Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.

DHT Photo

Diamond Head Theatre opens its season
Sept. 15 with "Carousel."

Curtain call

The curtain rises
next Wednesday

ACT | DHT | HOT | HPU | HTY
Kennedy | Kumu Kahua | MVT

---

Star-Bulletin

The new theater season once again promises something for everyone. Among the highlights are a new comedy by Lee Cataluna for Kumu Kahua, the production of Philip Kan Gotanda's "Sisters Matsumoto" at Manoa Valley Theatre in November, and the full staging of Johann Wolfgang Goethe's "Faust," parts one and two, at Kennedy Theatre next April.

And of course, Hawaii loves musicals, and the theater groups oblige with the Hawaii debut of "Evita" at ACT in May; "Carousel," opening Diamond Head Theatre's season, which also includes "Victor/Victoria" and an encore performance of "Cinderella"; and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" at Manoa Valley Theatre.

The curtain rises next Wednesday with "Blood Wedding" at the Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, followed by the Aug. 31 debut of Cataluna's "Aloha Friday."

Be there, aloha.

HTY
Louis Hung, left, and Cat Gonzaga star as two
robbers on the loose in "The Amazing Bone."

On stage

 | | |

Army Community Theatre

Performances at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter, 438-4480 or 438-5320 or go online at alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/openstudio/act/ Tickets $12 and $15 for adults, keiki $6 and $8.

"State Fair" -- Rodgers & Hammerstein's musical follows the adventures of the Frake family who leave the farm routine for the Iowa State Fair in search of blue ribbons and romance.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7-9, 14-16, 21-23.

"Brigadoon" -- While Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas traverse a misty glen, a lift in the Highland veil reveals a village that comes into being for only one day in each century in this musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.

Performances: Nov. 16-18, 23-25, 30, Dec. 1-2.

"South Pacific" -- During World War II, on a South Pacific island, a middle-aged Frenchman, a young American nurse, Navy Seabees, friend of servicemen Bloody Mary and a lovely Polynesian girl go to Bali Ha'i, fall in love and encounter prejudice in this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.

Performances: Feb. 22-24, March 1-3, 8-10.

"Evita" -- The story of Eva Peron, actress, mistress and wife to Argentine dictator Juan Peron and saint on earth to Argentina's "shirtless ones," is told in this acclaimed musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Performances: May 10-12, 17-19, 24-26.

ACT Matinee Readers Theatre

Tickets: Adults $6 and $8

"The Whales of August" -- Hawaii premiere stars Shari Lynn, Richard Pellett, Jo Pruden and Martha Walstrum in a tale about three Maine sisters focusing on the momentous minutiae of their ordered, autumnal lives.

Performances: 2 p.m. Sept. 10, 17, 24.

"The Cripple of Inishmaan" -- Comedy/drama by Martin McDonagh unfolds on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland in 1934. A Hollywood director, Robert Flaherty, is coming to film and the young cripple Billy angles to play a part, if only to break away from the bitter tedium of his daily life.

Performances: Nov. 19, 26 and Dec. 3.

"How I Learned to Drive" -- The 1998 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, the Drama Desk Award, the Obie Award and the N.Y. Drama Critics Circle Award is a funny, surprising and devastating tale of survival as seen through the lens of a troubling, inappropriate relationship between a young girl, Li'l Bit, and an older man, her uncle by marriage.

Performances: Feb. 25 and March 4 and 11.

"The Young Man From Atlanta" -- In this 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Horton Foote, Lily Dale and Will Kidder cope with the death of their only son, Bill, who was unable to swim, but walked into a Florida lake and drowned. Lily Dale takes refuge in religion and takes comfort in grieving with Bill's roommate, a young man from Atlanta.

Performances: May 13, 20 and 27.

 | | |

Diamond Head Theatre

Performances at 520 Makapuu Ave. Call 734-0274. Tickets $10 to $40, with discounts for students, seniors and military.

"Carousel" -- Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stars Joseph Ricci as the hustling carnival barker Billy Bigelow, and Jennifer Cleve as Julie Jordan, the naive mill worker who marries him.

Performances: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sunday Sept. 15 to Oct.1.

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" -- A couple struggling to stage a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the most difficult kids in town, the Herdmans. Directed by Sheilah Sealey.

Performances: Dec. 1 to 17.

"Chess" -- Based on a book by Tim Rice and Richard Nelson, with music by Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson of Abba, the ancient game of chess becomes a metaphor for romantic rivalries, politics and international intrigue involving a loutish American chess star, his Russian adversary and a Hungarian-American woman.

Performances: Feb. 16 to March 4.

"Steel Magnolias" -- This comic tragedy revolves around a group of gossipy Southern women who work at and frequent a small-town beauty parlor.

Performances: March 30 to April 15.

"Victor/Victoria" -- In 1930s Paris, desperate out-of-work soprano Victoria Grant assumes the identity of Europe's greatest female impersonator Count Victor Grazinsky. Complications ensue when she/he falls in love with a visiting Chicago mobster.

Performances: May 18 to June 3.

"Cinderella" -- Melissa Short reprises the title role from last season's production which returns by popular demand.

Performances: July 6 to 22.

 | | |

Hawaii Opera Theatre

Performances at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Subscription orders will be taken until Jan. 22, with season prices set at $102 to $231. Call 596-7858.

"The Tales of Hoffman" -- In Luther's Tavern, the poet Hoffmann drinks and laments over his three lost loves: Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta. Each vignette is filled with darkness and light as the characters struggle to find happiness.

Performances : Feb. 2, 4 and 6.

"The Marriage of Figaro" -- Nothing is as it seems in this fast paced comedy. The Count yearns for Susanna, though she is in love with his valet, Figaro, who is being chased by the housekeeper. Intrigue, lust, love, and jealousy guide the actions of every character.

Performances: Feb. 16, 18 and 20.

"Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci" -- This is the tale of a jealous husband Canio, the hunchback Tonio, an unfaithful wife Nedda, and their troupe of performers. Fantasy and reality become blurred as the audience applauds the realistic performances and the actors whirl toward disaster.

Performances : March 2, 4, 6 and 8.

 | | |

Hawaii Pacific University

Performances at 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, 254-0853. Tickets: $12 general, $8 senior citizens, students and military.

"Kiss Me Kate" -- Based in part on Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew," this Tony Award-winning musical features witty, sophisticated lyrics and a score that represents Cole Porter at his best.

Performances : Nov. 10 to Dec. 10.

"Wild Wisdom" -- Jeanette Paulsen Hereniko relates her own life stories as an irrepressible woman who defies her family's efforts to mold her into their image of what a good daughter, wife and mother are supposed to be.

Performances: Feb. 10, 11, 17 and 18.

"Dark of the Moon" -- A witch boy is bewitched by a beautiful woman in this fantasy set in the Smoky Mountains.

Performances: April 6 to May 6.

 | | |

HTY photo
Pearl and Bone fight off a hungry fox in Honolulu
Theatre for Youth's "The Amazing Bone." From left
are Nara Springer, Cat Gonzaga and Herman Tesoro Jr.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth

At various theaters. Call 839-9885. Tickets: $10 adults, $7.50 for high school and college students with valid I.D., and $5 for keiki 3 to 12 and seniors 60 and older. Children under 2 admitted free with ticket.

"The Amazing Bone" -- A young pig with an active imagination adopts a magic talking bone that can imitate any sound in the universe. Together, they can face any dilemma. For ages 4 and up.

Performances: 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 30 and Oct. 7 at Leeward Community College.

"Fools and Monkey Tales: More Mixed Plate" -- Comprises four plays of Pacific lore by local writers Bruce Hale, Jason Kanda, Daniel A. Kelin II and Nora Okja Keller. For ages 7 and up.

Performances: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 and 28 at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter.

"Theatrefest 2000" -- Annual presentation of new plays by Pacific Young Playwrights, Hawaii teen writers working in collaboration with professional directors and designers. For ages 10 and up.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18 at Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew's Cathedral.

"Christmas Talk Story" -- A dozen local writers share their sweet, humorous, nostalgic and outrageous tales of Christmas, local-style. For ages 5 and up.

Performances: 2:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, 9 and 16 at Tenney Theatre.

"Pidg Latin" -- Yokanaan Kearns' tale is about a local boy who speaks only pidgin English, until he discovers Latin. Co-produced with Kumu Kahua. For ages 10 and up. Also with another Kearns' tale, "How Kitty Got Her Pidgin Back."

Performances: 8 p.m. Jan. 18-20, 25-27, Feb. 1-3, 8-10, 15-17, 2 p.m. Jan. 21, Feb. 4, 11 and 18.

"Afternoon of the Elves" -- A 4th grade girl is torn between friendship with the popular girls in school and the "weird" girl next door. Based on Taylor Lisle's Newbery Honor book. For ages 7 and up.

Performances: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. March 3, 10 and 17 at Leeward Community Theatre.

"Come and See the Peppermint Tree" -- Keiki searching for the peppermint tree run, skip, sing and dance in this play that invites participation. For ages 3 and up.

Performances: 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. April 28, May 5 and 12 at Ala Moana Park's McCoy Pavilion.

"Beyond the Falls" -- Gary Pak's tale is of a timid koi named Michio who is befriended by an old crayfish. For ages 4 and up.

Performances: 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. April 28, May 5 and 12 at Ala Moana Park's McCoy Pavilion.

 | | |

Kennedy Theatre
Frances Mamana, left, and Susanna Warfield star
in Kennedy Theatre's "Blood Wedding"
opening Wednesday.

Kennedy Theatre

On the Main Stage, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Tickets (except where noted): $12 regular, $9 seniors, military, UH faculty and staff, $6 non UHM students and children, $3 UHM students.

"No One Will Marry a Princess with a Tree Growing Out of Her Head" -- Musical fairy tale is about a princess who seeks to solve the riddle of the four winds. For ages 6 and older.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22, 23 and 30, 2 p.m. Oct. 1. Tickets $10, $8, $7, $3 for respective groups.

"La Bête (The Beast/The Fool)" -- A leader of an acting troupe must come to terms with his worst nightmare when his patron invites a swaggering street clown to join his company. A tribute to the comic genius of Molière.

Performances: 8 p.m. Nov. 10-11, 16-18; 2 p.m. Nov. 19. Also pre-show chats 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays offer insight into 17th century theater and French playwright Molière.

"Umbiak Mudo and the Magic Flute" -- Martial arts, songs and instrumental music, dance, acting and storytelling are combined in this tragic West Sumatran love story that unfolds amidst a backdrop of jungles, robbers and dangerous quests.

Performances: 8 p.m. Feb. 2-3, 8-10 and 2 p.m. Feb. 11.

"Faust I and II" -- One of the world's most enduring masterpieces, rarely staged in its entirety, requires 50 players to tell the story about a man who makes a pact with the devil mephistopheles. In the 21st century, Faust is the prototype of the hero who questions everything and is contemptuous of all who settle. Directed by Dennis Carroll.

Performances: "Faust Part I" 8 p.m. April 19 and 26; "Faust Part II" 8 p.m. April 20 and 27. One-day complete "Faust" cycles: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. April 21-22, 28-29. ($1 discount if purchasing tickets to both "Faust I and II."

"The African Tragedian" -- Los Angeles-based actor and director Robin Scott Peters offers a one-man tour de force honoring African-American actor Ira Aldridge, who became one of the most celebrated Shakespearean actors of the 19th century.

Performance: 8 p.m. Oct. 7.

Prime Time at Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Tickets: $9 regular, $7 for students, seniors, military and UH faculty and staff, $3 for UHM students with fall I.D. Call 956-7655.

"Blood Wedding" -- A true story of a would-be bride who deserts her husband-to-be the morning of their wedding to escape with her childhood sweetheart inspired this play by Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca.

Performances: 8 p.m. Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 and 2 p.m. Sept. 3.

"Machinal" -- Expressionists techniques are used to depict the plight of an Everywoman struggling to be an individual during the industrial revolution. Based on the murder trial of Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray.

Performances: 8 p.m. Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1, 2 and 2 p.m. Dec. 3.

"Pharoah's Daughters" -- Two daughters -- Angelina and Sarah Grimké -- of a South Carolina slaveholder become leading voices in the abolition and women's rights movements of the early 1800s, when it was sinful for women to speak in public.

Performances: 8 p.m. Feb. 21-23 and 2 p.m. Feb. 25.

Late Night at Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Tickets: $7 regular, $6 for students, seniors, military and UH faculty and staff, $3 for UHM students with fall I.D. Call 956-7655.

"Flipsides of Desire" -- Perceptions are challenged by a performance that takes place simultaneously before their eyes and behind a curtain. Will assumptions be borne out when given a chance to see the flipside?

Performances: 10:30 p.m. Sept. 22, 23 and 30.

"A Way Home" -- A woman is captured by a brutal gang whose rituals lead them into murderous frenzies, but she is able to express herself without violence and uses words to find her way home.

Performances: 11 p.m. Nov. 10-11 and 17-18.

 | | |

Kumu Kahua Theatre
Aunty Evangeline Pavao (Pemarina) is the star of
a hit cable TV show, "Use Up Da Milk Before He
Spoil," in Kumu Kahua's "Aloha Friday."

Kumu Kahua Theatre

Performances at 46 Merchant St., 536-4441. Season tickets $60 regular; $50 renewing subscribers. Individual tickets $15 general Fridays to Sundays; $12 for seniors and groups of 10; $10 for students and children. Admission $12 general on Thursdays; $10 for seniors and unemployed; $5 students.

"Aloha Friday" -- New comedy by Lee Cataluna focuses on employees of Kauai's Menehune Cable Vision, whose local-style work habits involving Hawaiian time and long lunches are about to change with the station is purchase by a mainland company.

Performances: 8 p.m. Aug. 31, Sept. 1-2, 7-9, 14, 16, 21-23, 28-30, 2 p.m. Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24 and Oct. 1.

"Dead of Night" -- Edward Sakamoto's drama illustrates the difficulty involved in unionizing labor in 1957 Hawaii, a process involving suspicion, mistrust, betrayal and violence.

Performances: 8 p.m. Nov. 2-4, 9-11, 16-18, 24-25 and 30, 2 p.m. Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26, Dec. 3.

"Pidg Latin" -- See Honolulu Theatre for Youth.

"Kupua: Two Traditional Hawaiian Stories of Shape-Shifters" -- Two works by Tammy Haili'opua Baker are "Ka 'Enuhe," the story of a man who becomes a large caterpillar by night, and "Ka Puhi a me Ka Loli," about an eel and sea cucumber who become handsome men at night and seduce a fisherman's two daughters. Both works feature original hula and chants commissioned by Kumu Kahua.

Performances: 8 p.m. March 15-16, 22-24, 29-31, April 5-7, 12-14, 2 p.m. March 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15.

"Love 3 Times" -- In this work by Vilsoni Hereniko, a 40-year-old Fijian man living in Honolulu returns to Fiji with his Caucasian wife and 14-year-old son from a previous marriage.

Performances: 8 p.m. May 17-19, 24-26, 31, June 1-2, 7-9, 14-16, 2 p.m. May 20, 27, June 3, 10, 17.

 | | |

Manoa Valley Theatre

At 2833 E. Manoa Road, 988-6131. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $22 for plays and $28 for musicals.

"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" -- 1996 off-Broadway musical revue celebrates the mating game with an odyssey through dating, marriage, childbirth, and ultimately, shows pickup techniques of the geriatric set.

Performances: Sept. 6 to 24.

"Sisters Matsumoto" -- Philip Kan Gotanda's drama follows the lives of three sisters who return from World War II's internment camps in the fall of 1945 to try to rebuild their lives.

Performances: Nov. 8 to 26.

"The Last Night of Ballyhoo" -- In December of 1939, "Gone With the Wind" is having its world premiere and Hitler is invading Poland, but Atlanta's German Jews are more concerned with wrangling an invite to the city's social event of the season, Ballyhoo. Eventually characters must face who they really are.

Performances: Jan. 10 to 28.

"Side Show" -- This musical presents a moving portrait of Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, whose bondage brings them fame but not love.

Performances: March 7 to 25.

"Grace and Glorie" -- Two-character comedy set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, is about an urbanite hospice worker who must deal with a cantankerous, 90-year-old cancer patient who returns to her homestead to die. Both realize new perspectives on life's highs and lows. Stars Jo Pruden and Shari Lynn. To be guest directed by ACT's Vanita Rae Smith.

Performances: May 16 to June 3.

"The Complete History of America (Abridged)" -- In a series of sketches, three performers run riot over 500 years of our country's history, including crude parodies of movies and television. Nothing is sacred.

Performances: July 11 to 29.

Click for online
calendars and events.