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Hawaii Dave Donnelly |
Oh no! An ono show
for Pono and AkebonoASTON Hotels exec Joni Paahao may never get used to the nickname her son, Pono, has acquired. Pono, who teaches English in Japan, had a surprise opportunity in a Tokyo restaurant to meet fellow Hawaiian Akebono, the retired sumo star known to everyone in Japan, and have his photo taken with him. Pono had been using a photo of Akebono to explain to his students where he is from, and after the chance encounter took the photo of the two of them together to his class. The students immediately dubbed him "Ake-Pono." ...
SATURDAY was quite a day in the life of Judge James Burns. He was honored at both UH baseball and UH volleyball games that day for his work in supporting school athletes as honcho of Aka Hui Koa Anuenue, being given the Charles Ushijima Award. But unknown to most who applauded his honor, it was also Burns' birthday. Few were aware that after accepting the award, he and his wife, media darling Emme Tomimbang, slipped away for a quiet birthday dinner at a restaurant in Kaimuki ... Emme, meanwhile, is already making plans to have an intimate luncheon with Chef Roy Yamaguchi at his favorite lunchtime haunt. Don't jump to conclusions -- the two will be joined by two couples who post the highest bids for the occasion at Leeward Community College's "Taste of the Stars" which the two are co-chairing on May 3 ...
Follies dollies
WHEN "Follies" was first being produced at what is now Diamond Head Theatre -- then HCT -- I itemed that the group was looking for tall women to play the part of showgirls. On the dare of a girlfriend, Sharon Clark went to auditions and found all that was required of her was to walk down stairs in high heels. Clark, who stands about 6-feet-tall, managed that and got one of three showgirl parts -- to this day her only foray on stage. She did have one musical number, doing the tune "Bye Bye Blues" with the character named Buddy. It was husband Peter Clark's favorite number in the show. The Clarks have since divorced but remain close, and now Peter has been cast as Buddy in the upcoming DHT production. Says Sharon, "I can't wait to see him in it -- wonder who'll play 'my' part." ...JAZZMAN Abe Weinstein is back from his working cruise on the Dawn Princess, and will present Rea Fox at UH Manoa Gardens tomorrow from 6 to 8, and then on Saturday will present an evening of Broadway Jazz with his Jazz Festival All-Stars at the Academy of Arts ...
Want to get seduced?
IT won't be the first "Seduction" to take place at Indigo, but it'll mark the first time the cabaret show of that name, which recently closed at the nearby Arts at Marks Garage, has been done at the restaurant. The four performers in "Seduction," Julie Capili, Katie Doyle, Naomi Mal and Zenia Zambrano will alternate doing numbers from the cabaret on alternate Saturdays throughout May. Doyle and Zambrano kick off the run this Saturday, with the other two taking over next week ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was runs Sundays and recalls
items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com