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HONOLULU THEATRE FOR YOUTH Rell Sunn (Nara Springer Cardenas, right) bed surfing on the nose in HTY's production of "Queen of Makaha."

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As a glass ball floats

A play about the late Rell Sunn
offers inspiration in its
buoyant moments

The old saying "laughter is the best medicine" shines through in Honolulu Theatre for Youth's production of "Queen of Makaha."

Now showing "Queen of Makaha: Rell Sunn" is double-billed with Bryan Hiroshi Wake's "Eddie Would Go," presented by Honolulu Theatre for Youth and Kumu Kahua Theatre. Where: Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St. When: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through March 27 Admission: On Thursdays, $13 general; $11 for 62 and older; $5 for ages 3 to 12. Fridays to Sundays, $16 general; $13 for 62 and older; $10 for ages 3 to 12. Call: 536-4441

Nara Springer Cardenas, who portrays women's surfing pioneer Rell Sunn, shows Shelly (Ashley Larson), a young cancer patient she befriends, that laughter and a little imagination makes the healing journey more pleasant. The play dramatizes Sunn's stay at the M.D. Anderson clinic in Texas, where the surfer also underwent extensive chemotherapy treatments.

Anyone who has been around someone with cancer will be able to relate to the characters and the turmoil that goes along with dealing with a life-threatening illness.

At an early school performance at Nanakuli High and Intermediate School, hundreds of students sauntered in to take their seats, many appearing uninterested. By the end of the performance, they were engaged, offering much laughter and applause.

Larson's character is eccentric, bringing a different pair of shoes to wear every day while undergoing treatment. Sunn teases her about using shoes as a calendar, but Shelly isn't interested in opening up or making friends.

Janice Terukina, who plays Sunn's friend Carole, kept the performance lighthearted with her wit and humor. She told stories of Sunn losing her bikini bottom, saving a large Samoan man who caught a cramp when she was a lifeguard, and the tale of how they met, fighting over a broken wooden clock at an antique shop. Audience members definitely should be able to connect with the overbearing tita.

Playwright Bryan Hiroshi Wake created an elegant balance between serious drama and comedy in a story full of detail, such as Sunn's relating the story of walking on the beach with her dad as a young girl when she found a glass ball. Her father explained that fishermen in Japan use them to keep their nets from sinking, tying them along the edge of their nets. She appeared mesmerized that one had broken away to bob alone through the ocean.

She described holding onto the ball during times of uncertainty, thinking about all the places it had been and how, in spite of being buffeted by currents and extreme conditions, it managed to stay in one piece.

Sunn also shares tales about Makaha with Shelly and teaches her how to surf in hospital beds that comprise the simple, intimate set.

Shelly's unpleasant relationship with her mother also makes Sunn evaluate her relationship with her own daughter.

The play inspired a sense of hope, depicting the effects of positive and negative attitudes in dealing with cancer.

The pair talk about their plans once they are discharged, what they would eat or the first place they would go, conversations that remind us of the beauty and simplicity of daily life that we often take for granted.

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Free events explore
plays’ backgrounds

Kumu Kahua Theatre is sponsoring two free events at the theater, examining some of the historical events and cultural legacies that arise in its current co-production with Honolulu Theatre for Youth, "Eddie Would Go" and "Queen of Makaha: Rell Sunn."

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Stuart Holmes Coleman, the author of "Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero," will talk about the challenges of writing a biography of such an important figure. Tom Pohaku Stone, Native Hawaiian surfer, waterman and scholar, will talk about the relationship between today's surf culture and traditional Hawaiian sports, and Kumu Kahua artistic director Harry Wong III will talk about the process of bringing "Eddie Would Go" to the stage. A scene from the production will be featured.

At 7:30 p.m. March 8, Mark Lutwak, artistic director of HTY, will describe the process of initiating the project and seeing the script through to production. Stone will talk about values, responsibilities and achievements associated with surfing in traditional and contemporary Hawaiian culture, and Wong will discuss the process of bringing "Queen of Makaha: Rell Sunn" to the stage. A scene from the drama will be featured.

For more information, call Kumu Kahua at 536-4441.