Dwayne Johnson, one of the reigning box office champs, has confirmed that he will be in Hawaii to attend the XFL showcase here. Which means he’ll be returning to his high school, McKinley, on June 25, when the XFL does its island festivities.
XFL – the acronym for X-treme Football League – enables prospective football players an opportunity to strut their skills for prevailing XFL coaches and personnel directors, evaluating performances that might lead to a draft pool for the 2023 football season.
Johnson, the former wrestler and now a first-team favorite in action films, has been confirmed in an online post that he was “flying in personally to watch our showcase in Hawaii.”
The showcases will be conducted in six U.S. cities, beginning today (June 17).
In Honolulu, the XFL will conduct its search June 25 at McKinley, where Johnson, aka The Rock, attended in the late 1980s, for his freshman and sophomore years.
Not one to hide his feelings and support, it’s quite likely that Johnson will cheer on anyone he favors, which might at least open a door to a possible football career for prospective athletes. Johnson himself had a brief collegiate football op, which fizzled out, so he targeted his energy and interest in wrestling.
Clearly, he should have no regrets. His moviedom success has been extraordinary, and his next superhero film, Warner Bros./New Line DC’s “Black Adam,” premieres Oct. 21. …
‘Wildest Show’ at the zoo
“Wildest Show,” without its prior full title with “in Town,” returns for its summer run beginning June 29 at the Honolulu Zoo.
The event for decades was organized and directed by Roy Sakuma, the veteran ukulele whiz and teacher for thousands of kids. He has retired, but the event has retained its mid-week Wednesday-at-dusk scheduling, with a new tagline, “Tropical Wednesdays,” and fewer evenings.
Angela Morales, of Na Leo Pilimehana, will serve as emcee, and the agenda will continue to include festivities for keiki, food, and weekly drawings for an ukulele.
The schedule:
- June 29, Maunalua.
- July 6, Robi Kahakalau.
- July 13, Pure Heart, reunited Jake Shimabukuro, John Yamasato and Lopaka Colon.
- July 20, The Makaha Sons.
- July 27, Amy Hanaiali‘i.
Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with entertainment from 5 p.m.
Admission: $15, general; $10, Honolulu Zoo Society members, $5 for youths 3 to 12.
Information: www.honoluluzoo.org
Broadway grosses, week ending June 12t
The leaders still are “The Music Man,” “Hamilton” and “The Lion King,” for the week ending June 12. Next week’s tally, from the Broadway League, might show a bump up for Tony-winning shows like “A Strange Loop” and “MJ The Musical” and “Six.” Here’s the latest rundown:
| Show Name | Gross | TotalAttn | Capacity | %Capacity |
| A STRANGE LOOP | $676,315.50 | 6,249 | 6,384 | 97.89% |
| ALADDIN | $1,273,005.65 | 13,159 | 13,816 | 95.24% |
| AMERICAN BUFFALO | $460,041.96 | 4,478 | 6,008 | 74.53% |
| BEETLEJUICE | $1,160,587.50 | 9,870 | 12,816 | 77.01% |
| CHICAGO | $548,919.39 | 6,155 | 8,640 | 71.24% |
| COME FROM AWAY | $592,763.50 | 6,425 | 8,368 | 76.78% |
| COMPANY | $640,297.03 | 6,195 | 8,368 | 74.03% |
| DEAR EVAN HANSEN | $587,266.80 | 6,193 | 7,872 | 78.67% |
| FUNNY GIRL | $1,116,695.25 | 8,379 | 9,752 | 85.92% |
| GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY | $274,733.50 | 3,582 | 5,586 | 64.12% |
| HADESTOWN | $878,292.75 | 7,243 | 7,344 | 98.62% |
| HAMILTON | $2,190,665.00 | 10,241 | 10,592 | 96.69% |
| HANGMEN | $293,491.36 | 3,196 | 6,416 | 49.81% |
| HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD | $1,481,217.40 | 12,003 | 12,976 | 92.50% |
| HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE | $288,289.00 | 4,054 | 4,459 | 90.92% |
| MACBETH | $909,344.00 | 6,336 | 7,357 | 86.12% |
| MJ THE MUSICAL | $1,444,056.60 | 10,666 | 11,096 | 96.12% |
| MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL | $1,235,273.70 | 10,111 | 10,400 | 97.22% |
| MR. SATURDAY NIGHT | $848,030.00 | 6,468 | 8,316 | 77.78% |
| PARADISE SQUARE | $263,146.50 | 4,722 | 7,856 | 60.11% |
| PLAZA SUITE | $1,708,386.60 | 7,783 | 7,800 | 99.78% |
| POTUS: OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE | $478,971.75 | 5,899 | 11,608 | 50.82% |
| SIX | $1,116,564.00 | 7,155 | 7,217 | 99.14% |
| TAKE ME OUT | $717,419.65 | 4,630 | 4,648 | 99.61% |
| THE BOOK OF MORMON | $1,003,363.50 | 8,060 | 8,528 | 94.51% |
| THE LION KING | $1,951,072.00 | 13,374 | 13,568 | 98.57% |
| THE MINUTES | $280,802.00 | 3,178 | 5,336 | 59.56% |
| THE MUSIC MAN | $3,411,384.96 | 12,267 | 12,200 | 100.55% |
| THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA | $965,649.70 | 10,363 | 12,840 | 80.71% |
| TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL | $931,804.00 | 7,857 | 11,824 | 66.45% |
| WICKED | $1,861,096.00 | 14,273 | 14,456 |
And that’s Show Biz. …
Auwe! Too bad I an not able to come home to Honolulu to see Dwayne Jonson and also for all my favorite entertainers at the Wild West shows at the zoo. Miss everyone so much. Aloha Dolores
Main thing, your heart and soul still live in Hawaii.