Princess meets pea, local style
By Dawn Sagario
Star-BulletinIN the dimmed lights of the Diamond Head Theatre, the shrill, pidgin-tinted voice of a servant girl screeches out: "Natan! Did you eat da pupus I made foa da reception?"
"Oh, wuz dose foa da reception?" replies a male servant. "Oh, sorry ah? I neva know. But dey (motioning to two pirates standing nearby) wen eat 'em too!"
Replies one of the swashbucklers incredulously, "Poop? I would never have eat'n it, if I knew that."
"Not POOP! PUPUS!" another servant exclaims.
With this spirited exchange, Lisa Matsumoto's play, "The Princess and the Iso Peanut," set to debut tomorrow, begins its journey into the realm of East meets West, chronicling what happens when traditional meets local.
The production takes the general premise of the classic fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea," and puts a spin on it. With its pidgin-speaking characters, Hawaiian-print clothing and the mish-mash of ethnic customs we've come to label as "local," "Iso Peanut" is an original story in its own right.
THE PRINCESS AND THE ISO PEANUT
On stage: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, though Aug. 1
An added cast of rambunctious pirates and singing sailors gives the famous tale new life as typical storybook characters intertwine with original personalities locals can relate to.
"It's almost like its own fairy tale," said Matsumoto, who is the writer and director, as well as an actress, in the play.
"Iso Peanut" starts with an unhappy Prince Yoshi of the Yamamoto Kingdom sitting apart from the festivities at his 21st birthday party. At the same time, an equally melancholy Princess Alexis is amidst merrymaking in Allyria, where everyone else is rejoicing her upcoming marriage to Prince Gregory of Avalon.
Matsumoto said both prince and princess have found little joy in their material wealth.
They sense that there is something more out there than the gifts they have received.
Allyria and Yamamoto are total opposites, with Allyria representing the standard fantasy of riches -- women bedecked with jewels, in full gowns covered with glitter, lace and sequins, and men dressed in ruffled shirts, velvet coats and stockings. Everyone here speaks "straight" English.
Prince Yoshi's home is the epitome of laid-back, Hawaiian-style living, complete with a king dressed "down" in rubber slippers, white tank top and Japanese-print boxer shorts. Aloha wear is the norm, and pidgin flows freely.
Queens Yumiko (of Yamamoto) and Alana (of Allyria) narrate the story of how these individuals from two different worlds overcome numerous trials to find love and happiness.
"They each try to learn each other's language," Matsumoto said. "And at the end they understand each other."
The idea of existing in harmony without having to give up your identity is the message she hopes to convey to the audiences who come to see the play.
"It's about celebrating differences rather than saying you have to be like me," said Roslyn Catrachia, who plays Queen Alana and was the songwriter and musical director responsible for "Iso Peanut's" 25 original songs.
The characters come to realize that meeting halfway, through accepting their differences, yields positive results.
Matsumoto has been writing and producing plays since "Once Upon One Time" in 1991. She is noted for her local plays with pidgin themes.
She says she enjoys finding local parallels in traditional fairy tales.
"A lot of fairy tales have 'Big Bad Wolves' and we don't have that in Hawaii. It's fun to adapt fairy tales so that Hawaii's keiki can relate to them," she said.
Such is the case with "Iso Peanut." Matsumoto said the pea's counterpart needed to be something local and Japanese. "The Iso peanut was the first thing that came to mind."
Bryan Yamasaki, who plays Prince Yoshi, said Matsumoto made theater accessible to local audiences. "A lot of local people, they think they're not into this scene," he said. "A lot of our dads, this is the only time they step in here to see a show. ...
"They enjoy hearing people speak how they speak."
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