Finally!
“Broadway in Hawaii” today (Dec. 2) announced its first three-show season of shows for Hawaii residents. A fourth musical, earlier announced, is an “extra” outside of the premier season packaging.
The slate includes three island premieres led by the unprecedented blockbuster “Hamilton” and the hit-loaded “Beautiful — the Carole King Musical.” “Cats,” which is a venerable return visitor but still a popular title in the repertoire of the Broadway spectrum, is the third season attraction. The rescheduled “Jersey Boys” is not part of the season ticketing because it had to be rescheduled twice, with many tickets previously sold, but it will be its first staging in Honolulu.
But here’s a bit of secret behind-the-scenes drama: the touring “Hamilton” company is one dubbed “…and Peggy,” and the lead actor in this ensemble is Joseph Morales, our homegrown Broadway trouper. The producers will not announce cast, until just prior of the engagement, since actors can be juggled and routed to a different company. So I’ll go on record to press the decision-makers to be certain that Morales dons his Alexander Hamilton costume when the show lands here. It’ll be his “shot” that will memorable not only for him but also the local theater-goers. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed Morales is our Hamilton.
“The success of shows like ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ clearly demonstrate that Honolulu deserves to be a regular stop for touring Broadway in North America,” said Magicspace COO Steve Boulay, the presenter, who has been a key player to book musicals at Blaisdell Concert Hall. “We are thrilled that the commitment of everyone at Blaisdell, the stagehands union and the city, together with the support of Broadway in Hawaii patrons, have come together to make this incredible season possible. We look forward to many more.”
Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement, “The Hawaii debut of ‘Hamilton’ is a remarkable opportunity for our community. We are truly grateful to be able to welcome this marquee production to Honolulu without audience capacity limitations.”
Mr. Mayor is spot-on in welcoming the slate of Broadway in Hawaii shows. Audience support is vital, when these series set down anywhere, and this is the first time ever that a spectrum of four productions, one as a “special engagement,” will be staged here. In many other viable communities, six shows comprise a season, so we have a lot of work to do make this venture worth the producers’ effort by securing tickets.
So here’s the rundown:
- “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical,” April 19 to 24, 2022. This is a stupendous biographical musical that tracks the ups and downs of prolific rock/pop composers Carole King and her husband Gerry Goffin and collaborators Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, who have written tunes for a myriad of acts in rock history, including The Shirelles, Little Eva, and Neil Sedaka.
- “Hamilton,” Dec. 8 to 14, 2022, for subscribers only and Dec. 15, 2022 to Jan. 29, 2023 for other patrons. This is the blockbuster by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, in a hip-hop rendering of the life and times of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father of America, based on the biography by Ron Chernow. It’s been a revolutionary musical and winner of nearly all the prizes available, the Tony, the Grammy, the Olivier, plus the Pulitzer Prize and KennedyTheatre Honors.
- “Cats,” June 13 to 18, 2023, The is the Andrew Lloyd Webber creation, inspired by the poetry of T. S. Eliot, that is best known for its “Memory” signature song and is the only musical set in a junkyard. Everyone knows a cat has nine lives, and this show begins a new run for the furry creatures, with updated sound design, choreography and director for a new generation of viewers.
- “Jersey Boys,” Sept. 13 to 25, 2022. This is considered a “special engagement,” considering its previous on-again, off-again setback. The show is not part of the three-title season. It is the biography musical of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and boasts a soundtrack of trademark toe-tapping hits like “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man. Season tickets are available at www.BroadwayInHawaii.com and here are the price ranges, by seat locations:
And that’s Show Biz. …
What do you mean by “dubbed” that singers are lip-sync to prerecorded songs/music? Thank you in advance for your answer.
Dubbed, in reference to usage in the column, simply means “named” or “called.” Morales is in a touring company dubbed, or called, “…and Peggy,” a curious practice where different tours take on different illogical names, like “First Company” or “Strawberry,” as examples. Just nicknames; doesn’t have anything to do with lip-synching or pre-recorded voicing and/or music, which never is done in “live” theater. Some singers often sing to dubbed-in tracks, where their voices are taped complete with background music, a practice infrequently used in stadium shows, where fans won’t be aware of the dubbing, because of the volume of the crowds in large venues.