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Hawaii
AFTER seeing 12 plays during my vacation, wouldn't you know that on my first week back I took in yet another one? While the music in "Side Show" won't go down in the annals of stage greatness, the story of Siamese twins and their showbiz aspirations, and the built-in romantic entanglements -- Plenty of love for
‘Side Show’literally -- was fascinating to watch. Both Yvonne Iverson-Filius and especially Katie Shriver were effective as the twins. Shriver had two characters in the show (and at least one audience member) in love with her. Her "twin" stirred the libido of a talent scout, played by Douglas Scheer, who wanted to rescue the sisters from the freak show in which they appeared. Stealing the show, however, was Emerson Green playing a man in love with Shriver's character, as polished and electrifying as anyone I saw on stage during my London trip and with a voice to die for. This was Green's Hawaii debut and we're sure to see more of him ...
SHE just got her driver's license renewed and drove her husband to the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel to celebrate her birthday with two dozen friends. Did I mention that the birthday Hawaii Kai's Elizabeth Haas celebrated was her 90th? Husband Charles turns 90 in December and Haas, a retired teacher, will surely drive him to his party too ...
Monkeying around
WHERE better for a politician to hold a party than at the Blue Tropix on Kapiolani, the restaurant and nightclub that features three monkeys behind a see-through enclosure. That was the first impression I had when City Council chairman Jon Yoshimura celebrated his 42nd birthday there on Friday. Blue Tropix owners Darren and Steve Tsuchiya grew up near the old Pearl City Tavern and the brothers figured that monkeys would be a nice touch to their place, as they had been at PCT. A major difference: This cage is pristine clean and there are three monkeys, two females and a male, rather than the 16 which cavorted quite openly at PCT ...MANY people segued from the Tropix to the DFS Galleria for the "Waikiki Calls Gala." Aside from former Gov. John Waihee, in attendance were Gov. Ben Cayetano, Sen. Donna Mercado Kim and councilmen Romy Cachola and Duke Bainum. Others on hand were First Hawaiian honcho Walter Dods, Andre Tatibouet, Jeff Watanabe, John Cruz of Sam's Club, and Brian Uy of Havana Cabana. Neil Sedaka was supposed to perform at the function but had to cancel for medical reasons. Five-time Grammy winner Dionne Warwick was quickly lined up to replace him but pulled out for family reasons. You'd think the self-professed psychic would have seen it coming. Anyway, the Pointer Sisters rode in to the rescue at the 11th hour and followed the opening act, Martin Nievera ...
RESTAURATEUR Rod Gardiner popped into town to mark the 30th anniversary Saturday of his Kobe Steak House. He took in Don Murphy's "Coaches Against Cancer" fund-raising breakfast Saturday at Murphy's Bar & Grill and was staggered to run into Chart House bartender Jerry Boyce. Seems Boyce was Kobe's very first customer when it opened ...
Bush leaguer
DURING yesterday's CART race, driver Alex Zanardi, who collided with another driver and had to drop out, was asked what the problem was. "Lack of patiency," he said. "Sounds like George Bush," I quipped to a couple of friends. After the pit interview, announcer Paul Page said, "Lack of patiency? Sounds like George Bush." Great minds, etc. ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com