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HTY wraps up season’s joys
By John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinSHOPPING for Christmas presents, anticipating Christmas presents, opening Christmas presents, visiting relatives and lighting a menorah are among the holiday experiences shared in "HTY's Holiday Wrappings," the colorful year-end play presented in Tenney Theatre by Honolulu Theatre for Youth.
Going to church for Christmas services doesn't figure in the HTY production. Jesus Christ, namesake of the Christmas season and recipient of the gifts that inspired the Christmas gift tradition, is mentioned in a story about a local boy (BullDog) who helps with his relatives' nativity scene during a visit to Minnesota.
Families looking for colorful and clean entertainment can put their own spin on Christmas when the show is over. The kids will enjoy this.
HTY artistic director Mark Lutwak, playwright Y York, author Gary Pak, and the cast -- Beth Bogdon, BullDog, Sharon Garcia and Bruce Hale -- pooled their experiences in putting it together. The committee-written show is all-inclusive -- island-born kids and immigrants alike will find plenty to relate to.
Holiday Wrappings: At 4:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11; Tenney Theatre. Tickets: $10 adults, $7.50 for students with ID, $5 for ages 3-12 and 60 and up; under 3 free, but a ticket is needed. Call 839-9885.
BullDog does a particularly fine job playing the boy who goes to Minneapolis for the first time. BullDog gives a convincing performance. The story is cute yet sounds true to life.
Hale is featured as an immigrant from the mainland who must first adapt to local customs and then to Christmas without snow. Hale returns as narrator of a story about two brothers who decide to sneak a peek -- and another, and another -- at a special present before Christmas. He is an engaging protagonist both times.
Bogdon tells of growing up in an interfaith family where the holiday traditions of her Jewish father and Christian mother competed for attention. Garcia is featured in a story about shopping for family presents at a thrift shop.
Several of the tales have comic twists. One is about a girl who wants a carpentry set. Another is a pidgin piece set in the plantation era when even a quarter or a piece of fruit was a gift to treasure.
HTY musical director Lina Jeong Doo adds everything from light pop tunes to hula and a capella rap. The musical numbers add variety and increase the visual impact while giving younger kids a chance to let off steam during the show. A rendition of "Numbah One Day Of Christmas" is more than a sing-along for the kids. The cast holds up large cards showing each of the items in turn and pulls off the quick changes in perfect sync.
Some of the stories are more than simple kids tales. Several involve situations in which parents unobtrusively help kids do the right thing, avoid embarrassment, or dodge the results of unwise decisions. "HTY's Holiday Wrappings" also offers kids a chance to learn about themselves while being entertained.
A simple set dominated by a stylized Christmas tree defines the performance area. Keiki who bring a hand-made ornament to the show can add it to the set.
