If It’s new that you want, Manoa Valley Theatre’s 2024-25 season, launching in September, boasts four premieres.
At a glance, here’s what at stake in a longish summary of MVT’s season: An opera company undergoes a madcap quest for a soprano (new); a Caribbean romp has roots in “The Little Mermaid;” an examination of the depth of the U.S. Constitution brings on history of life (new); a man on trial for a crime he didn’t commit enthralls a Georgia town (new), a visit to a Korean-run convenience store is a microcism of life(new), and a tuneful tribute to Broadway’s beloved composer Stephen Sondheim hit all the right notes.
The rundown:
- ”Lend Me a Soprano,” playing Sept. 12 to 28–It’s a take-off of Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor” comedy, equally side-splitting, manic farce, about the misadventures of a hapless opera company attempting to find replacement operatic soprano, amid a tangled web of mistaken identities. A Hawaii premiere.
- “Once on This Island,” Nov. 14 to Dec. 8 – A mystical fairytale, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, set in the exotic Caribbean and based on the fairy tale of “The Little Mermaid,” nominated for eight Tony Awards.
- “What the Constitution Means to Me,” Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, 2025 – Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking drama is achingly funny, filled with hope and life, tracking four generations of women whose lives have been shaped by the historic document. A Hawaii premiere.
- “Parade,” March 20 to April 6 2025 – A powerful and poignant musical, with book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, A dramatization, with music, of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia –an exploration of law and disorder of a tragic crime he did not commit. Tony winner in its original run in 1999 and Best Revival of a Musical in 2023. A Hawaii premiere. (Note: closing date not listed in above, in the MVT graphic).
- “Kim’s Convenience,” May 17 to June 8 -– Ins Choi’s heartwarming and hilarious award-winning comedy, about a Korea family running a 7-Eleven-type convenience store, enjoying the hustle and bustle of life. A feel-good ode to generations of immigrants blending in with everyday shoppers that form a microcosm of culture, community, and family in the daily pulse of life. A Hawaii premiere.
- “Side by Side by Sondheim,” July 17 to 27 2025—A musical celebration of the prolific musical genius Stephen Sondheim, Broadway, beloved as greatest composers of songs and lyrics, whose scores and tunes are iconic staples on the Great White Way. Nominated for five Tonys and Olivier Award winner for Best Musical
Season seat renewals are underway through ApriL 15; new subsribers and single-sale tickets will be available soon. Details: (808) 988-6131.
Hana hou for ‘Happily Eva Afta’
Lisa Matsumoto’s pidgin English comedy, “Happily Eva Afta, with music by Roslyn Catracchia, will be staged on June 27 through July 4, at the Kaimuki Performing Arts Center.
It features the perennial characters, like The Wicke Queen, Da Six Menehune, and Hauna and Tantaran, among others. Tickets range from $30 to $46. Information: (808) 988-6131…
Tucker will be honored at ‘Manoa Marquee’
“Manoa Marquee,” Manoa Valley Theatre’s annual fundraising gala, will be staged March 30 at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The event is sold out, but 24 lanai seats – in the beachfront lanai of the Pink Palace – are available, at $300 a person.
The gala will honor Alice Tucker, pIctured left, who now is marking her 50th year as an MVT board member. Tireless and sprightly, Tucker is the longest-serving board member, and a theater buff extraordinaire. I met her several years ago, when I served on the MVT board of directors, and she now resides at Kahala Nui, after rain-caused floods damaged her Aina Haina home.
Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. will precede a 7 p.m. dinner. A silent auction will be held on the hotel’s Ocean Lawn.
Entertainment will be provided by Gunhild Carling & the Carling Family Band.
Details: (808) 988-6131 or www.manoavalleytheatre.com …
Broadwayu grossees for week ending March 17
And that’s Show Biz…