TO HANG A WITCH: A hangman's noose didn't intimidate Sean T.C. O'Malley and Lurana Donnels O'Malley Friday as they posed on the set of "Vinegar Tom" in the UH-Manoa Ernst Theatre. Lurana has waited "about 15 years" to direct Caryl Churchill's play about the witch trials in colonial America. The script includes song lyrics but leaves it up to the director to find "contemporary" melodies, so she asked her husband, Sean, to compose tunes with a late-'50s feel. Annie Lokomaika'i Lipscomb stars as a young woman accused of being a witch after she rebuffs the sexual advances of a married man. Frank Episale gives strong performances as a mysterious black-clad stranger, then as a professional "witch-hunter" who interrogates and physically examines women accused of witchcraft. "Vinegar Tom" closes with shows at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow.

LOOK WHO'S HERE!: "Footloose" cast members Terry E. Howell Jr., standing, left, and Arthur "AJ" Johansen, standing second from left, were welcome guests Saturday as the cast of "Guys and Dolls" partied at Compadres. Darren Kimura, front left, and Julius Mina, front right, give standout performances as Rusty Charlie and Nicely-Nicely Johnson, two of the major "guys" in "Guys and Dolls." Adriane Flower is one of the Hot Box Club dancers, and Tom Yamaguchi is a gambler named Slippery Tom.

BACK FOR A NIGHT: Stephanie Curtis Conching, left, came out of retirement Saturday when the women of Loose Screws opened for Bevy, a female improv comedy group from Chicago, at Mid-Pac. R. Kevin Doyle, a male member of Loose Screws, watched Conching, Lani Jones, Shannon Winpenny and the others perform.

A LONG NIGHT FOR SHANNON: Shannon Winpenny, right, a member of Loose Screws several years ago but now a member of Bevy, returned after intermission to do a full-length show with the other members of Bevy -- Christina Piazza, left, Lanette Weniger, Kennedy Gates and Holly Beaudry.

REMEMBERING JIMI: Wednesday night was prime time for Hendrix fans as Jed Roa, left and Greg Azus teamed up with KPOI 105.9 FM "The Big Kahuna" for a big screen showing of the newly restored "Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock" DVD at Pipeline Cafe. Azus presents John Waite at the Pipe Saturday, Oct. 1.