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An early Halloween toast to those who are receiving  my annual holiday pins. Yep, the Halloween season beckons. Some already have received the little boxes sent to those on my list. To others, have patience; you’ll get yours shortly.

A sampling of the range of boo! characters are depicted here — ghosts, bats, witches, pumpkins, and even Frankenstein.

‘Twas a fun project, but often a painful mission, since I had to take numerous breaks (read: halt the pin-making) because of my recurring  nerve attacks on my right leg. Yep, the sciatic nerve has been relentlessly active.

The early  Halloween launch, last June, enabled me to map out a creative pin-making schedule to work on moments before and after the pain eruptions. The production,  despite the nagging pain, is virtually done, with the final batch of boxes somewhere in the postal mailing system.

It required a different strategy, when you try to make, make, make the pins, then take breaks, breaks, breaks and rest pauses for the pain to subside.

The effiort enabled me to complete 1,000 pins — yeah, a lot! — and it might have been plentiful, but my mailing list isnearly 100 (I deliver, traditionally, to my handful of doctors, since I have appointments), but only these pins have yet to reach their recipients. 

For insurance, I created 200 additional  pins, in case I ran short (I do) mostly since multiple pins go into each of the little box..

So I’ll take a breather, but rest assured, the Christmas pin project is lurking. I’ll be focusing on Santas and snowmen as Halloween festivities proceed. But I can’t locate my red card stock paper — found the green sheets — so I will have to go out shopping this weekend.

Entertainer Robert Cazimero had a formidable competitor last Sunday, when he staged a routine dinner performance at Chai’s. It was a dark and stormy night.

It was wet, windy and worrisome with the hurricane named Lala last Sunday, creating some furor island-wide,and Lady Lala turned on the faucet with rain not just outside the restaurant on Kapiolani Boulevard. The state was  drenched, with power failure, meaning at-home lights and traffic signals, plus no TV viewing and other inconveniences.

I had reservations, along with a roomful of Cazimero’s fans, and risked the threats of the storm.

 Lala also messed around with the overhead indoor lights at Chai’s, creating moments of anxiety.

But Cazimero soldiered on, starting early and thus finishing early, too, and shared a somewhat different kind of show  occasionally acknowledging the threatening weather through his musical selections.

One of his joyous songs was “Puff, the Magic Dragon,”  a Peter, Paul and Mary hit in 1963, has been frequently sung by Cazimero. You know the ditty—folksy, fun, sing-along fantasy –with its magical, mystical lyrics:

“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
“And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee
“Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puffc
“And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff.”

The chorus had a possible link to a local spot, Hanalei, on Kauai;

Cazimero opined, perhaps the composers didn’t properly ID Hanalei, since the lyrics allude a place called Honalee:
“Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
“And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee…”

Honalee is a make-believe, imaginary place and thrives as an urban legend site; co-composers (including Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary, debunk the notion that Honalee exists or is named after the favored Kauai landmark.

Great story for a rainy night.

So was nostalgia, with chatter and patter of his humble roots.

“I’m very happy to be from Kalihi,” he said with pride, a regular anecdote in past outings. By now, his regulars know he attended Fern School. “I love my school, which is celebrating his 100^th anniversary (next year).

William Kaʻaihue Cazimero, Sr. wrote a vintage song, “Aloha Week,” and daddy’s creation was discovered on tape by Jon DeMello, for manager and recording honcho of Robert and his late brother Roland. “Daddy was singing it,” said Robert, who then proceeded to share the oldie with simple lyrics and  structure. “Aloha Week is here to stay,” the principal line goes So wear a lei and a kiss to bring you joy.”

The tune likely will be part of a new Robert album next year.

Otherwise, Robert’s serenade assembled some standard fare like “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “At Home in the Islands,” “Royal Hawaiian Hotel,” “Kaimanahila,” not necessarily in that order.

“Drinking Champagne,” a customary toast-and-suck-‘em-up” ditty, was part of the proceedings, when a glass of bubbly – Robert’s favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label — was delivered to his piano

Well, that’s fuel for this soul.

Of course, the hula of Sky Perkins Gora and Keola “Bully” Makaialu are standard operating procedures when Robert commands a mele or two.

What was a “first” – wholly unexpected – was a late-night email from the master himself. I had attended the show mostly to celebrate my and wife Vi’s belated birthdays, with grand-nephew John Rhoades catching up with Uncle Robert.

“Thank you for coming to celebrate your birthdays,” he said. “Wow, what a night. I’m just getting home and I have to admit that I’m a bit zonked. Time for a shower and  to jump on the couch and go to sleep”.

I had asked him to help identify his guest hula performances during the evening, and he said it was Kanani Olivera from her Kona halau, sharing a birthday performance, and he couldn’t ID the second dancer, visiting from the mainland…despite the rainy night…

And that’s Show Biz…

It’s not too often that three members of one family wind up performing in a hit musical.

But the Hicks family – dad, mom and daughter – is enjoying the experience of working together in Diamond Head Theatre’s “Les Misérables,” a bona fide audience favorite. The production has been held over several times, with the final show set for Aug. 23. No sense trying to score tickets; the musical has been a sell-out since it opened  in July.

Daughter Lainey Hicks, who is cast as the adult Cosette, has the largest role among her clan, and performs “A Heart Full of Love”  and “In My Life.” She recently completed her  freshman year at the University of Northern Colorado, and apparently had submitted a video audition tape for “Les Miz,” because she was away at college and unable to try out in person.

“We didn’t tell her she got cast, until she was home,” said Mary Chesnut Hicks, her mom and a theater veteran in local stage productions. She is in the ensemble in “Les Miz” and  has many costume changes, and she’s constantly all over the stage, with cheerful singing and spirited dancing,

Dad Kalani Hicks is Montparnesse, in Thernardier’s gang in “Les Miz,” but has performed in a number of shows over decades, often with his wife.

For DHT’s fall season opener, Mary Chesnut Hicks is already prepping for next biggie, appearing as Golde, the wife of Tevye (Garrett Hols), in the popular  “Fiddler on the Roof,” launching DHT’s 2026-27 season, on Sept. 25…

The “Fiddler” principal cast:

Garrett Hols, Tevye;

Mary Chesnut Hicks, Golde;

Marie Staples, Tzeitel;

Salote Vgaha’I; Hodel;

Anya Teruya, Chava;

Hayden Lau,  Shprintze;

Leia Kandell, Bielke;

Kara Katayama, Shprintze/Bielke (understudy/alternate);

R. Andrew Doan, Lazar Wolf;

Betty Bolton, Fruma Yente;

Ricky Kozafk, Perchik;

Karsyn Wentzell, Fyedka;

Kyle Conner, Motel;

Ricky Kozak, Perchik.

Ensemble and featured roles:

Emily SL Silver, Shaindel;

Beatrix Colvin, Rivka;

Ron Heller, Rabbi;

Presley Wheeler, Mendel;

Lee Nebe, Mordcha;

Callie Doan, Surcha:

Andrew Cheng, Shloime;

Nikki Bagaw, Berille;

Al Linton, Nachum:

Brianna Johnston, Mirala;Aidan Cheng, Hershel;

Sydney Branch, Bluma:

Elodie Moranf-Rey, Sima;

Joshua Michaels, Moishe;

Celia Chun, Fredel:

Charlie Barnhill, Yitzuk;

Brandon, Brandon;

Noah Alcantara, Schmeril:

Brianna Johnston, Mirala:

Aidan Cheng, Hershel;

Sydney Branch, Bluma;

Elodie Moran-Rey, Sima.

The creative team:

Roberta Stephens Satori and David  Weaver, co-directors.

Roberta Stephens Satori, choreographer;

Jenny Shiroma, music director….

The playdates: Sept. 25 through Oct.11.Single ticket sales begin Aug. 17.

Tickets: $39 to $66; single ticket sales begin Aug. 18.

Visit the DHT box office at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or call (808) 733-0274…

And that’s Show Biz…