Hawaii
‘Footloose’ man hoofin’ it
back to HonoluluCOMING BACK to town again this week is Dean Pitchford, winner of an Oscar for the song "Fame," and author of such Broadway hits as "Footloose." He's coming home to Honolulu. He'll have another reunion at his alma mater, St. Louis, where he sat in on their production of "Footloose" a year ago at Mamiya Theatre. This year he'll take in his alma mater's production of "Pippen" on Friday. He was a stand-by for "Pippen" on Broadway, eventually landing in the role there and doing more than 200 performances, working with such talents as Bob Fosse, Ben Vereen, Anne Reinking, Betty Buckley and other Broadway legends including his longtime friend Steven Swartz, who wrote the musical. Dean got the role while he was doing "Godspell" in Washington, D.C., and has no idea that the musical is currently being done at Army Community Theatre, directed by Brad Powell. You may recall that Pitchford and I go back to 1965, when I hired him to play the 13-year-old boy in a production of "Waiting for Godot" I was directing. I'm hoping we can reunite again this year as we did when he was here for "Footloose." ...
A TYPO last week mentioned the 1960s themed Alzheimer's fund-raiser and had it on the 18th. The evening is actually on Saturday, March 8. Michelle Phillips of the '60s group Mamas & the Papas will be at the Tapa Room event, as will Jesse Colin Young ...
Eads-y does it
THE remarkable offspring of Hilo Professor Don Eads and wife Teri, currently teaching at Peking University, continue to astound. Their 17-year-old daughter, Angel, graduates from the University of Hawaii Hilo with a degree in theater this spring. Her brother Michael, who is 19, is spending a year studying at the University of the Ryukyus, and will return in August to finish his BS in astronomy at UH-Hilo where he's a senior. Sounds like Angel has a leg up on him, but that's nothing compared to little Hoku, who went to Peking University when he was 7. He's skateboarded the Great Wall and rode camels through the Gobi Desert with his dad. Two years later, he's attending classes at UH-Hilo, as the older two had done, and is studying Chinese Politics, a junior level class taught by Dr. Enbao Wang. Mandarin Chinese is no problem for Hoku, who's lived in Peking with his dad ...
Large sizes a must
IT was an amusing scene at Anne Namba's boutique recently when a group of mothers of NBA and WNBA players all showed up to check out the designs. There were such tall orders as Christine Leslie- Espinoza, mother of WNBA star Lisa Leslie, Charlotte Brandon, mother of Minnesota Timberwolf Terrell Brandon, Billie Murray, mother of L.A. Laker Tracy Murray, Sandra Thrash, mother of San Diego Spur Bruce Bowen and Stephanie Mondesire, mother of Detroit Piston Dana Barros. The moms were brought in by someone who knows about tall folks, Gail Mukahata Hannemann, of the Girl Scout Council, wife of 6-foot-8 Mufi Hannemann, the former City Councilman. Keep an eye on ESPN Sportscenter for Anne's designs snapped up by the moms ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com