DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Patrice Scott performs a hit from the '60s in Manoa Valley Theatre's production of "Beehive," an ode to female singers of the time period.
The flip was fine. The bob, just boffo. But of all the hairstyles of that terrifically topsy-turvy decade known as the 1960s, none captured the imagination and emerging spirit of girl power quite as aptly as the beehive.
By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com
A musical of the same name, naturally, is expected to be as outrageous as the daring 'do itself. "Beehive," nationally publicized as "The '60s Musical Sensation," premieres tomorrow at Manoa Valley Theatre and features a lively all-female cast in Michelle Baltazar, Riya Davis, Sandy deOliveira, Alison Maldonado, Tricia Marciel, Bryna O'Neill and Patrice Scott, each of whom is done up in generous servings of hairspray and styling gel and outfitted in colorful costumes of the era.
Where: Manoa Valley Theatre, 2833 E. Manoa Road "Beehive"
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, through March 23
Tickets: $30, $25 seniors and military, $10 for those 25 and under
Call: 988-6131
"There are a lot of wigs," says deOliveira, with a laugh. "They're fabulous. We have to get our hair stuck under these stocking caps and wear wigs that are made of synthetic fiber. They're totally teased and totally sprayed. They get really heavy under all that hairspray, so we have to be careful with all that head-shaking."
"Beehive" features 40 smash hits of the '60s, including such hand-clapping, finger-snapping fare as "My Boyfriend's Back," "Proud Mary" (the Ike and Tina Turner version) and "R-E-S-P-E-C-T," to name a few. Tunes by such diverse singing stars as the Supremes, Janis Joplin and Cher (originally done with Sonny) are also represented.
"This is not like a 'Legends in Concert' show, where we're actually supposed to be that person," explains deOliveira. "I think we want to make it clear that we're not satirizing them, either. We just pretty much play ourselves. We don't refer to each other by fictitious names like in a script."
The cast's senior member says her participation in "Beehive" marks the first time since high school that she has been involved in musical theater. "I'm the only one who actually remembers these songs, so I'm the self-appointed cast historian," jokes deOliveira, adding that performing songs by Annette Funicello, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Ellis and the Chiffons has been a stone gas. "It's a fun, light-hearted salute; that's the way I look at it."
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Cast members include from left, Bryna O'Neill, Riya Davis, Alison Maldonado, Patrice Scott, Sandy deOliveira, Michelle Baltazar and Tricia Marciel.
Manoa Valley Theatre
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