KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Ugly Duckling (Michael Hanuna) hatches out of his shell in the Manoa Valley Theatre production of "Honk!"
Just ducky! While the latest offering from Manoa Valley Theatre is being touted as a musical comedy for families, considering its British roots, there's a bit of the ol' music hall verve to it.
By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com"Honk!," written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe based on the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling," is filled with broad and cheery rapid-fire banter and puns that have been part and parcel of the English theater tradition. And director Karen Bumatai, with the help of set and props designer Michael Harada and guest musical director Darren Server, have done a solid job in bringing this brightly staged offering to vivid life.
"Honk!" won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical for 2000 in England and has been presented around the world.
"All of us here at the theater started conceptualizing how we could stage 'Honk!' about eight months ago," Bumatai said. "We don't often have the opportunity to do something that will appeal to both kids and adults."
She's had her hands full with a cast of 20. "Plus, this is a two-hour musical, so I've had to learn how to deftly manage kids and adults of varying degrees of theatrical experience," she added. "But our audience should enjoy this musical -- the kids for the story, the costumes and colorful staging, and the adults for the witty and sophisticated humor."
But not too sophisticated, mind you.
"I wanted humor in every department," she said. "I wanted to make it funnier by casting our own brand of humor in it, right through the set, which has a children's pop-up book look to it, to the props and costumes."
The cast ranges from a nestful of local veterans, such as Katie Doyle and Cecilia Fordham, to newcomers Michael Hanuna (last seen in MVT's "The Cripple of Inishmaan") and a chorusful of youngsters.
If last Friday's rehearsal was an accurate indication, audiences will be charmed by Hanuna in the lead role of Ugly, and enjoy Doyle's singing in her role as mother Ida, Kevin Yamada's comedic turn as a villainous tomcat, the goofy gaggle of geese led by Brian Gilhooly and Susan Nakamura, and bullfrog Gary Masuoka and the show-stopping "Warts and All" production number.
"Honk!" is the company's holiday offering, but is different from the usual Christmasy fare. Scheduled to run three weeks (much of it already sold out), the production may be extended through the first week of December if demand is strong.
Place: Manoa Valley Theatre Honk!
On stage: Today through Nov. 17
Tickets: $30; seniors $25; under 25 $10
Call: 988-6131
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