Ben Vegas and Johnny Valentine, singers and guitarists alike, don’t normally work together.
However, they’re assembling a Songs From Famous Duos evening, at 7:30 p.m. March 19, at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace.
No indication of which duo’s songbag they’ll explore, but I betcha among the teammates they could easily salute include Loggins and Messina, Simon and Garfunkel, Hall and Oates, The Carpenters, Sonny and Cher, Jan and Dean, Air Supply, The Righteous Brothers and The Everly Brothers, if you’re considering only performers.
But if they’re dipping into famous pairs of composers, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Elton John and /or Bernie Taupin and Tim Rice, and even Henry Kapono and Cecilio Rodrigues could fill the bill.
Vegas and Valentine are longtime performers in Hawaii; Vegas is an ex-member of The Krush and had been, in recent years, part of a duo with Maila Gibson. Valentine has been frontman for a band on the Waikiki circuit for decades, and he’s a much-in-demand musician in both concert and studio work.
Tickets: $59, includes dinner; doors open at 6 p.m. Information: (808) 351-0901. …
Cazimero, dancers in symphony show
Robert Cazimero will join the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra ai 7:30 p.m. April 22 at the Hawaii Theatre. It will be his biggest stage endeavor since the pandemic, and he provided a preview of what to expect.
Yes, he’s involving a few gents from his Halau Na Kamalei O Likolehua; yes, wahine from his Royal Dance Company will offer hula during his vocals; yes, all dancers will join him together, too.
His repertoire will include many songs from “Mine,” his newest CD; there will be moments when Cazimero will be at the piano, too; and for one song, it’ll be a true solo (only his voice and his keyboard artistry), so the gig is a wide representation of his astonishing artistry.
Tickets: $18 to $99. Visit www.myhso.org/concerts or call (808) 380-7720. Part of the Hapa Symphony series. …
Who else and where
More musical notes:
- Raiatea Helm also sashays into the aforementioned HSO series, with a Hapa Symphony show at 7:30 p.m. May 13 at the Hawaii Theatre. Tickets: same as above. …
- Jake Shimabukuro returns to the Blue Note Hawaii at 7 p.m. March 23. Tickets: $59. Visit: www.bluenotehawaii.com or call (808) 729-4718.
- Streetlight Cadence also revisit the Blue Note at 6:30 and 9 p.m. March 20. Tickets: $45 to $59. Visit www.bluenotehawaii.com or call (808) 729-4718.
Opportunities for playwrights
Did you know that Kumu Kahua and Bamboo Ridge Press sponsor a monthly PlayWrite competition, enabling theatrical scriptwriters to get noticed?
Writers can enter the competition to test the waters of their competency and imagination. A 10-page maximum, devised from a monthly theme, might be your ticket to bigger and greater things. Mostly, you’ll get noticed!
Wynn Oshiro’s “Grandma Says” – about a police officer catching a grandparent teaching their grandkids to burn and pop illegal fireworks – won the January contest. The deadline for the February contest is past – the theme was a scene about first meeting of two characters, a local and a visitor, that develops into a relationship.
Information: www.kumukahua.org or 898-536-4441. …
And that’s Show Biz. …