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The Honolulu Theatre for Youth, celebrating 70 years of producing shows for island youngsters and their families, will present  five world premieres and a selection of popular  HTY-commissioned Hawaii tales in its 2024-25 season starting this August.

The slate includes:

• “Winnie the Pooh and Bunraku Too,” Aug. 25, Sept. 1 and 14 — An adaptation of A.A. Milneʻs classic book performed using Bunraku, a Japanese puppet theatre that dates back to the 17th century. Original music, theatrical magic and audience interaction bring new life to the children’s classic.
• “The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac,”  Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 –A  play by Reiko Ho, celebrating Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac animals, in a Great Race that explores the folklore traditions augmented by Chinese music, Jijgiu and martial arts. A Neighbor Island tour will follow the Tenney Theatre residency.
•  “Pā Ka Makani,” Oct. 13, 20 and 26 – A play by Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb and Annie Cusick Wood, exploring what the wind means here in Hawaii and beyond. A fresh breeze in storytelling, and a fusion of hula, oli and science.

• “Forest Flutters: A Bird-Day Party,”Nov. 10 and 16 — An interactive show about native birds by Danica Rosegren and the HTY Ensemble. A glimpse of forestry resonating with  a symphony of birds who inhabit the greenery, an environment  rich with smells, touch, movement and  music. A collaboration with Capitol Modern, formerly The Hawaii State Art Museum.
• “Christmas Talk Story,”  Dec. 8, 15 and 21 – Featuring a new collection of songs and tales by local writers and the HTY Ensemble, celebrating the joys of the holiday season. HTY is accepting submissions of new material from the community; visit www.htyweb.org.
• “The Musubi Man,”  Jan. 18 and 26 –An island interpretation of the ‘Gingerbread Man,’ by Lee Cataluna, adapted from the beloved book by local author Sandi Takayama.  A popular interactive production geared to the very young (2+) audience and a wonderful introduction to literature.

•  “The Paʻakai We Bring,” Feb. 9 and 15 – A play by Moses Goods and the HTY Ensemble, which exposes young audiences to Native Hawaiian ideas of balance and healing by exploring our relationship to pa‘akai (salt). Traditionally, pa‘akai is food, medicine, and sacrament, essential to  individual, communal, and environmental well-being. Through stories, songs, laughter, and audience participation, the ensemble joyously celebrates ancient and modern ways to restore and maintain balance.
• “Too Many Mangos and OtherStories,”  March 30, April 6, 13 and 26 – A world premiere of an original musical, adapted from the book by Tammy Pail.  Kama and Nani learn valuable lessons from their grandpa about generosity and kindness, teaches what it means to bring aloha to your family and your neighbors.
• “Joseph Kekuku and the Voice of the Steel Guitar,”  May 11, 18 and 25 – A world premiere of a play by Moses Goods and Noa Gardner, in collaboration with Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings. The tale, circa 1889, focuses on a student at Kamehameha Schools who  fabricated a steel bar in the school’s machine shop, slid it across the strings of his guitar and changed the sound and shape of the instrument forever. The grandson of a royal chanter, Joseph Kekuku played his steel guitar for royalty in Hawai‘i and across Europe, inspiring musicians around the world with the new “Hawaiian Sound.”

The five HTY premieres are “Winnie the Pooh,” “Pa Ka Makani,” “Forest Flutters,” “Too Many Mangos,” and “Joseph Kekuku.” The other shows are HTY-commissioned productions.

All performances will be at Tenney Theatre, at Saint Andrews Cathedral.  Curtain time is 4 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Dates listed here are public performances; HTY also stages matinees attended by island students.

Individual tickets: $30  for adults,  $25 for seniors and military, $15 for students and children . Family and patron membership plans available, which includes multiple tickets based on monthly plans. Information: www.htyweb.org.

Rozmiarek play at TAG

“Jake: The Yellow Bench,” a funny and touching play by Joseph T. Rozmiarek, will receive its world premiere May 24 to June 9 at The Actors’ Group’s Brad Powell Theatre at Dole Cannery in Iwilei.

The play is a humorous and knotty depiction of how we navigate through the daily routines of city life, focusing on an elderly man who invites a homeless student to live in his apartment. Rozmiarek’s storytelling skills explores the layers of intrigue and dynamics of their unusual relationship, with support of mood-setting music.

Betty Burdick is directing.

Rozmiarek is a former drama critic-reviewer for the Honolulu Advertiser.

Information: www.taghawaii.net or (808) 741-4699 or (808) 722-6941.

And that’s Show Biz….

Just asking..

What’s your stance, on overhead bins in airplanes?

Do you push your roll-aboard close to your seat in the aisle, for easier access when you deplane? That makes sense.

How many carry-ons do you place in the overhead space? Should be only one.

Do you do the sideways push, with your bags perched on one side? I’ve seen four or five bags, all about the same size, stored sideways, wheels in first, to fill the otherwise open space in the bin.

Or do you favor the positioning, where your bag is on its backside and pull-out handles facing you? This has been the conventional overhead method.

For the most part, airlines don’t have fixed rules about overhead bin storage. The suggested rules deal with bag size – the limits are 22 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 9 inches high, including handles and wheels.

Also, there’s no formal weight limit; the common notion is that a bag should be liftable to the perch in the planes.

We recently discussed the protocols regarding the middle-seat issues in the aircrafts. Overhead bins also are worth discussion.

Now comes the fun stuff – about who does what, when and where.

Are flight attendants obligated to hoist your bag? One told me, a few years ago, no – because if they get injured, they’d be no use for the flight. Makes sense.

Can you ask a flight attendant for kokua, if you are struggling to get your bag in the bin? Perhaps. Or a generous passenger can  volunteer to do the lifting, if he/she sees you’re incapable, disabled, or too short. (Note:  some of the newer plans have higher bins in the center section of the aircraft).

A pertinent and valid question: Do you wait till you get to the vicinity of your seat to sequester your bag? Logically, that’s where your bag should land, not five rows before your region, and certainly, not in the first class cabin the front of the plane. (I’ve seen an attentive flight attendant pursue a dude down the aisle, to retrieve his bag to store in the compartment near his seat).

Finally, if you’re traveling with perishables, stored in a shopping bag you’ve stashed in the overhead, make certain it’s sealed, in zip-locked bags. Instead, travel with an chilled, insulated lunch bag.I was on a flight once, where frozen fish in an overhead bin started to defrost and icky fishy gook dripped on the person beneath the overhead.

Absolutely, this is a no-no.

Happy Boy’s Day, to lads and dads and males young and old.

May 5 is Boy’s Day — also now known as Children’s Day –and traditionally,, households in Japan and Hawaii fly carp over or outside their homes, in keeping with practices in Japanese culture. The carp is known for its strength and determination.

Shown here is a Boy’s Day notecard I creaeted some years back. And yes, a carp is depicted, on a mini-pole, with flying streamers.

Feast on this:

I have come across three perfect meals – for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – that I’d like to share and suggest you try.

My favorite new breakfast is the sukiyaki at Heavenly Island Lifestyle at Koko Marina Center. It’s a hearty, fulfilling Japanese meal comprising an oishii entrée of sukiyaki, with beef, onions and tofu, swimming in a yummy broth.

The sukiyaki is served in a steaming pot, complemented by a slightly poached egg that you pour into the pot so it self-cooks. A bowl of miso soup is a hearty waker-upper; I opted for white rice and a side of morning ocha (green tea). All together, the fare is near perfection. I wish there’d be konnyaku, the gelatinous and translucent noodles common in Japanese broth dishes, to join the party.

This morning marvel is $17, and like the restaurant’s name, heavenly…

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For lunch, who doesn’t enjoy a BLT sandwich?

Zippy’s always has made a great clubhouse but shelved it during the pandemic.

But ordering it is tricky; it’s not on the menu, and it’s not a take-out option.

If you’re in the right dining room – I’ve had it at the Kaneohe restaurant, the Hawaii Kai restaurant before the dining room was shuttered, and most recently at the Kahala eatery twice – you’ve got to ask about availability.

The three-slices-of-bread classic, which comes with the requisite bacon, lettuce, and tomato, is anchored with oversized cocktail toothpicks to keep the sliced rectangular pieces in place. I order a side of fries (it could be included, but I’m not positive) but because I’ve been eating less than before, I usually eat two of the four wedges and  take home enough for a next-day lunch of dinner. A minute or so in the microwave rejuvenates the BLT, but eating cold is OK, too.

But remember: you can’t order this as a takeout item; it’s served as a dine-in option, where available. It’s about $20. …

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For dinner, try the beef donburi bowl at Don Quijote’s, available where plate lunches, musubi and other prepared meals are sold.

The donburi is served in bowl that features a bed of rice and a perfectly seasoned serving of thinly sliced beef, translucent onions, and red ginger. But wish there would be some konnyaku noodles here, too, to ramp up the flavors. All you need is a quick nuke and a great appetite. Cost: about $8…

Bon appetit…

Mother’s Day will be a mixed bag this year if you’re planning outings to salute Mom.

For starters, Blue Note Hawaii, the jazz club at the Outrigger Waikiki resort, has lined up three different events over two days, on Saturday May 11 (a day before the actual Mother’s Day) and Mother’s Day Sunday May 12:

• KSSK Radio and its morning drive team, Michael W. Perry & The Posse, will make their debut at Blue Note with  a May 11 event will feature a live radio broadcast, presumably with the usual talk story guests, capped by a concert by Henry Kapono and his band sharing a repertoire of C&K classics. Doors open at 8 a.m. prior to the 9 a.m. radio show. Tickets: $125 for premium seating, $99 for loge seating, and $89 for bar area seating. Reservations www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890.
• Chamber Music Hawaii will present Billy Childs, a pianist-composer, performing with CMH’s Tresemble, at 6:30 p.m. May 11. The program includes “The River, The Bird and the Storm” and “Two Elements A Day in the Forest of Dreams.” Doors open at 5 p.m. for beverages and meals. Premium seating, $35; loge and bar area seating, $25. Reservations: www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890.

• Frank DeLima & Na Kolohe, featuring David Kauahikaua and Bobby Nishida, offer a Mother’s Day Comedy Brunch show, at 1 p.m. May 12 at Blue Note. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for beverage and meal service. DeLima is best known for his ethnic gags targeting Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, but he favors Portuguese and Filipino routines. His repertoire includes a Japanese sumotori and a Chinese game show host, but his brand also includes musical parodies of prevailing political issues and personalities. Premium seating, $45; loge and bar area seating, $35. Reservations: www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890.

• Josh Tatofi headlines a Mother’s Day buffet brunch concert May 11 at the Hawaii Convention Center. Timetable: 9 a.m., vendor marketplace; 10 to 11:45 a.m., brunch buffet with music by A Touch Gold; noon, Tatofi performance. Tickets: $175 adults, $90 children 3 to 11, free for  keiki up to 2 years old. Reservations: www.hawaiiconvention.com 

Na Leo marking 40^th anniversary

Na Leo Plilimehana, Hawaii’s most successful girl group, is marking its 40th anniversary this year.      

The trio, comprised of Nalani Choy, Lehua Kalima and Angela Morales, were Kamehameha Schools classmates, when they entered and won the “Brown Bags to Stardom” competition with their “Local Boys” tune, which would become the group’s signature tune.

Na Leo will mark its four decades with a concert from 7 to 9 p.m. May 8, at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College.  Also featuring Kamuela and Ka‘ihi Kimokea.

Proceeds will support scholarships for WCC music students through the Kanile‘a ‘Ukulele Hawaiian Music Scholarships.

Tickets: $15 to $75, at www.wccmusic.eventbrite.com …

And that’s Show Biz…