The Hula Mooners include Cora Lei Rivera,
Cyndi Mayo Souza and Ray Bumatai.

Top of the Hill has many of the same attributes - plate-lunch food, mishmash decor, coffee shop ambience, and local-style entertainment as an added attraction. Two attractions actually, since the inimitable Richard Natto proceeds Bumatai's "Hula Mooners."

Natto proves himself as one of Honolulu's great underrated talents, capable of romantic crooning or manic dramatics. Quick wit adds further to his set. He also provides musical interludes for "The Hula Mooners," Bumatai's reworking of the classic Jackie Gleason sitcom.

It's a credit to Bumatai's perception as a writer that he doesn't plunder any of the arch phrases popularized by the prototypical Gleason series. Nor does he affect the tediously exaggerated pidgin some local writers indulge in.

The episode is a one-joker with a sugarcoated message. Tour bus driver Rocco Kanuha (Bumatai) is suffering from impotence following the death of his best friend. He finally calls the clinic and arranges for a house call (this is comedy, remember?).

What Rocco doesn't know is that wife Venus (Cyndi Mayo Souza) has called a plumber to unplug the kitchen sink. When a man shows up at the Kanuha apartment and asks Rocco if he's got trouble with his pipes ... get the picture?

That climactic scene is an example of comic confusion that probably predates Vaudeville. The episode continues, however, and devolves into a subplot involving the plumber (Bruce Hale) and the Kanuhas' ditsy stereotypical Filipina friend, Trini (Cora Lei Rivera). It eventually becomes a parable on the impact of repressed grief.

Bumatai proves an accomplished actor in both dramatic and comic modes. Mayo Souza is consistently effective in the difficult role of his foil; the chemistry between them adds considerably to the show.

Hale also meshes smoothly with Bumatai as the goofy plumber-philosopher. Rivera is a crowd-pleaser in a stock stereotypical role.

The $15 cover seems the biggest obstacle to success since most island residents are still victims of the stagnant "Thumbs Up, Hawai 'i!" economy.

All going well, Bumatai should succeed nonetheless in creating a durable neighborhood showcase for local cabaret theater.

What: The Hula Mooners in "Never Play with Matches"
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Where: Top of the Hill, 3579 Waialae Ave.
Cost: $15 cover
Call: 735-7828