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Kids eat up local
retelling of classic tale
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A lazy donkey, a goofy dog, a self-centered cat and a cowardly rooster set the stage as Honolulu Theater for Youth kicked off its 50th season with a fun-filled presentation of "The Kona-Town Musicians."
Lee Cataluna's stage version of the tale is based on a book by Pat Hall, itself an adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "The Brementown Musicians." In the production, four animals discarded by their owners band together to salvage their dignity and become local heroes.
The dog, played by Daryl Bonilla, is the ringleader who tries to persuade the other animals to go to Kona-Town, where they will find employment, fame and an abundance of "strawpia" pie. Their travels lead to a string of adventures that seem to arrive at dead-ends. But the dog's overactive imagination keeps the others following along.
Hermen Tesoro Jr. kept the young audience laughing as he portrayed all the humans the animals encounter. His entertaining roles included a few farmers, a surf dude, a hunter, a thief and a policeman. Tesoro also wore a grass skirt as he handed out tourist coupons and dressed in a muumuu to portray the cat's owner.
At one point, he put on a reversible cap and ran around a hut, switching from robber to police officer roles in an exuberant chase scene. He also won applause when he brought out two large cardboard cut-outs of surfers sitting on the beach. He shared his plate lunches with them and changed their expressions by flipping various flaps built into the props.
Cynthia See played a lazy donkey who's "a victim of her own success."
Stephanie Kuroda was a cowardly rooster who nevertheless takes a stand with a defensive "Karate Kid"-style move.
Elizabeth Wolfe was silly and witty and fit well in her first HTY role as a sassy, princess-like cat. Her pout and expressions are reminiscent of Puss in Boots in "Shrek 2." She had abandoned her owner and left home because she faced too many orders and demands.
The set was created by Michael Harada, with lighting by Don Ranney, and props by Scott Richardson. Wade Cambern handled the music for the performance. Costumes by Sandra Payne left the actor's faces uncovered so that younger children would not be afraid of the larger- than-life animals. And, the local flavor of the production helped the audience connect with the story.
And a happy ending was made even better as audience members were treated to a slice of delicious strawpia pie.
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