ON STAGE
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Stephanie Kuroda, center, is a complicated Snow White who isn't so dissimilar from her nemesis, the Wicked Queen (Dusty Behner, right). Junior Tesoro, as one of the dwarfs, watches on warily.
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Lucky 7 (plus one hunter)
Junior Tesoro suffers from a touch of multiple personality disorder these days. He plays all seven dwarfs in Honolulu Theatre for Youth's production of "Snow White." And he's the hunter, too.
'Snow White'
Place: Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew's Cathedral
Opening night: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Continuing: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 23. Sign-language performance, 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23
Tickets: $16; $8 children and seniors
Call: 839-9885 or visit www.htyweb.org
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"The challenge is to showcase all of the different personalities in a short period of time," Tesoro said.
The split-personality deal is nothing new to Tesoro. In "Konatown Musicians," he played all the human characters, including a few farmers, a surf dude, a hunter, a thief and a policeman.
"The process of figuring out how to do these things is the fun part," he said.
Tesoro will wear the same costume -- a nose, hat and cape -- for all seven little guys. A change in vocal quality and movement will distinguish the characters.
In the Disney animated film, "all of the seven dwarfs were endearing," he said. "Everyone loves those dwarfs."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Junior Tesoro plays all seven dwarves in Honolulu Theatre for Youth's updated version of "Snow White." To distinguish each dwarf, whom are given numbers instead of names, he uses distinct voices and facial expressions.
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But don't expect Sleepy, Dopey and the rest of that gang in HTY's production. These dwarfs won't even have official names -- just numbers. But Tesoro assures that all seven are interesting:
No. 1 is the leader, No. 2 is a flowery neat freak, No. 3 is fat and cheerful, No. 4 is goofy and happy-go-lucky, No. 5 is grumpy but enjoys writing ballads, No. 6 is the romantic and No. 7 -- well, he is always a step behind.
At first, Tesoro tried using different noses and hats to distinguish the dwarfs. "It took too much time -- the pauses were too long."
For his various portrayals he's turned to animals for inspiration. For the romantic No. 6, for example, he chose the giraffe. "The giraffe has a long neck and is always trying to reach out."
Playwright Hester Kamin is updating the story, making Snow White much smarter than in traditional portrayals. She's definitely not a passive princess, but vain, with traits similar to her evil stepmother. Harry Wong III will direct the cast of Stephanie Kuroda as Snow White, Dusty Behner as the queen and Tesoro as the dwarfs and the hunter.
"Good thing the hunter and the dwarfs are not in the same scene," Tesoro said.
COURTESY HONOLULU THEATRE FOR YOUTH
Tesoro also plays the hunter, in photo at far right, alongside Stephanie Kuroda's Snow White.
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