Al Waterson, a prolific veteran in Hawaii’s entertainment community, died from cancer Sunday night (April 21) at his Moili‘ili home, with his wife Nancy Bernal at his side. He was 77.
They have been partners and teammates in work and life for 46 years, Waterson as a versatile, beloved singer, recording artist, host, emcee, voice-over specialist and wedding officiant, appearing in such varied events Bernal was promoting, including fashion shows, circuses, and TV programs and commercials, collaborating with her role as a talent manager of such show biz personalities as jazz man Michael Paulo and Miami-based TV anchor Jordan Segundo.
Bernal called Waterson “the best husband in the world” and “the love of my life.” In preparing and releasing details for his obituary, Bernal said: “This is the most emotional press release that I have ever written and I never thought I would need to do this.”
Al Waterson, consummate entertainer, has died at age 77.
Waterson was born in Honolulu on Aug. 30, 1946 and launched his entertainment career in his early 20s here, initially as a vocalist and continued performing last year, till his cancer worsened. He lived in the Midwest for some of his teen years, but otherwise resided in Honolulu for his entire life. He served in the Marine Corps in 1966.
The couple met years ago at Opus 1, a nightclub at the Ilikai Hotel, where he was subbing for a vacationing Rene Paulo. “He was sitting at the bar, and my eye caught him, and I became a regular watching him perform,” said Bernal, who came to Hawaii from Chicago. They finally met and were together for 22 years before tying the knot, becoming lifetime friends and supporters of the Paulo family because of their significant role in their meeting.
Waterson performed nationally and internationally, bringing his voice and talent well beyond the reefs of the islands he loved. He was the featured singer for iconic band leaders like Del Courtney and Willie Barton at the icon Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and he was a card-carrying member of SAG-AFTRA, enabling him to land principal roles before the CBS cameras of “Hawaii Five-O,” the original with Jack Lord and the reboot with Alex McLaughlin, and other locally-filmed shows as “Magnum P.I.” and “North Shore.”
His hosting ledger included scores of pageants, galas, festivals, craft fair shows and corporate conventions, including the likes of the Hawaii Woman Expo, Honolulu City Lights tree-lighting and Christmas parade, and “The Celebrities and Their Pets Fashion Show.”
He loved pets, especially dogs, and for 20 years, owned a food service/food truck called “The Singing Chef Munch Wagon.’
A skilled handyman, Waterson also worked on renovation projects for homes and apartments in-between entertainment jobs.
He was also a passionate videographer and enjoyed filming restaurants, parades, and other events to create and edit for viewing on his YouTube channel.
Waterson’s and Bernal’s entrepreneurial ventures included their “Al Waterson and You” talent competition for singers at old Fisherman’s Wharf for 11 years and at Don Ho’s Island Grill for 10 years. They supported mentored, and managed aspiring artists.
A skilled handyman, Waterson also worked on renovation projects for homes and apartments in-between entertainment jobs.
He was also a passionate videographer and enjoyed filming restaurants, parades, and other events to create and edit for viewing on his YouTube channel.
Al Waterson and wife Nancy Bernal: Work and life partners.
The couple supported non-profit organizations by emceeing their events and Waterson was the sole emcee for The Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii Annual Gala for years. They were saluted for their charity work in 2019.
“Al always had a smile and a joke to share,” said Bernal. “It brought him so much joy to see people laugh at his jokes and enjoy life. His positivity was contagious.”
A new generation of theater spectators is being introduced to the spectacle of Japanese kabuki, a centuries-old tradition dating back to 17th century Japan that still enchants and educates.
To mark a milestone of 100 years of English translations of traditional kabuki productions at the University of Hawaii’s Kennedy Theatre, “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves” — also known as “Benten Kozō” —was staged this past weekend and will continue this coming weekend on the Manoa campus.
Young and old alike – newbies as well as seniors who recall the infrequent and astounding tradition from yesteryear – are flocking to experience Eastern theater you won’t see on Broadway. Go, see, listen, learn, and applaud the artisans who’ve mounted this rarity.
I was a student at UH, back in the ‘60s, when the late drama and theater professor, James Brandon, used to mount this precious jewel, in alternating stagings of Peking (Beijing) opera, directed by Elizabeth Wichman-Walczac. This practice and profound vision made Kennedy the hub of the Pacific for Japanese kabuki and Chinese opera. I covered several kakuki and Beijing operas during my 45-year tenure as entertainment editor and columnist at the Honolulu Advertiser.
“Benten Kozō” was composed by Kawatake Mokuami and translated and directed by Julie A. Iezzi (superb job, in a challenging mission). It takes a small army – a village, really – with masters from Japan coming to Hawaii to mentor and train actors so they learn all the trademark of kabuki. They spend months, often a full academic year, to teach and prep so the on-stage cast, as well as the backstage musicians, costume and wig designers, makeup specialist, and sundry other creators of sets, sound, and light designs.
Karese Kaw-uh, as Benten Kozō, is accused of shoplifting.
Clearly “Benten” has updated its storytelling to keep up with the times. The central character, Benten Kozō (Karese Kaw-uh, riveting and convincing, in whiteface makeup), is bound for the altar and is accused of shoplifting at the Hamamatsu-ya dry good shop, which she denies. The shop staff and owners get involved in throwing the books at her, and there are threats and denials in somewhat cordial Japanese tradition, with constant bowing and gentle friction.
Later, in another room of the store, Benten unloads a bomb, when the store staff asks her if she’s a guy. Spoiler alert: yes, she admits being a he, and proceeds to disrobe her kimono top to confirm her secret, but not to worry. She’s donned in a beige body suit, festooned with tattoos, so there’s no nudity, only implied. It’s clearly an LGBTQ moment, which today’s audience will recognize, but there’s no such actual reference here.
While traditional kabuki in Japan features all-male performers, the Kennedy endeavor does a few gender-bending casting to enable actors to assume roles and nurture the experience. Thus, the role of Nango Rikimaru, a male who is Benten’s assistant/companion, is played by IsabellaO’Keefe, clad in male kimono regalia, who does a suitable and credible performance. The nature of the kimono – not full-bodied – is a clue.
One of the powerful and fascinating roles is that of Nippon Daemon (Robert Morris III, whose body language and head-and-neck posings are memorable). He’s taller than most, and makes his role dominating and assertive.
The plot embraces masquerades enhanced by costuming, makeup, and movement. Lines in English are often spoken-sung, with background music of taiko and shamisen providing aural signals. One moment, in scene two plotted in another room of the dry goods store, there’s a clever back-and-forth comedy of a who’s daddy are you, where giddy revelations surface from sons who ID their fathers from earlier confusion.
There are elements of theater exclusive to kabuki:
The Joshikimasu, a tri-colored stage curtain manipulated by hand.
— The joshikimasu, a huge, eye-filling manipulated-by-hand stage curtain in wide stripes of persimmon orange, black and purple. The unseen stagehand pulls the curtain from right to left, to open, and from left to right to close.
The hanamichi is a functional exit-entrance walkway.
— The hanamichi, a ramp for stage entrances and exits, generally is situated from stage left to a side doorway in the auditorium. The space also features a scene or two, including a notable moment, close to the finale, where five actors, donned in vibrant purple kimono and carrying kasa (umbrellas), appear one by one, like contestants in a pageant.
— Kata and mie, stage movements of stylized poses and gestures to punctuate attitude. These actions include choreographic fighting moves (tate), actions during entrances (tanzen) and exits (roppo) commonly unleased on the hanamachi. The most notable kata is the mie, a declaration of attitude with firm head-and-neck lurches toward the audience.
The Hawker (Maggie Ivanova, adoringly funny) should be nicknamed Hustler since she sold show merchandise in the aisles to raise funds for the show. Folks flashed bills to buy something; queues snaked up the aisles. The fare included paper posters of the show, with cast images, for $1, and also a fabric version, for $20, before the opening curtain and during two pauses for scenic updates. She had to trek backstage several times to secure more product. In the final hawking mission, another actor added a new component: $5 for a selfie.
I recall, in a modified kabuki performance in Tokyo years ago, hawkers sold bento and snacks, because of the long durations of the shows.
Scenic design, with pink cherry blossom trees, is eye-filling
The scenes are pristine; the first two are inside the dry goods store (the second time in another room), with blonde IKEA-like shoji doors and shelves, but the finale is darling in pink – five trees festooned with cherry blossoms along the Inase River; you’d almost expect a Barbie appearance. Local set designers should check this out!
The dry goods shop looks like it has IKEA shelves and shoji doors.
The behind-the-curtain credits are uniformly astounding. Japan actor Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII, two of his apprentices, Ichikawa Takisho, and Ichikawa Utaki, joined the production team, in addition to Ichikawa Komazō XI – a fourth actor joining this April.
Born into one of the oldest acting lineages in kabuki theatre, Monnosuke is an eighth-generation actor in a familial line that traces its roots to kabuki in 1713.
Kabuki percussionist Kashiwa Senjirō conducted an intensive residency in February. Wig master Nagano Isamu and costumer Oguri Sachie also led workshops during the fall and spring semesters, advising students and faculty behind the scenes.
Honolulu-born shamisen musician and guest artist Kineya Sakio (Bryson Teruo Goda) and embraced UH kabuki percussion veterans Kenny Endo and Professor Kirstin Pauka, bring traditional sounds of kabuki to life. Twelve musicians backstage provide the atmospheric soundscape. After the Kennedy run, “Benten” will be in Japan, the birthplace of kabuki, at the Seiryu-za (Gifu City) on June 1, and the historic Aioi-za (Mino City) on June 2, 2024. The Gifu Prefectural Government and the Minō Kabuki Preservation Society invited this milestone in UH’s first-ever kabuki staging in Japan.
****************
‘The Maiden Benton and the Bandits of the White Waves’
What: A Japanese kabuki production composed b Kawatake Mokuami, with English translation by director Julie A. Julie A. Iezzi
Where: Kennedy Theatre, at the University of Hawaii
When: Opened April 19; repeats at 7:30 p.m. Friday (April 26), Saturday (April 27) and at 2 p.m. Sunday (April 28)
Tickets: $8 to $25, unreserved seating; $8 for UHM Student with current valid ID; $15 for non-UHM student/youth; $22 for UH faculty/staff, military, seniors; $25 for other adults; available at manoa.hawaii.edu/liveonstage/benten or ktbox@hawaii.edu or at (808) 956-7655
The Honolulu Jazz Quartet, led by bassist John Kolivas, will celebrate 100 Years of Jazz at 7 p.m. June 4 at the Blue Note Hawaii club at the Outrigger Waikiki resort.
The HJQ, who won a Na Hoku Hanohano Award in 2023, also includes Noel Okimoto on drums, Tim Tsukiyama on saxophones, and Dan Del Negro on piano.
Special guests in the salute to jazz’s 100th birthday will include DeShannon Higa on trumpet, Jeannette Trevias on vocals, Kainalu Kolivas on vocals and guitar, and Robert Pennybacker on vocals and narration. Kainalu is John Kolivas’ son and Pennybacker is Kolivas’ brother.
The HJQ, from left: Okimoto, Tsukiyama, Kolivas and Del Negro.
Jazz, considered the only truly original art form, dates back to 1924, becoming a popular genre of music in such cities as New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York, according to Wikipedia.
During the same year, George Gershwin penned “Rhapsody in Blue,” a milestone of the 20th century, elevating jazz to new heights and acclaim, with a growing coterie of jazzdom giants such as Duke Ellington and Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong launching careers with recordings of jazz.
Fletcher Henderson’s Big Band in New York City also established his jazz style that would influence others adopting the “new” music.
Fast forwarding 100 years, The Honolulu Jazz Quartet is approaching its quarter century of jazz performances, putting its own mixed plate mojo on jazz, embracing ragtime of the 1920s, swing of the 1930s, to be-bop of the 1940s, the “cool” phase in the 1950s, the funk of the 1960s, the fusion jazz of the 1970s and beyond, creating ever-changing motifs with a jazz foundation.
Kolivas formed HJQ at the urging of his mother, Dolly; its shelf-life longevity can be credited to the democracy within the ranks – there’s no “name” front man in the delivery of the music, with equal-time solo moments common for the members.
The concert will share this format, with a kaleidoscopic glimpse of jazz and jazzmen.
Doors open at 5 p.m. prior to the 7 p.m. show. Drink and food service will be available.
Tickets: $25 to $35 (first-come, first served), at www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890.
Emme’s final moments
A two-day farewell, to bid aloha to the late Emme Tomimbang Burns, will be held downtown at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, at 1184 Bishop St., where a Catholic mass will be held from 10:30 a.m. April 26. Inurnment will follow at 2 p.m. April 26, at the National Memorial of the Peace at Punchbowl.
A “Celebration of Life” will be held from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 27, at the Fil-Com Community Center, at 94-428 Mokuola St., in Waipahu. The event will remember Emme’s extensive accomplishments as a media mogul of Filipino ancestry for nearly 50 years, who made her mark as a radio and television personality, host and producer.
She was a proud graduate of Farrington High School, who died last Feb. 19 at age 76. She was the widow of Judge James S. Burns.
As announced in a sizeable obituary in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser this past Sunday, her family suggests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made instead to scholarship programs Emme and her husband supported. Checks can also be sent to the Hawaii Community Foundation and mailed to 827 Fort Street Mall, Honolulu HI 96813-4317, attn. Kevin Rapp…
Broadway grosses, for week ending April 14
The Lion still is King on Broadway, the lone $2 million achiever.
Yep, Disney’s “The Lion King” again heads the weekly grosses, followed by perennial top three colleagues “Hamilton” and “Wicked.”
The Top 10:
1 – “The Lion King,” $2,050 million.
2—”Hamilton,” $1,972 million.
3—”Wicked,” $1,957 million.
4—”Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1,731 million.”
5—”MJ the Musical,” $1,473 million.
6—”Merrily We Roll Along,” $1,465 million.
7—”Aladdin,” $1,395 million,
8—”Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,388 million.
9—”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1,331 million.
To mark 100 years of English translations of traditional Japanese kabuki productions at the University of Hawaii’s Kennedy Theatre, “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves” — also known as “Benten Kozō” —will be staged this weekend and next on the Manoa campus.
“Benten Kozō” was composed by Kawatake Mokuami. The plot features five distinctive thieves with a mastery of masquerade, and a command of language from the gutter to the poetically sublime.
The array of colorful kabuki characters boast schemes and back stories that lead to shocking revelations, surprising reunions, startling twists and ultimately result in the realization that one cannot escape karma—though in meeting it, one need not abandon spectacle or beauty.
The production also pays homage to Kennedy Theatre’s 60th drama season, encapsulating a century of kabuki tradition in Hawai‘i. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Friday (April 19) and Saturday (April 20) and 2 p.m. Sunday (April 21), repeating April 25, 27 and 28.
Free pre-show chats, at 6:45 p.m. prior to the Saturday performances, explore the deep, cultural tapestry of kabuki, Japan’s notable performance art.
A unique aspect of the rehearsal process is that the entire cast first learned the entire play in Japanese to comprehend the proper tone and rhythm of the language in which it is traditionally performed. Indeed, the cadence and the line-delivery in kabuki is unlike western theater. Thereafter the cast devoted months to applying that tone and rhythm to the English translation, so that the performances at Kennedy could be in English, a convenience for most.
Karese Kaw-uh is Benten in the milestone kabuki production at Kennedy Theatre Photo by Christine Lamborn.
MFA theatre candidate Karese Kaw-uh, performing in one of the play’s starring roles, says “To be able to learn from [the masters] in this capacity, it’s nothing like I would have ever experienced elsewhere before. It’s a little nerve-racking but also more than that, it’s a chance to grow.” Kaw-uh made the move to Hawai‘i to pursue her master’s degree after learning about UHM’s internationally recognized Asian Theatre Program.
Staging an English-language kabuki production stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of this art form in the islands, a timeless and arduous endeavor tapping award-winning professional kabuki actors who come from Japan to mentor a dedicated cast, an immersive learning experience tapping all elements of the tradition, from movement to costuming, from makeup to music, that pays homage to the kabuki tradition with deep roots in Japan and now also embedded in Hawaii.
Thus, this endeavor and art form now can be shared with the esteemed island performing ensemble and the curious spectators.
UHM Theatre Professor Julie A. Iezzi leads the collaborative efforts of several kabuki masters, students, and local artists, to create a seamless project that retains the spectacular celebration of kabuki’s charm, appeal, and timeless significance.
“More than what the play itself explores, my focus is on what the process for those involved explores,” says Iezzi. “It is a very different approach to acting, rehearsing, and music—so all the students involved are having to let go of old patterns and trust other modes of learning.”
Since last fall, the UH Department of Theatre & Dance invited several kabuki artists to mentor students in preparation for the play. “They are the masters, so it is absolutely critical that students learn directly from the source rather than through videos and secondhand information,” Iezzi says. “We’re really fortunate that they are willing to come here and work so diligently and for so long with our students.”
Assisting the students are award-winning kabuki actor Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII, two of his apprentices, Ichikawa Takisho, and Ichikawa Utaki, in addition to Ichikawa Komazō XI – a fourth actor joining this April.
Born into one of the oldest acting lineages in kabuki theatre, Monnosuke is an eighth-generation actor in a familial line that traces its roots to kabuki in 1713. Through an interpreter, Monnosuke says, “Something that I would like students to learn from this kabuki project is, first of all, the charm and appeal of kabuki as an art form. It is often said that meaningful experiences nurture budding aspirations, so I want them to experience that from this process.”
In addition to the four actors, kabuki percussionist Kashiwa Senjirō conducted an intensive residency in February. Wig master Nagano Isamu and costume expert Oguri Sachie also conducted workshops during the fall and spring semesters, working closely with the students and faculty behind the scenes.
The musical tapestry of “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves” is woven with precision, creating an immersive sonic experience that is integral to the kabuki tradition. Under the guidance of Honolulu-born shamisen musician and guest artist Kineya Sakio (Bryson Teruo Goda), and UH kabuki percussion veterans Kenny Endo and Professor Kirstin Pauka, the production’s live ensemble composed of UHM students, faculty, and community members, brings the traditional sounds of kabuki to life. The ensemble, featuring 12 musicians backstage, provides a captivating cinematic soundscape that breathes in unison with the actors and the stage action.
There’s another historic milestone ahead for “Benten:” At the invitation of the Gifu Prefectural Government and the Minō Kabuki Preservation Society, this centennial UH English-language kabuki will be the first UH kabuki to perform in Japan, the birthplace of kabuki. These “homecoming” (satogaeri) performances will be at the Seiryu-za (Gifu City) on June 1, and the historic Aioi-za (Mino City) on June 2, 2024.
Tickets: $8 to $25, unreserved seating; $8 for UHM Student with current valid ID, $15 for non-UHM student/youth; $22 for UH faculty/staff, military, seniors; $25 for other adults;) available at manoa.hawaii.edu/liveonstage/benten or ktbox@hawaii.edu or at (808) 956-7655.
One of Broadway’s popular hit shows, “Newsies: The Musical” will be staged by the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation, from Aug. 9 through 25 at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College.
The Disney musical is dance-centric, requiring a company of agile, energetic, and tireless youths who are orphaned and homeless in lower Manhattan, and deals with a newsboy’s dream of seeking a better world and life, challenged by pay issues and dwindling circulation of the New York World tabloid newspaper.
Auditions will be held at 6 p.m. June 17 and 18 at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College, with callbacks set for 6:30 p.m. June 19. While key roles require singing and dancing, the production also has non-singing roles.
The show features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman and a book by Harvey Fierstein and is based on the 1992 film of the same name.
Inspired by an actual newsboys strike in New York City in 1899, the stage show – and Fierstein’s script — is adapted from the film screenplay by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White.
The musical, which ran on Broadway from 2012 to 2014, glorifies teens who hawked newspapers, who go on strike because of disagreements with the publisher, and features such characters as Jack Kelly, the principal 17-year-old news boy, and Joseph Pulitzer, the read-life newspaper tycoon.
Rehearsals begin June 24. While performances are set from Aug. 4 through 25, extensions are possible but would likely be within the time frame of the playdates and won’tgo beyond Aug. 25.
A bit of “Hamilton” – and Hawaii – took the limelight in Washington, D.C. last Thursday (April 11).
Lin-Manuel Miranda (left) the creator who originated the Hamilton role, introduced a mini-cast of Hamiltonian actors to perform “Dear Theodesia,” at a congressional event observing the first anniversary of the Jan.6 insurrection at the State Capitol.
And amid the performers was Hawaii’s Joseph Morales (right) joined by Edred Utomi, Jamael Westman, Julius Thomas III, Pierre Jean Gonzalez, , Miguel Cervantes, Nicholas Christopher, Josh Tower, and Jared Dixon.
Morales, like a few of the participating troupers, has performed the role originated by Miranda, notably in touring companies of the beloved musical.
“Dear Theodosia” is a three-minute tune from Act 1 of “ Hamilton,” the show based on the life of Alexander Hamilton, which premiered on Broadway in 2015, and continues to be a hot ticket. …
Broadway grosses, for week ending April 7
Three long-running musicals continue to top the Broadway tally, with grosses more than $2 million.
One musical, “Cabaret,” still is in previews, debuts on the chart, amassing $1.5 million.
The Top 10:
1—”The Lion King,” $2,632 million.
2—”Wicked,” $2,400 million.
3—”Hamilton,” $2,054 million.
4—”Aladdin,” $1,866 million.
5—”MJ the Musical,” $1,687 million.
6—“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,”
7—”Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1,529 million.
8—“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,428 million.
9—”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1,382 million.
10—”Back to the Future: The Musical,” $1,355 million.
