Lisa Matsumoto plays Da Wicked Queen and Patrick Fujioka is and Da Mean Mongoose in 'Ohia Productions' kapakahi take on fairy tales, "Once Upon One Time."
Matsumoto’s sequel
has same charm
There are a few new faces in the cast, and perhaps a minor change or two in the script, but no notable changes or surprises in 'Ohia Productions' remounting of Lisa Matsumoto's "Once Upon One Time" at the Hawaii Theatre.
It's been 13 years since the show premiered at Kennedy Theatre as the outgrowth of a University of Hawaii play-writing class assignment, and two years since "da bes" parts of it were recycled as part of "Once Upon One Kapakahi Time," but the predictability of the show and its sequels ensures that parents in search of family entertainment for preteens will find this latest production a fine choice.
"Once Upon One Time": Presented by 'Ohia Productions at Hawaii Theatre. Repeats 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $15 to $35. Call: 528-5535 or go online at www. hawaiitheatre.com
Newcomers to the franchise will find a cut-and-paste collage of familiar European-American fairy tales "translated" into contemporary stage pidgin. Cinderella is now named Lehua, Little Red Riding Hood is Red Rose Haku, the boy who cried "wolf" becomes Da Keed Who Wen Cry Mongoose, and so on.
A musical component is added with the inclusion of 12 songs of uneven quality, performed to karaoke-style music tracks. Fran Gendrano (Lehua) has the most substantial and memorable musical number in "Someday" in Act 1, but the kids in the audience last Sunday also enjoyed the work of Nolan Hong (Da Prince) and Eletei Tatafu (Da Oddah Prince) in "Das How Muddahs Are" in Act 2.
Ethnic stereotypes provide much of the comic fodder. The "boys will be girls" gimmick is always a big hit with local audiences, and Michael K. Pa'ekukui, Norman Munoz and Lowen K.D. Patigayon fill the bill perfectly in playing Lehua's abusive Filipina stepmother (Pa'ekukui) and nasty stepsisters Hauna (Munoz) and Tantaran (Patigayon). Kids also enjoy Denise-Aiko Chinen (Tutu/Fairy-God Tutu) as a stereotypical feisty Chinese grandmother.
Insults -- one character rudely disrespecting another -- figure prominently, as well. The mood is set when Devon M.T. Nekoba (Narrator 1) is rudely interrupted and threatened by Bryan Y. Yamasaki (Narrator 2). As veteran character actors in Matsumoto shows, Nekoba and Yamasaki make a cohesive team. Nekoba also displays his potential as a comic romantic lead opposite Katie Ewing Bauer (The Lost Princess).
Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's on First" routine is deftly recycled in the ensemble work of "da menehunes" -- Who (Clint R. Sekioka), Wat (Mark M. Ikenaga), Wen (Michael Ng), Wea (Neil N. Furukawa), Why (double-cast with Grant Hashiba and Reid T. Kaneko) and How Come/Lolo (Andrew Pang). The sextet perform as a well-synchronized unit and prove to be accomplished as dancers and comedians. Pang was particularly popular with the little ones.
Kids also enjoyed Stephanie Sanchez (Maile) and Ken Morita (Kekoa) as two bickering lost children (think "Hansel and Gretel") and Dwayne T. Fujitani (Da Hunta) as a mentally retarded hunter.
Playwright Matsumoto reprises her portrayal of the abrasive and manipulative Wicked Queen. Patrick Fujioka gives an engaging and thoroughly entertaining performance as her ever-hungry anti-hero, Da Mean Mongoose.
Historial and cultural context aside, the show has never looked better. Kelly Berry and Daniel Gelbmann share credit for the bright and versatile set pieces that quickly morph from one locale to another thanks to the quick work of director Tamara Hunt Montgomery's squad of well-trained gecko and "jamming bufo" singer/dancer/stagehands.
Daniel J. Anteau's lighting plots -- many of them aimed upward -- make the forest seem particularly magical. Michael Furuya (costume and prop design) adds to the visual impact of the show with items ranging from guavas to bolo knives.
Newcomers who don't know, for instance, that "hauna" translates from Hawaiian as "unpleasant odor" will miss some of the jokes, but Matsumoto's savvy borrowing of ideas from "Rocky & Bullwinkle," "Fractured Flickers," MAD magazine and the Brothers Grimm offers perfect G-rated comic fare for local children.
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