Hawaii
NEVER argue with a Sicilian: My son and I had dinner at Donato's in the Manoa Marketplace the other night, and with our dinner ordered iced tea. The waiter promised it was on the way -- again and again. Finally he confessed that the Sicilian iced tea makings Sicilian owner Donato Loperfido ordered hadn't arrived from the Old Country yet as he thought it had, and Donato was reluctant to serve anything not up to that standard. Now I'll have to go back -- not just for the food, which was quite good, but to see what Sicilian iced tea is all about. I noted that the chef wasn't so particular about roots when he married his wife, a gorgeous local lass named Desiree, who greets people at the door. Also there that night was Honolulu magazine publisher John Alves with Cheryl Schaeffer ... JUST down the road from Donato's is a busy place. "Smokey Joe's Cafe" opened Wednesday night at Manoa Valley Theatre and may well be there beyond its scheduled run. During its dark nights on Sept. 16-18 the Company Singers will perform the songs of Harold Arlen. This is the group of singers who earlier did evenings devoted to Rodgers and Hammerstein and Cole Porter, both delightful. My only complaint was that they didn't sing the one Cole Porter song nobody would believe he wrote, "Don't Fence Me In." Don't tell Porter he can't write a Western song ... And if that isn't enough activity for one theater group in a month, MVT is also producing "The Odd Couple" with Pat Sajak and Joe Moore ... Still awaiting tea for 2
back in busy Manoa
Go West, young man
SOMETIME Hana resident Jim West stopped by the Lobby Bar of the Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort to take in the appearance of Auntie Genoa Keawe, before flying off for gigs on his, the West, coast. West is eclectic to be sure. He's the music director for Weird Al Yankovic for starters, and yet the versatile studio guitarist who can play anything, released a CD a couple of years back of original ki ho'alu compositions called "Coconut Hat." Now in L.A., he produced the opening number for the Teen Choice Awards, which aired on Nickelodeon, and he also played some ukulele and steel guitar on a Showtime movie score. "Keeping those Hawaiian licks alive" is how he puts it ...SPEAKING of Hawaiian licks, tickets are now on sale for Keali'i Reichel's "Hana Hou" performance a the Hawaii Theater on Oct. 26. That show opens the 2001-2002 Hawaiian Music Series, which includes the Makaha Sons with Reichel in January, Tony Conjugacion in February, the Brothers Cazimero in April, Amy Hanaiali'i in April and Ho'okena in May. Season tickets for the six-concert series are also available ...
Lyons club
VISITORS to the USS Missouri are always pleased with the volunteer tour guides, many former crewmembers, but few are aware that one guide, Larry Lyons, is rated in the top 10 of outstanding public speakers in the world. A relatively new member of the Toastmasters Club, Lyons became the only member in Hawaii's history to pull off a full sweep, winning each of four competitions focusing on different aspects of speaking. This enabled him to compete in the World Championship of Public Speakers in Anaheim, Calif.
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com