COURTESY OF MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
Hot costumes add impact to "Copacabana."
MVT gears up
for ‘Copa’
Surely you must know the story of what happened between Tony, Rico and a showgirl named Lola at the Copacabana? Rico went too far, Tony sailed across the bar, someone got shot, and when it was all over, Lola had lost her youth, her mind and Tony. It had all happened "30 years ago" when Barry Manilow first sang the lyrics to his million-selling single "Copacabana (At The Copa)" back in 1978. So do the math, subtract those 30 years, and get ready a bevy of extravagantly clad showgirls and vintage post-war fashions when Manoa Valley Theatre produces Manilow's big stage musical version of his song.
"Copacabana" is more than a recycling of the dark and cryptic story Manilow first sung in 1978. He wrote an additional 18 songs for the musical, and collaborated with lyricists Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman in fleshing out the story.
Manilow's classic tale
Manoa Valley Theatre presents "Copacabana"Where: Manoa Valley Theatre, 2833 E. Manoa Road
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Mar. 28
Tickets: $30 general, $20 for seniors and military, $15 for those age 25 and younger
Call: 988-6131
The main character of Stephen is a young songwriter stuck in a stagnant relationship and struggling to write America's next smash hit. He's tuned out his girlfriend in order to work on the song when he recalls the days when "music and passion were always the fashion." Stephen then visualizes himself as the romantic lead in a love triangle involving a handsome young nightclub bartender, a showgirl named Lola, and a suave but very dangerous Cuban nightclub owner named Rico.
As Stephen continues to imagine their adventures, he falls in love with his perfect woman and finds himself becoming involved in the story.
The Manoa Valley Theatre cast stars Elitei Tatafu as Tony/Stephen, Zenia Zambrano as Lola and Gene DeFrancis as Rico.
COURTESY OF MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
Lola (Zenia Zambrano) begs Sam Silver (Scott Moura) for a job while a cigarette girl (Suzanne Green) looks on.
HELPING TO create the musical's vintage look is the job of Athena Espania, currently in her third year as MVT's resident costume designer. Espania says that costuming the "Copacabana" cast is a tremendous undertaking.
"Most of the women average seven to 10 costumes for this show, with headpieces and different wigs, hats (and) things that put you in the time period. The men all have two tuxedos -- one with tails and one without -- and then a color tuxedo, either a color or white. Some of them have suits for different characters they play, and also colorful Havana shirts. There are a lot of quick changes to make, even with dressers for a cast of 20, and we have to design for that, too," Espania said.
She's also received the help of Bill Doherty, a specialist in showgirl costume design from way back, and a mainstay of Jack Cione's "Mardi Gras Follies" shows for years. He used items from his own extensive collection and designed whatever else was necessary.
Doing a show like "Copacabana" also requires researching the fashions and fashion attitudes of the era. Espania enjoys historical research, and says that the late-1940s were an especially exciting time.
"Cloth had been rationed and Christian Dior's look was kind of in-your-face -- 'The war is over! Let's use all the material we can!' Director/choreographer John Rampage wanted a very feminine silhouette on the women, and so we slanted it that way."
Espania got into post-war American and Cuban fashions, and then went over the story line with Rampage to get his perspective on the individual characters.
"The hardest part is finding the concept," she said. "There are so many things you can do that it can be hard to decide. The best part is seeing the finished product on stage. You see the actors in rehearsal in their street clothes and their tennis shoes, and then they put on their costume and totally become their character."
Espania has been doing the costume design work at MVT for almost three years. She made her debut with "Smokey Joe's Cafe" in 2001, and earned a Po'okela Award last year for her animal-themed costumes for "Honk!"
COURTESY OF MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
The chorus line kicks high for an appreciative audience at the Copacabana nightclub.
ESPANIA didn't expect to be a theatrical costume designer, let alone living in Hawaii when she graduated from Punahou School and went off to the mainland for college. She thought that she'd study fashion and textiles and then become a buyer. "But I always liked clothing and loved theater, so I went to Los Angeles to work in the movies for my internship and after that I fell in love with the work."
It was her experience as a wardrobe intern for the indie "Crime and Punishment in Suburbia" that inspired her to add classes on costume design and theater to her course of study. By the time she graduated with a degree in textiles and apparel management, Espania knew she didn't want to head east to New York City. Instead, she returned home.
The timing couldn't have been better. She was looking for "a great job," and Manoa Valley Theatre was looking for a full-time costume designer.
"A lot of my friends are working from 9 until 9 in New York City and they hate their jobs. I love my job, as cheesy as it sounds, and I'm living in Hawaii. My parents each had three jobs when I was growing up to send me to Punahou and then to college on the mainland, and now I'm doing exactly what I want to do. Manoa believed in me and my ability, and gave me the chance to do this job at such a young age. I wouldn't have gotten the same opportunity in New York City or L.A., but I'd rather be working here than doing it on Broadway."
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