Period comedy bubbles
with fun and surprises
"King Kalakaua's Poker Game," presented by Kumu Kahua, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through June 15. Tickets: $5 to $16. Call 536-4441.
Multitalented Moses Goods III steps forward as an adept romantic-comic lead, Moanililia Miller meshes perfectly as his leading lady and Wil T.K. Kahele adds an engaging portrayal of King Kalakaua in Kumu Kahua's impressive production of "King Kalakaua's Poker Game."
Alan Sutterfield's sparkling drawing-room comedy is the best original comedy of the current season and one of the best I can remember. Richly detailed characters, tight writing, a dash of history and an excellent ensemble cast make this show much more than a one-joke play, a must see for supporters of local-style theater.
Kalakaua heads for his boathouse to relax with good food, good alcohol and poker -- draw, stud, whatever, but no wild cards. The players joining His Majesty this night include Edwin Booth (Tom Dwight), Keoke Kapena (Moses Goods), Celso Moreno (Ely Wyatt Na Ka Ulu 'Aina Rapoza) and Count Robert von Oellhoffen (Norman Gibson).
Booth, a world-famous actor, is visiting the islands to star in an ad-hoc production of "Richard III." Moreno is an opportunistic Italian who proved useful during Kalakaua's world tour but who seems motivated primarily by the desire to enrich himself at public expense. Kapena, described as a rakish cousin of the king, is a loyal advisor with a secret. Von Oellhoffen left Germany under dubious circumstances and lives in unwedded bliss with Momma Liz (Blossom Lam).
Liz had come to Hawaii from China as a picture bride, only to find that her "picture husband" had died. She chose von Oellhoffen over the many Chinese bachelors in Hawaii, but it seems the German is not the marrying kind.
Playwright Sutterfield takes his time and gets the audience laughing before getting the story rolling. Alice Waikane (Moanililia Miller) arrives at the boathouse desperately seeking an audience with Kalakaua. She's been promised in marriage to a man she doesn't love -- and who is, apparently, a blood relative and elderly -- and only Kalakaua can abrogate the contract.
Alice's immediate problem is that Kalakaua has promised his wife, Queen Kapiolani (Charlotte Dias), that Momma Liz will be the only woman in the boathouse, and with that stipulation in place there's no way that Alice can approach him.
Fortunately for Alice, she knows how to play poker, and Booth agrees to help her disguise herself as a man.
Keoke Kapena has a similar problem. He confides to Moreno that he has been promised in marriage to a woman he doesn't love, and his only recourse is to flee the kingdom by tomorrow. Moreno just happens to have a ticket for passage on a ship that's leaving in the morning, but his offer of assistance comes with strings attached: Keoke must help him cheat at the game that night. Not cheat His Majesty, of course, just Booth, whom Moreno hates with a passion.
Are we surprised that when Alice Waikane joins the poker game disguised as "Herman Iaukea," she finds herself attracted to Keoke Kapena? Keoke tells "Herman" about the circumstances, forcing him to leave Hawaii -- how he snuck over to Kauai to see his promised bride from a distance and discovered she is fat, ugly and missing several teeth. Her name? Alice Waikane!
The twists and turns are neatly paced escapist fun. Miller and Goods are the spark plugs in a couple of key scenes. Dwight and Rapoza provide the comic energy in others. Director Burdick does a wonderful job in pulling it all together. Relatively little goes on in terms of plot, but the journey is entertaining and unpredictable.
The big guns here include Goods, who finally gets to prove his capabilities as a romantic lead after several excellent performances as foul-mouthed character types of ambiguous moral substance. The chemistry that he and Miller create ensures that the audience roots for them.
Rapoza, a veteran of several Kumu Kahua comedies, gives a Pookela-worthy comic performance as the blustering Italian. Rapoza's timing, use of body language and firm command of a stereotypical Italian accent couldn't be better suited for the show, and he plays perfectly as a comic villain.
Lam quickly becomes an audience favorite with her zesty portrayal of a stereotypically loud, spunky Chinese woman. Kahele plays Kalakaua as a man we'd all like to have as a friend and monarch, and Dias defines several key moments as the no-nonsense queen.
M. Davenport (set) has created a magnificent boathouse that is beautifully embellished by BullDog (props). Keith K. Kashiwada (sound) contributes to the ambience, and Gerald Kawaoka (lighting) adds a unique bit of visual comedy to the proceedings.
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