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COUNT ‘EM: 4 NEWBIES AT MVT

If It’s new that you want, Manoa Valley Theatre’s 2024-25 season, launching in September, boasts four premieres.

At a glance, here’s what at stake in a longish summary of MVT’s season: An opera company undergoes  a madcap quest for a soprano (new); a Caribbean romp has roots in “The Little Mermaid;” an examination of the depth of the U.S. Constitution brings on history of life (new); a man on trial for a crime he didn’t commit enthralls a Georgia town (new), a visit to a Korean-run convenience store is a microcism of life(new), and a tuneful tribute to Broadway’s beloved composer Stephen Sondheim hit all the right notes.

The rundown:

  • ”Lend Me a Soprano,” playing Sept. 12 to 28–It’s a take-off of Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor” comedy, equally  side-splitting, manic farce, about the misadventures of a hapless opera company attempting to find replacement operatic soprano, amid a tangled web of mistaken identities. A Hawaii premiere.
  • “Once on This Island,” Nov. 14 to Dec. 8 – A mystical fairytale, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, set in the exotic Caribbean and based on the fairy tale of “The Little Mermaid,” nominated for eight Tony Awards.
  • “What the Constitution Means to Me,” Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, 2025 – Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking drama is achingly funny, filled with hope and life, tracking four generations of women whose lives have been shaped by the historic document. A Hawaii premiere.
  • “Parade,” March 20 to April 6  2025 – A powerful and poignant musical, with book  by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, A dramatization, with music, of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching of Jewish American   Leo Frank in Georgia –an exploration of law and disorder of a tragic crime he did not commit.  Tony winner in its original run in 1999 and Best Revival of a Musical in 2023. A Hawaii premiere. (Note: closing date not listed in above, in the MVT graphic).
  • “Kim’s Convenience,” May 17 to June 8  -– Ins Choi’s heartwarming and  hilarious award-winning comedy, about a Korea family running a 7-Eleven-type convenience store, enjoying the hustle and bustle of life. A feel-good ode to generations of immigrants blending in with everyday shoppers that form a microcosm of culture, community, and family in the daily pulse of life. A Hawaii premiere.
  •  “Side by Side by Sondheim,” July 17 to 27 2025—A musical celebration of the prolific musical genius Stephen Sondheim, Broadway, beloved as greatest composers of songs and lyrics, whose scores and tunes are iconic staples on the Great White Way. Nominated for five Tonys and Olivier Award winner for Best Musical

Season seat renewals are underway through ApriL 15; new subsribers and single-sale tickets will be available soon. Details: (808) 988-6131.

Hana hou for ‘Happily Eva Afta’

Lisa Matsumoto’s pidgin English comedy, “Happily Eva Afta, with music by Roslyn Catracchia, will be staged on June 27 through July 4, at the Kaimuki Performing Arts Center.

It features the perennial characters, like The Wicke Queen, Da Six Menehune, and Hauna and Tantaran, among others. Tickets range from $30 to $46. Information: (808) 988-6131…

Tucker will be honored at ‘Manoa Marquee’

“Manoa Marquee,” Manoa Valley Theatre’s annual fundraising gala, will be staged March 30 at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.


The event is sold out, but 24 lanai seats – in the beachfront lanai of the Pink Palace – are available, at $300 a person.

The gala will honor Alice Tucker, pIctured left, who now is marking her 50th year as an MVT board member. Tireless and sprightly, Tucker is the longest-serving board member, and a theater buff extraordinaire. I met her several years ago, when I served on the MVT board of directors, and she now resides at Kahala Nui, after rain-caused floods damaged her Aina Haina home.

Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. will precede a 7 p.m. dinner. A silent auction will be held on the hotel’s Ocean Lawn.

Entertainment will be provided by Gunhild Carling & the Carling Family Band.

Details:  (808) 988-6131 or www.manoavalleytheatre.com …

Broadwayu grossees for week ending March 17

And that’s Show Biz…

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SIGNS THAT EASTER’S A-COMING

Found some wooden cut-outs online, and fastened them to those acrylic photo snapshots, 4 by 6 inch size.

Voila: bright seasonal howdy-do’s, suitable for placement on the check-in counters at the offices.

My doctors have been so helpful in my recovery, from last August’s hospitalization to a Jan. 5 surgery, and these were simply random thank you’s to them.

Happy Easter, y’all!

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SOUPER DINING: OX TAIL VS. TURKEY NECK?

Don’t ask me why, but I never developed a taste for a local favorite, ox tail soup.

Yet I’m eager and ready to slurp through the turkey tail soup that’s on the Zippy’s menu periodically, through the end of March.

When you think about, the textures are the same with oxtail and turkey neck. There’s flesh on the tailbone of an ox as well as the neck of a turkey. Chunks of boney pieces are in a broth that’s similar; with peanuts, cilantro, star anise, and mushroom. The order comes with grated ginger, and I dash it with shoyu.

That said, I ordered the turkey neck soup last  week, remembering it was among the specials this month. I must remember to order it again before it trots off the menu.

Disclosure: I get two meals from the generous serving, mostly because these days, I tend to eat less, enjoy more, when dining. It’s been part of my post-surgery habit.

Have thoughts to share on this ox tail vs, turkey neck soup?

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THREE HOURS WITH CAZIMERO

Robert Cazimero’s 75th birthday celebration last night (March 20) at Chef Chai’s was an unprecedented three-hour serenade, characterized by a spectrum of melodies  by the maestro of the keyboard.

The champagne flowed, which fueled the formidable mini-marathon, and the vocals prompted impromptu and voluntary hula, validating the local custom of getting up and dancing, if you know the particular number. So, a continuous wave of hula brothers and sisters  – solo, or perhaps up to seven or eight — joined the celebratory, mesmerizing moments.

And lei. Plenty of lei were bestowed on Cazimero, nearly burying him head-deep in fragrant pikake and pua keni keni,  making him look like a Kamehameha Schools chap on graduation day.

Naturally, his output of tunes – Hawaiian, pop classics, even kid-time numbers – made him appear like a human jukebox, minus the coins needed to fuel the music. This was, emphatically, a command performance before a loyal crowd, mostly of folks who’ve followed him concerts large and small. Cazimero might have stayed till midnight, but the non-stop three-hour session set a record.

 

And since we’ve reviewed his shows regularly in recent months, we’ll resort to sharing instead a modest gallery of those who danced. And if you know the restaurant’s setting, the aisles are not ideal for dancing, or photographing.

Happy birthday, Robert…may you have more joyous years of serenading. And mahalo, Chai Chaowasaree, for providing Robert a monthly showcase…

And that’s Show Biz…

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DHT ANNOUNCES 2024-25 SEASON

Diamond Head Theatre’s 2024-25 season will offer a potpourri of shows, including one Hawaii premiere, a Christmas favorite, musical revivals with timeless and traditional plots and tunes,  a splashy kid-centric cartoon  production, and a textbook play on how to prepare for a stage role.

The season begins Sept. 20 and “builds on DHT’s tradition of artistic excellence with fresh energy and innovative theatrical storytelling…and offers entertainment for all ages, from keiki to kupuna,” said Trever Tamashiro, Diamond Head’s executive director, in a statement.

Productions run for three weeks, with performances Thursdays through Sundays, including weekend matinees. Extension playdates are added, when there is a demand.

The lineup includes:

“Honeymoon in Vegas,” a musical with a book by Andrew Bergman and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, based on a 1992 film of the same name. Jack Singer promises his dying mother he’d never marry but falls in love with Betsy Nolan. They elope to Las Vegas but a charming gambler, Tommy Korman, threatens to steal Betsy away, leading to a madcap adventure including a romp to Hawaii. Opens Sept. 20.

“White Christmas,” a musical  based on a 1954  Paramount film, with book by  David Ives and Paul Blake, and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. A tale of  two veterans, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who had a successful song-and-dance act after World War II, who seek and follow two singing sisters at a Vermont lodge owned by the soldiers’ Army commander. Features Berlin’s trademark tune, “White Christmas,” plus “Blue Skies,” “I Love A Piano,” and “How Deep Is the Ocean.” Opens Nov. 22.

“Master Class,” written by Terrence McNally, a textbook lesson on how Maria Callas conducted a master class to bolster an audition. Rich with theatrical nuggets, about a soprano, Sophie, who selects a challenging aria, and details of Callas’s famous affair with Aristotle Onassis and struggles with her own career. Opens Jan. 24.

“Grease,” the teen musical best known for the 1978 film hit co-starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, based on a  a screenplay by Bronté Woodard and an adaptation by co-producer Allan Carr, inspired by the stage musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.  Set in 1959 at Rydell High, greaser Danny Zuko and new-girl-in-town  Sandy Dumbrowski flourish amid the travails of the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies. With jukebox hits like “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” and “You’re the One That I Want,” this is the soundtrack for teenhood. Opens March 21, 2025.

“Man of La Mancha,”  the  beloved musical inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote” novel, with book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, who gave the world “The Impossible Dream” anthem. Set during the Spanish Inquisition, the musical finds Cervantes and his fellow prisoners staging a play about the elderly Alonso Quijana, who becomes the idealistic knight Don Quixote on a quest to right the world’s wrongs. Windmills matter, too.  Opens May 23, 2025.

“SpongeBob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical,” the undersea spectacle based on the animated Nickelodeon series, where SpongeBob lives. With book by Kyle Jarrow and music by Steven Tyler, Sara Bareilles, Panic! and  Plain White T’s. The mission at hand for the denizens of the deep is to save Bikini Bottom from a looming volcanic eruption. So SpongeBob finds unity with his buddies Patrick, Sarah, Squidward and Mr. Krabs to save Bikini Bottom. For the young and young at heart. Opens July 18, 2025.

Season subscribers can renew seats for the forthcoming season, with tickets available for $162. Renewing subscriptions will guarantee seats for subscription holders before subscriptions and sales are offered to the general public.

To become a subscriber, visit diamondheadtheatre.com or call the box office at (808) 733-0274…

MGM Resorts debunk Bruno’s debt rumors

Bruno Mars pictured below, doesn’t owe millions in gambling debt to MGM Resorts — despite what a recent report claimed — according to TMZ.

A rep for MGM Resorts International has told the website that singer Mars doesn’t have a $50 million gambling tab on the books with them, calling the allegation “completely false.”

In fact, the Las Vegas resort  remains excited to continue to collaborate with the Grammy winner again in the future. Didn’t quite believe the rampant rumor that Mars would be the gambling kind who walked away from a debt.

 “We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers,” the hotel/casino said in a statement. “From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe. MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false.”…

And that’s Show Biz…