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Music and acting The littlest kids in the ensemble are adorable, and the two comic villains steal the rest of the show, as Vanita Rae Smith and Army Community Theatre present the world premiere of Art Freedman's Christmas musical, "Santa Claus Lives in Hawaii." The show is a last-minute addition to the regular ACT schedule and is being presented for Christmas 2001 as a work-in-progress with music, costumes and choreography in place, but with little in the way of sets and scenery.
brighten up simple
Christmas tale
"Santa Claus Lives in Hawaii"
provides good family fare with a
story kids can easily relate toBy John Berger
Jberger@starbulletin.comWith locations left largely to the imagination, the cast and director/choreographer Jim Hutchison carry the show.
Freedman tells a contemporary Christmas tale in terms kids can easily relate to. Young Kimo doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Why should he? There have been no Christmas presents at his home for several years now, and his father is marooned in Wyoming -- something to do with an insurance company's computer error.
Kids won't worry about such details. The important thing is that Kimo isn't about to be taken in by some surfer with a bushy white beard who claims to be Santa Claus, but is vulnerable to the blandishments of two stylish and fast-talking older boys, Loki and Moki, who tell him that the only way for a poor kid to get nice things is to take them. The two teens enlist Kimo as their accomplice in a plan to steal packages from Christmas Eve shoppers at a shopping mall.
Presented by Army Community Theatre "Santa Claus Lives in Hawaii"
Where: Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter
When: 7 p.m. today through Sunday
Tickets: $15 and $12 adults, $8 and $6 for children under 12
Call: 438-4480
Kimo buys into their scheme for about a minute but is brought back to the straight and narrow when the rest of the cast closes Act I with "Do The Ten Commandments."
Eight-year-old Marcus Shinbo, who has a strong voice for his age, brings an instantly engaging presence to the role of Kimo. Shinbo/Kimo seems totally overwhelmed in his first scene with the hulking villains, as any undersized 8-year-old might be. He seems to grow in stature when he confounds them later by refusing to steal.
Plum roles go to Matt Junmar (Moki) and Elitei Tatafu Jr. (Loki), both excellent kiddie-show villains. They're much larger than any of the other "kids" in the cast, but are never so threatening that they scare younger kids in the audience.
Junmar and Tatafu also have two of the most interesting songs. The pair have a great time camping it up in "Come Be One of Us," the villains' comic description of their criminal lifestyle. Their second big number, "Ev'rything's Free," the jail-cell lament that follows the villains' inevitable comeuppance, is a comic highlight, and veteran director Hutchison ensures that both numbers are staged for maximum effect.
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Hutchison also shows his resourcefulness in "Wave Rider" as Santa (David L. Vegas) and the youngest and cutest kids go "surfing" across the stage. It's a scene that requires a keen imagination by both the cast and the audience, but the kids are adorable as they do their best to catch a wave.Local theater veteran Christopher Bates has the other notable role as Melf, Santa's hard-working elf-in-chief. Bates was cast after the play's souvenir album was recorded, and thus the elf's gender change from Melvina to Melvin. (None of the people showcased on the disc appear as performers in the show). Bates gives a spirited performance as the primary song-and-dance man despite being encumbered with gigantic elf shoes.
Bates, Vegas and Ralph Brandt (Policeman) are the only cast members who have costumes other than basic street wear, but costume designer Kathe James sets Shinbo off from the other kids by dressing him in gray while the others are all in bright colors.
Hutchison's choreography and smooth pacing add to the entertainment value and ensures that younger kids won't get restless. The whole show runs barely 70 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
Roslyn Catracchia wrote the melodies for Freedman's lyrics. The music for the show is relatively thin but serviceable for a work-in-progress and adequate as kiddie musical fare. That said, the big gospel-style song, "Do The Ten Commandments," needs more power and raise-the-roof impact than synth tracks and basic choreography can provide. Giving a few of the ensemble members tambourines to play would add much-needed soul and boost the octane of this pivotal number.
Anyone with young grade-schoolers to entertain this weekend will find "Santa Claus Lives in Hawaii" a fine family outing. Kids of all faiths will learn that the spirit of Christmas equates to the Aloha Spirit, and that Santa, although as fallible as any other adult, loves even the kids who don't believe in him. Parents will also appreciate a clean, G-rated show free of the commercial tie-ins and come-ons often connected with kid-targeted shopping center fare.
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