Theater groups fill
calendar with creativityHTY celebrates 50 years
The Actors Group
Performances at the Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St. Tickets are $10 each. Performances run 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays. For reservations, call 722-6941 or e-mail tickets@taghawaii.org."The Guys": In the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, Anne Nelson, a journalist, helped a New York City fire captain write eulogies for the eight men he lost. After discussing the experience with Honolulu-born and raised director Jim Simpson, she wrote her first play, "The Guys." What unfolds is a tender, sometimes funny story of Nick's "guys" and life within the walls of the firehouse. It is also the story of Nick and Joan, who under normal circumstances would never have met. Performances: To Sept. 28.
"Ten Million Reawakenings": Richard Caulfeild Goodman dramatizes a ghost story by the Western writer Lafcadio Hearn, who lived in Japan from 1890 until his death in 1904. His writings describe the rapidly disappearing world of medieval Japan. The story concerns the promise of a husband to his dying wife and what ensues when that promise is broken. Directed by Brad Powell. Performances: Nov. 12 to Dec. 14.
"Two Trains Running": With Chekhovian obliqueness, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson reveals simple truths, hopes and dreams in creating a microcosm of an era through a 1960s Pittsburgh community on the brink of change. The focus is on the folks in Memphis Lee's coffee shop: an elderly man who imparts the secrets of life as learned from a 322-year-old-sage; an ex-con who uses the phone booth for an office; a waitress who slashed her legs to keep men away; and a retarded man who was once cheated out of a ham. Presented in association with the Honolulu African American Repertory Theater. Directed by Leonard Piggee. Performances: Jan. 7 to Feb. 8.
"The Trip to Bountiful": Horton Foote's work tells the story of Mrs. Watts, an aging widow who lives with her son and daughter-in-law in a three-room flat in Houston but fears that her presence is an imposition on them. Chafing under the rigid supervision of her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Watts tries to run away to her old home in the town of Bountiful, where she imagines she can regain her strength, dignity and peace of mind. Directed by Sharon Adair. Performances: March 17 to April 18.
"The Sunshine Boys": A young theatrical agent tries to reunite his elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his longtime stage partner for a TV appearance. The two old men have not spoken in 12 years and have many issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye. Things gradually become more heated until a series of confrontations threatens to end in tragedy. Neil Simon's work is loaded with in-jokes and steeped in nostalgia. Directed by Glenn Cannon. Performances: June 2 to July 4.
Army Community Theatre
Performances at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter. Season tickets are $44 and $56 for adults and $20 and $28 for children under 12. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. Call 438-4480 or 438-5230, or go online at www.squareone.org/ACT. All performances start at 7:30 p.m."Gypsy": The ultimate story about an aggressive stage mother. Join Rose, June and Louise in their trip across the United States during the 1920s. Combined with Jule Styne's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics, Arthur Laurents' book is a gripping story of one of the most frightening aspects of show business. Starring Shari Lynn. Performances: Sept. 4-6, 12-13 and 19-20.
"Man of La Mancha": One of the great theater successes of our time, this is a play-within-a-play, based on Cervantes' "Don Quixote." It's the poignant story of a dying man whose impossible dream takes over his mind. Miguel de Cervantes has been thrown into a dungeon in Seville to await trial for an offense against the church. Starring Mary Chestnut. Performances: Nov. 13-15, 21-22 and 28-29.
"Kiss Me, Kate": It's a combination of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" and music by Cole Porter. This fun, melodious and sophisticated play-within-a-play shows how each cast member's onstage life is complicated by what is happening offstage. Starring Cathy Foy. Performances: Feb. 26-28 and March 5-6 and 12-13.
"Camelot": The enchanting Lerner and Loewe musical about the romance between King Arthur and his future queen Guinevere. Starring Tina Shelton. Performances: May 13-15, 21-22 and 28-29.
ACT Matinee Readers Theatre
At Richardson Theatre, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $8, $6 for season ticket holders."Abie's Irish Rose": A hit stage comedy of the clash of cultures from the 1920s, it's the story of Abraham Levy, whose father is set on his marrying a nice Jewish girl, but who brings home as his bride Rosemary Murphy. To appease his father, Abie introduces her as Rosie Murphyski.
"Tobacco Road": Adapted from the novel by Erskine Caldwell, it's the story of a poor, white-trash family and their dreams and desires.
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?": The '60s psychological drama by Edward Albee revolves around the bitter relationship between a professor and his wife, and the secret that they share that is the foundation for their relationship.
"The Children's Hour": Lillian Hellman's scathing drama about the scandalous gossip surrounding two women at a school for girls.
Diamond Head Theatre
Performances at 520 Makapuu Ave., at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, unless otherwise noted. Season tickets are $49, $99, $146 and $196. Subscribers get 25 percent off single ticket purchases, plus free unlimited ticket exchanges. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Call 733-0274 or visit the Web site www.diamondheadtheatre.com."Ragtime": This epic Tony award-winning musical paints a powerful portrait of life in turn-of-the-century America. Based on E.L. Doctorow's novel, this play intertwines three distinct stories that illustrate history's contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and oppression, hope and despair, and love and hate. The score draws upon traditional Jewish folk sounds to color the music of the immigrants, vaudeville's outrageous style to capture the spectacle of Evelyn Nesbit, and Joplin and jazz to invoke the enlivened spirit of Harlem. Performances: Sept. 26 to Oct. 12.
"Peter Pan": The timeless children's classic becomes a musical under the stewardship of the legendary Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Be whisked away to the place where dreams come true and time stands still. Join Peter and Wendy as they take you high above the rooftops to an adventure filled with pirates, a ticking crocodile, irrepressible Indians as well as a menacing Captain Hook, enchanting fairies and lost boys running wild. Performances: Dec. 5-21.
"Amadeus": Set amidst the opulence of 18th-century Vienna, Peter Shaffer's wickedly funny play pits blazing human ambition against heavenly genius. Antonio Salieri is the city's most famous composer until the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arrives. Now, brutally confronted with the limitations of his own talent, Salieri embarks on a desperate course of action. Performances: Feb. 6-22.
"Swing! The Musical": The all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza is filled with the big-band music of the 1930s and '40s, complete with a full onstage orchestra. The hit-filled score includes favorites such as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Skylark" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." Originally nominated for six 2000 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Performances: March 26 to April 11.
"Hello Dolly!": Based on "The Matchmaker," by Thornton Wilder, this beloved musical tells the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker who has been hired to arrange a marriage for the widowed and wealthy Horace Vandergelder. Dolly, however, has herself been recently widowed and comes to the conclusion that Horace and his fortune will make her the perfect mate. Performances: May 21 to June 6.
"Jesus Christ Superstar": Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's groundbreaking rock opera tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus, and dramatizes Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the unrest caused by his preaching and popularity, his betrayal by Judas, the trial before Pontius Pilate and his crucifixion. Performances: July 16 to Aug. 1.
Hawaii Opera Theatre
Performances at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, with show times at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays and 4 p.m. Sundays. Season tickets run $81 to $288. Single tickets will be priced from $29 to $100. For more information, call 596-7858 or visit www.hawaiiopera.org."Otello": Set against the backdrop of an actual war, Giuseppe Verdi's tale of a 15th-century Moor and mercenary general in Venice examines the emotional wars that rage in the human spirit when love, lies and jealousy stir rage. Performances: Jan. 30, Feb. 1 and 3.
"Così Fan Tutte": Mozart's "Così Fan Tutte" has remained one of the most beloved of operas since its debut in 1790. Cynical bachelor Don Alfonso bets that the fiancees of Ferrando and Guglielmo will not remain faithful in their lovers' absence. Women, he claims, are fickle and flighty. To test his theory, the young men pretend to go off to war, only to return disguised as Albanian playboys. The young women protest their virtue, but before long they yield to the strangers' advances. At the same time, the young men become entangled in their own web of deception. Performances: Feb. 13, 15 and 17
"The Merry Widow": There is no end to suitors for Hanna Glawari, the wealthy, attractive young widow of the richest man in Pontevedro. However, Baron Zeta, the Pontevedrian ambassador in Paris, is desperate that Hanna marry a Pontevedrian man so that her money remains in the country, thereby averting economic disaster. He attempts to match her and his handsome attaché, Danilo. After all, he tells Danilo, it is his patriotic duty to save his country from financial ruin. Performances: Feb. 27 and 29, March 2 and 4.
Hawaii Pacific University
Performances at the Windward campus theater, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, in Kaneohe. Show times 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4:30 p.m. Sundays, except where noted. Tickets are $18 general; $14 seniors, military and students; and $3 HPU students Fridays to Sundays and Nov. 26. On Thursdays tickets are $14, $10 and $3, respectively. For more information, call 375-1282."All My Sons": Arthur Miller's explosive family drama explores the trials faced by a family during wartime, when moral principles become blurred. A young man, just returned from World War II, confronts his father when the truth about his munitions company comes out. Performances: Nov. 7 to Dec. 7 (Thanksgiving performance moved to Nov. 26).
"Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris": The poignant, passionate songs of Belgian songwriter Brel are brought to life in this musical evoking romance, humor and moral conviction. Performances: March 12 to April 11.
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Performances at various sites and times. Tickets are $12 adults, $6 youths 3 to 18 years of age and seniors 60 and over (except where noted), and children up to 2 free with ticket. Call 839-9885 or go online at www.htyweb.org."Green Eggs and Ham" and "Gertrude McFuzz": These two short operas based on Dr. Seuss stories are being revived with a cast of singers from Hawaii Opera Theatre. Accompanied by a small orchestra consisting of members of the Honolulu Symphony, the two operas are joined by an interactive section in which children are introduced to theater and opera. At Hawaii Theatre, for ages 4 and up. Performances: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Sept. 6-21. Premium tickets: $24 adults and $12 youths 3 to 18 years of age and seniors 60 and over; standard tickets: $12 and $6.
"When Tiger Smoked His Pipe": Korean folk tales adapted by novelist and Star-Bulletin columnist Nora Okja Keller to help celebrate the centennial anniversary of Korean immigration to America. The four stories are tied together with the traditional Korean singing-storytelling form known as p'ansori. At Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter, for ages 7 and up. Performances: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1.
"The Best of Christmas Talk Story 2003": A co-production with Kumu Kahua, it's the return of the best stories from the last few years of Hawaii's fastest-growing holiday tradition. The show is a moving, entertaining collection of original stories and songs that celebrate the holidays from a child's point of view. At Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew's Cathedral, for ages 6 and up. Performances: 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 29-30 and Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21. Tickets $16 adults, $12 students with ID, $8 youths 3 to 18 years of age and seniors 60 and over.
"New Kid": This award-winning play by Dennis Foon tackles prejudice and bullying. It tells of a boy who leaves "Homeland" to move to a new country -- a place much like Hawaii. Foon's script makes clever use of comic gibberish to illustrate the boy's confusion in a new world. At Leeward Community College Theatre and, on Feb. 21, Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College. For ages 7 and up. Performances: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, 14 and 21.
"Dis/Troy": Yokanaan Kearns, the award-winning author of "Pidg Latin," delivers a contemporary adaptation of Homer's "The Iliad." The work is filled with humor, sword fighting and strong drama. At Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew's Cathedral, for ages 10 and up. Performances: 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 6, 13 and 20.
"Pacific Tales for Young People": Based on the success of last season's "Hawai'i Tales for Young People," the company continues to develop interactive stories based on Pacific region tales, as adapted and directed by Daniel A. Kelin II. The stories encourage children to exercise pre-literacy visual, oral and auditory skills. By the end of each show, children will help invent and tell their own story. At McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Beach Park, for ages 3 and up. Performances: 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. April 17 and 24, and May 1 and 8.
"The Little, Little Red Riding Hood Show": This retelling of the familiar story explores the meanings behind the Grimms' fairy tale, focusing on Red Riding Hood's relationship with a nurturing mother. Listening to one's parents and distinguishing good from evil take on new meaning in this reinvention of a familiar tale. At McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Beach Park, for ages 5 and up. Performances: 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. April 17 and 24, and May 1, 8 and 15.
Kennedy Theatre
Located at on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Call 956-7655 or go online at www.hawaii.edu/kennedy. Tickets (except where noted): $15 regular; $12 seniors, military and UH faculty and staff; $10 non-UHM students; $3 UHM students with valid student photo ID."The Paper Bag Princess and Other Stories": The books of children's author Robert Munsch come to life as "The Paper Bag Princess" outwits the pompous dragon, "Mud Puddle" teases his playmate and her dog, "Mortimer" keeps everyone awake and "Angela's Airplane" soars into the sky. Puppets enhance this production directed by Tamara Hunt, making this a delightful experience for families and children 8 and under. Performances: 4 and 7 p.m. Oct. 25 and 2 p.m. Oct. 26. Tickets go on sale Oct. 13: $12 regular; $10 seniors, military and UH faculty and staff; $7 non-UHM students and children; $3 UHM students with valid student photo ID.
"'Tis Pity She's a Whore": Shocking even to this day, this play pulls out all the stops in its juxtapositions of farce, black comedy, violence and eroticism. Jacobean playwright John Ford raided, parodied and deconstructed the Shakespearean canon. The play is filled with incestuous lovers and the subplots of sexual intrigue, murder and religious corruption. Strongly recommended for mature audiences. Performances: Dec. 5, 6 and 11-14. Tickets go on sale Nov. 24.
Jim Gamble and His Puppets: Puppeteer Jim Gamble bring his cast of friends to the theater for a fun evening of family entertainment, perfect for children ages 3 and up. Performance: 7 p.m. Jan. 10. Tickets go on sale Jan. 5: $10 regular; $9 seniors, military and UH faculty; $7 non-UHM students and children.
"Betty's Summer Vacation": All Betty wanted for her summer vacation was a little peace and quiet. What she ended up with was a handsome hunk on the make, a nice young woman who had been abused by her father, a quiet young man with hat boxes, an unexpected visit from her landlady, a flasher and more! This funny, dark play by Christopher Durang takes a savage look at American pop culture. Performances: Feb. 6, 7 and 12-15. Tickets go on sale Jan. 26.
"Annual Dance Concert: Music, Art and Dance Fest!": This annual event turns into an overall arts festival, celebrating both the university's music and art departments, along with dance. Contributors include Gregg Lizenbery, Betsy Fisher, Vicky Holt Takamine, Takeo Kudo, Neil McKay, Armand Russell, Byron Yasui, Pat Hennessey and the UH Jazz Ensemble, and John Wisnosky. Performances: March 5, 6 and 12-14. Tickets go on sale Feb. 23.
"Kabuki: Nozaki Village": Star-crossed lovers, samurai, an innocent country girl and a worldly merchant daughter all add to the humor and drama of this spectacular kabuki to be performed in English. Performances: April 23, 24, 28-30 and May 2. Tickets go on sale April 5: $18 regular; $15 seniors, military and UH faculty and staff; $12 non-UHM students; $3 UHM students with valid student photo ID.
ERNST LAB THEATRE
"Moral," a production of Prime Time at the Ernst Lab Theatre, is a play by Kisaragi Koharu about Japan, consumerism and urban existence. Performances are Oct. 1 to 5.
Earle Ernst Lab Theatre
Located next to Kennedy Theatre on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus. Show times are 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets: $10 regular; $8 seniors, military, UH faculty and staff, and non-UHM students; $3 UHM students with valid student photo ID. All seating in the lab theater is general admission.Ernst Prime Time
"Moral": Department stores. Salarymen. Inari-sushi. Economics. Elevator ladies. The nuclear family in Tokyo ... and the bubble is bursting. This play by Kisaragi Koharu is a contemporary black comedy about Japan, consumerism and urban existence. Performances: Oct. 1-5. Tickets go on sale Sept. 29.
"Fall Footholds": The MFA thesis work of Christine Berwin is featured in a segment titled "DanceTalent.Cyberstage.com." Works by other UHM dance students will round out the program. Performances: Nov. 5-9. Tickets go on sale Nov. 3.
"Masked Balls": An original script by MFA playwriting candidate Hilary Wright about Charles Genevieve d'eon de Beaumont, a late-18th-century transgendered individual who was a spy for the king of France. Performances: Nov. 19-23. Tickets go on sale Nov. 17.
"Ghost Sonata": An Asian stylization of this August Strindberg classic of psychological realism and expressionism, set in a world populated by lost souls. Performances: Jan. 14-18. Tickets go on sale Jan. 12.
"Ashes to Ashes" and "Far Away": Two of the theater's greatest contemporary playwrights, Harold Pinter and Caryl Churchill, examine our trust in power and the consequences of that choice. Performances: March 31 and April 1-4. Tickets go on sale March 29.
"Spring Footholds": Current work by UH dance student. Performances: May 5-9. Tickets go on sale May 3.
Ernst Late Night
Tickets $8 regular; $7 seniors, military, UH faculty and staff, and non-UHM students; $3 UHM students with valid student photo ID. Tickets go on sale one hour before curtain at the door only.
"Agamemnon": A loose adaptation of Aeschylus' play that incorporates dance, song and Asian theater forms. Performances: 11 p.m. Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25.
"The Successful Life of 3": A play about the enduring question of gender that should appeal to fans of "The Vagina Monologues." Playwright Maria Irene Fornes uses archetypical characters to question gender and its relation to human sexuality. The characters HE, SHE and 3 embody the subjects of feminist thought. Performances: 11 p.m. Dec. 6, 12 and 13, and 8 p.m. Dec. 7.
Kumu Kahua
Performances at 46 Merchant St., except where noted. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, except where noted. Evening ticket prices are $16 general, $13 seniors and $10 students. First-time season ticket subscribers pay $60; renewing subscribers, $50. Call 536-4441, e-mail info@kumukahua.com or go online at www.kumukahua.com."Folks You Meet in Longs": Some time, every local person eventually goes to a Longs Drugs store. In this cross section of Hawaii's people, Lee Cataluna introduces us to the slackers, cops, aunties, bulls and titas and, of course, the employees who share their lives. Performances: Aug. 28-31 and Sept. 4-6, 11, 13, 14, 18-21 and 25-28.
"Obake": Spirits from the dead seek revenge in this tribute to obake tales and Japanese horror movies set on a Big Island plantation in the 1920s. Performances: Oct. 30 -31 and Nov. 1, 2, 6-9, 13-16, 20-23 and 28-30.
"The Best of Christmas Talk Story 2003": A co-production with Honolulu Theatre for Youth. See the theater group's listing for more information.
"Massey/Kahahawai": "White woman raped by locals!" The Massie case obsessed all of America in the early 1930s and remains one of the most controversial events in Hawaii history. Drawing on court records, newspaper reports and other sources, Dennis Carroll's docudrama (without adding fictional dialogue) explores a case that raised racial conflicts to a boiling point. Performances: Jan. 8-11, 15-18, 22-24 and 29-31, and Feb. 1 and 5-8.
"Fanny and Belle": The story of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson and her daughter, as told by playwright Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl. A historical drama about two free-spirited women whose travels take them across America to Europe, Hawaii and Samoa. Performances: March 11-14, 18-21, 25-28, and April 1-4 and 8-10.
"Gone Feeshing": Pidgin guerrilla Lee Tonouchi presents a comedy about two brothers who get together for the first time in several years to go fishing, and the surrealistic journey they embark on, through their lives with each other and their late father. Performances: May 13-16, 20-23, 27-30, and June 3-6 and 10-13.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rick Taylor (Michael Ng), left, goes after a caged Bat Boy (Shannon Loo) as Bat Boy's love interest, Shelley (Sherry Chock Wong), tries to stop the violence in "Bat Boy: The Musical," at Manoa Valley Theatre.
Manoa Valley Theatre
Performances at 2883 E. Manoa Road. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays. Season tickets are $125. Call 988-6131, e-mail mvt@hawaii.rr.com or go online at www.manoavalleytheatre.com."Bat Boy: The Musical": Based on a notorious story in the Weekly World News tabloid, this musical comedy/horror show is about a half boy/half bat who is found in a cave. He is taken to the home of a veterinarian, where he is accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a "normal boy." Performances: Sept. 10-28.
"Apartment 3A": A "dramedy" about a woman who is reeling from the loss of what she thought was the love of her life. But hope is ignited by a next-door neighbor who teaches her what it truly means to love. Performances: Nov. 19 to Dec. 7.
"Scotland Road": This play of intrigue and psychodrama reveals that few people are what they seem. A beautiful woman in 19th-century clothing is found floating on an iceberg in the middle of the North Atlantic. When rescued, she says one word: "Titanic." She is interrogated by a man who is an expert on the sinking of the liner. His goal is to crack her story, but she is a formidable opponent. Performances: Jan. 14 to Feb. 1.
"Copacabana": Barry Manilow's Grammy-winning hit song is the inspiration for this musical, a tale of love and romance set at the heart of the swinging nightclub scene of the 1940s. An aspiring songwriter creates a world of love, jealousy and murder in the entangled lives of a showgirl, a bartender and a nightclub owner. Performances: March 10-28.
"Gunfighter: A Gulf War Chronicle": Based on the true-life story of Lt. Col. Ralph Hayles, this drama tells the story of a soldier whose career and life are changed by a tragic friendly-fire incident during the Gulf War of 1991. Performances: May 19 to June 6.
"The Underpants": Using a 1910 comedy, Steve Martin has reinvigorated a hilarious farce about an officious, puritanical bureaucrat who berates his wife for allowing her underpants to fall to the ground at a parade for the king. He fears that they will become social outcasts from the scandal. But scandal erupts into spectacle as besotted men appear at their doorstep in their attempts to seduce the wife. Performances: July 14 to Aug. 1.
Murder Mystery Players
Performances at Dave & Buster's, 1030 Auahi St. Tickets: $34.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. Call 589-2215 for reservations."A Friendly Game of Death": A simple game of "Truth or Consequences" among old friends turns nasty and leads to murder in an audience-participation whodunit. Performances: 8 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 6 to Nov. 15.
Paliku Theatre
Performances on the Windward Community College campus. Tickets: $22 and $26 general; $20 for students and children. Call 235-7330."My Fair Lady": Ron Bright directs this musical, in which linguistics professor Henry Higgins attempts to transform flower peddler Eliza Doolittle. Performances: Oct. 23 to Nov. 16.
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