DHT along with audiences, soaking in the pleasures of folks taking on a show. Staff appears to adore him, because the feeling is mutual, as he brings a passion for performing in his new job, with an affinity for the thousands who take on roles in six productions every year, yet with a mindful focus to entail fundraising and day-to-today operations of a thriving theater group. A singing and dancing leading man aren’t in the cards anymore; the bigger picture will matter more.

“I learn a lot by talking to and listening to people,” Tamashiro  said.

His governance style is to initially keep his eyes and ears open, and create relationships along the way.

“Right now, it’s all about sustainability,” he said. “Keep going, get better, and grow.”

Clearly, he is not rushing to get somewhere quickly. “I think in my first year here, I need to absorb as much as I can,”  said Tamashiro. Even if he was born and raised here, “I fear I’m still somebody new.”

With the pandemic in his rearview mirror,  Tamashiro said theater (including DHT) still has a lot to explore.

He took to the stage, before the curtain went up for “Beauty,” not just to introduce himself but to proclaim that there’s still some barriers before a full recovery is imminent. Thus, the reality is he has to boost and promote, following the examples of the retired Dray and the still-in-service John Rampage, DHT’s longtime artistic director.

“The numbers are not back,” he said of subscription renewals at DHT. “We lost 1,000 subscribers this year, and we hope next year will be better.” That equates to nearly two full houses at the DHT’s new home.

While optimistic that the new facility fulfilled its fundraising goal, DHT still seeks $2 million that would help complete what he calls the TAB – the Theatrical Arts Building – which is the restoration and rebuilding of the wedge of the standing segment of the original facilities to house administrative offices, new rehearsal space and classrooms to maintain the operational needs of the theater apart from the new building.

QUOTE

WE WEN ASK AND
HE WEN ANSWER
 
Where you wen’ school:


“I graduated from Punahou
School. I went to college
 at the University of Miami to
study Theatre Arts, and then
 got a Master of Science degree in
Nonprofit Management
from Columbia University.”

 
 What food you wen’ mis:
 
“Regarding food, I missed
the things I grew up
 eating like Spam musubi
 and shave ice. I also
 missed Zippy’s chili and rice.”
 
 What else you wen’ like:
 
“I think I missed the people
 and the culture most.
 Yes, it is beautiful in
 Hawaii and there’s ono
 food. But the real
beauty of Hawaii is
 the people. The
kindness, the humility,
and the generosity of
 spirit that is inherent
in the culture here
is unmatched. There
are nice people in New
 York, but not like Hawaii.”

UNQUOTE 

Asked if he regrets that the rebuilt facility pretty much has the same seating capacity in the old theater, he said no. “We have a 470 capacity (in the newbie) and that’s ample; if we had more seats, we’d have to have a (larger) ratio of more parking spaces.”

He misses a traditional theater lobby (there’s none now) but advises locals who loved the nostalgic scenic shots from historic shows not to fret;  “they weren’t destroyed; we have them stored and could perhaps use them in rehearsal rooms later.”

The design team  before Tamashiro’s hiring eliminated a central main entrance from the back of the house into the aisle of seats, and while there exists such a modified entry way, it is not in use in favor of the makai-side double-door entry and exit routes.

Tamashiro also is working with the tech crews to train and maximize the use of fly space, which was lacking in the old building, and the purchase of a projection device to display slides and scenic  visuals already is in place during the “Beauty” run, and he’s taking notes on how to improve the sound equipment and other issues that develop.

Admission costs have soared in theaters across the globe, a particular hardship for those who can’t afford the prevailing ticket prices, and Tamashiro hopes to have an amnesty ticket some day for those who can’t afford retail that would be financed by those who can.

Changes take time and effort, he said, so he’s thrilled “to have that chance to make a difference.” …

“Mamma Mia,” the ABBA-loaded jukebox musical playing Sept. 22 through Oct. 15 (extension dates included), will formally launch his first full season at DHT. Wonder if he’ll be chirping and tapping along, “Take a Chance on Me.” …

And that’s Show Biz. …

A MELE FOR LAHAINA, MAYBE?

An open letter to Henry Kapono

From Wayne Harada

Re: A Mele for Maui

First, kudos for your 50 Years of the Songs of C&K concert Saturday Aug. 26 at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell. Indeed, it’s been a good time together, and C&K tunes provide the soundtrack of all our lives in Hawaii.

FYI, I’ve been hospitalized at Queen’s Medical Center for nine days, released last Friday, because of health issues. My wavering health prevented  me from attending. I’m OK with lots of hurdles ahead.

But from my hospital bed, I watched the ravishing of Lahaina and homes swallowed by a raging wild fire. Also saw promos for your milestone concert, simultaneously, the eyes of the world were focused on the astounding devastation and destruction of Lahaina town due to the uncontrollable flames as lives and homes were decimated.

Then I had an “aha” moment, about Hawaii’s most prolific and productive singer-composer; that you could put your imprint, with the kokua of other stellar Hawaii performers, to compose, record and perform A Mele for Maui that many would embrace.

Your voice and wisdom have been essential in community matters, and I hope and wonder if you might step up and with imfluence lead this valuable mission, to compose a “We Are the World”-type of mele that would unify, solidify, verify, and identify the pride and power of this Maui/Hawaii mission to provide help, funding and support of this global catastrophe.

It would have been a profound moment, if this tune had been written and performed with your Waikiki Shell cast, but the clock is ticking. So better late than never.

If anyone can do it, you probably have resources and partners to pull this off. Recording  the tune, of course with a companion video, would ultimately and undoubtedly raise funds for the restoration and rebuilding of Lahaina. Indeed, nothing could be finah for Lahaina if you do get this one launched.

And imagine the world premiere; the networks will tune in to help publicize the effort.
I thank you for listening…

And that’s Show Biz. …