By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
Jim Nakamoto, left, and Rachel Funk watch rehearsals
of the McKinley production that has turned into
a tribute to Nakamoto.
Thank you,
Mister Nakamoto
McKinley's alumni honor
By Nadine Kam
the man who introduced them
to the stage
Assistant Features Editor
Star-BulletinJim Nakamoto's childhood version of "cowboys and Indians" wasn't quite the same game everyone else grew up playing. Nope, it wasn't just an excuse to run, whoop 'n' holler and shoot off wisps of smoke from a cap gun. It was grand theater, with a cast of good guys and bad guys whose moves were choreographed to demise or victory.
In his uncle's back yard, Nakamoto didn't need Shakes-peare to tell him all the world's a stage. Many a leaf or scrap of paper was exchanged for admission to one of his neighborhood productions.
The young Nakamoto grew up to found the McKinley Theatre Group at McKinley High School, where he staged musicals and dramas, ranging from Greek tragedy to avant-garde productions, from 1966 to 1985.
During that time, the 1,200-seat auditorium slowly deteriorated. Its curtains were torn, seats were missing, and although funds were promised for upkeep, nothing happened. Discouraged, Naka-moto gave up the drama program before retiring in 1988.
Nearly 10 years later, the newly refurbished McKinley Auditorium reopens Saturday with a reunion show full of encore performances of musical numbers and acts performed at the high school through the years.
As before, Jim Nakamoto will be at the show's helm. Perfor-mances will include "Maria" and "Gee, Officer Krupke" from "West Side Story," "Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha" and "Climb Every Mountain" from "The Sound of Music."
But what started as stage christening exercise and multiclass drama reunion, has largely become a tribute to the man who made many a starry-eyed kid's dream come true.
"If it wasn't for him, I woulda quit high school," said James Grant Benton, who went on to form the comedy troupe Booga Booga and act - not just act up - on community stages and television.
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
F.L. Cabacungan belts out "It Takes a Woman," from "Dolly,"
during rehearsals at McKinley High School.
To thank his teacher, Benton invited him to lunch the day after his Class of '67 graduation."I jumped into his Datsun," Nakamoto recalled, "and I asked, 'Where are we going? Around the corner?' But he kept going and going and pretty soon we were going through the Pali Tunnel, all the way to Crouching Lion. So that's where we had lunch. It was such a treat!"
William Ha'o, now a stage actor in New York, said that when he met Nakamoto, "I couldn't speak. I had a stammer problem."
He was on his way to sign up for classes at the speech department but they were full, and his friend Benjamin Lum, now a TV and film actor in Los Angeles, was anxious to go to an audition for "Peter Pan."
Ha'o had no intention of auditioning, but when he got there he was so moved by the singing that he tried out for the chorus and discovered a singing voice he never thought he had. He was cast as a reptile, and looking back, he says, "After that summer I never stammered again.
"A lot of us are coming back because of Mr. Nakamoto and the McKinley Theatre Group," Ha'o said. "It's great. It's not like professional theater in a sense, but it's so full of love."
Rehearsals - held over a two-month period - have the feel of a party, rather than work, with lots of laughter and ribbing. The cast was supposed to be off-script two weeks ago, but as of Thursday, half the singers still depended on their lyric sheets.
No matter. "It's always worked out in the past, so we just believe it'll work again,"said Rachel Funk (class of '80) who worked for CNN and now is a practitioner and instructor in bio-magnetic touch healing.
George Hanazawa (class of '78), who opted for a career with the federal government rather than show biz, is expecting the audience will be a friendly one, anyway. "What makes this show special is that my kids will get to see me perform."
Hanazawa again felt the rush of camaraderie and competition that came with auditioning for specific songs. "We were, like, show us your stuff now! We all wanted something good, and you know, for a few days we could keep up with the pros. But after three or four days, our voices would be hoarse. The pros - their voices are trained - they can keep going day after day. That's why they pretty much have all the leads."
The auditorium today has an impressive control room, but Hanazawa remembers when, as a student, he had to direct the lighting from back stage with no visual cues.
"We pretty much had to listen for cues, certain words. We only found out what happened after the show. That's when we'd get scoldings if we didn't do it right."
Other innovations in the auditorium include air-conditioning and showers. "Before, we had to spray ourselves with water hoses outside," Hanazawa said.
The dressing rooms were renovated, but Hanazawa salvaged the drawers. "Those drawers were filled with all our graffiti, going back years and years. We'd always look at the names and be in awe. We always wondered what happened to this person and that person."
Hanazawa hopes to give the drawers back to the school at a time they can be displayed.
Bringing the alumni back for productions is nothing new for Nakamoto. He did it throughout his teaching years to expose his students to theater. Ha'o recalls seeing "Man of La Mancha" and looking up to Benton.
"He was our hero. He commanded the stage. I said, 'I want to act like this guy.' "
Funk said, "It was the same down the line. William saw Jimmy, Kevin Wong saw William, who came back to play Judas in 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' and I saw Byron Ono in 'West Side Story' and was inspired."
"Jim inspired everyone here," said Amos Kotomori, who runs his own production company for print, video and film, and shies away from revealing his graduation year.
Kotomori is helping with props and sets, and said, "If Jim has a wish list, everyone jumps through hoops to make it happen."
It's a small gesture, Kotomori said, to repay the teacher who "taught us that we are all special in a different way.
"It's a tribute to a teacher that we've become successful in our own way, just by having someone believe in us, to make us feel that every dream, every wish is attainable - feeling like a star, it's irresistible."
Yet, the man who inspired students for nearly 20 years can't recall any individual who sparked his love for theater. He did some acting at the University of Hawaii and for Honolulu Theatre for Youth, but always preferred to be behind-the-scenes.
"I don't remember going to plays; they didn't have any when I was a kid. But I love to direct people, tell them what to do," Nakamoto said. "I was always trying to get people to put on productions when I was growing up. It would start with elaborate story-telling sessions.
"I think it stemmed from the movies, the idea of people being able to create something interesting and spectacular.
"I never thought I was inspiring anyone. It's embarrassing (to get this attention) because I never thought of it that way. I was just doing my job as a teacher."
Just Once in Our Lifetime
Starring: Alumni of the McKinley Theatre Group.
