“Lilo & Stitch,” the Hawaii-filmed live-action film which originated as a cartoon, recently passed the $1 billion box office milestone. Translation: it’s now Disney’s biggest film and also is a global favorite.
And today (July 22), the film will be available on digital platforms –including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home – to rent or buy.
On Aug. 26, “Lilo & Stitch” will be released on physical media via 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. A key destination will be Disney+, which traditionally will be a few weeks following the digital release.
The film opened during the Memorial Day weekend and boasted a $1 million budget. Its ascent to the $1 billion rank means, however, that production costs have been recouped.
Stitch and Lilo: The hit film has grossed more than $1 billion.
Clearly, “Lilo & Stitch,” is a home-grown success with prominent participation of Hawaiian actors in the cast. Surely, the feature also is the most successful film entirely lensed in the islands. Big Island discovery Maia Kealoha, who portrayed Lilo in her screen debut, is a pint-sized superstar on the fan circuit.
The ‘ohana of actors include Sydney Elizebeth Agudong as Nani Pelekai, Tia Carrere as Mrs. Kekoa, Amy Hill as Tutu, Blake La Benz as kumu hula, Jason Scott Lee as luau manager, Celia Kenney as AJ, Kaipo Dudoit as David, Hanna Waddingham as Grand Councilwoman (voice), JudyNguyen as agent Huynh, Courtney Coleman as concierge, Christina Souza as Dr. Pereira, Christian Yuen as Agent Yzao, and Skyler Bible as Agent Foster.
Also, Billy Magnusen as Pleakly, Zach Galifianakis as Jamba, Courtney B. Vance as Cobra Bubble, and Chris Sanders as Stitch (voice).
The film was directed by Dean Fleischer Camp. Hawaii’s Chris Kekaniokalani Bright wrote the screenplay, with input by Mike Van Waes and Chris Sanders.
The anticipated Blu-ray Steel Book edition will be a keeper for fans. It will be packaged in a special edition reflecting the blue alien’s mischievous nature and contain bonus features such as deleted scenes and bloopers, plus behind-the-scenes peeks at Lilo and Stitch with cinematic Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Disney packaging.
And yes, a “Lilo & Stirtch” sequel has been announced, release date not known…
“Side by Side by Sondheim” is a truly blissful concoction and everything you might expect as a musical.
On Manoa Valley Theatre’s chic set and staging, it is a resourceful and resounding success that celebrates and explores the many riches in composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s vast and varied songbook.
It is a marvelous, intimate, and delightful production, performed by a magical, inspired and dedicated cast of six – three ladies, three gents—and backed by an astonishing and tireless musical conductor who shines and steers through every note as a one-woman orchestra.
The show is simultaneously a musical, a play, a recital and an experiment. And it’s also a show-within-a-show, when – in Act 2 – the ensemble performs on a makeshift stage hidden behind a billowing white curtain in Act 1. Parodies and medleys of Sondheim’s hit contributions in the Broadway catalogue are joyously shared in off-the-wall delivery.
The entire program is an enlightening lesson in Sondheim-ism, with a mix of narratives from the actors who perform solos, duets, and – well, you get the idea – in a stunning examination of the composers’ styles. And natch, of lyrics, too. His aren’t the easiest tunes to deliver. (Ask any veteran actor who’s been in one of his shows).
The cast, side-by-side from left to right: Andrew Simmons, Jasmine Haley Anderson, Lisa Konove, Kim Anderson, John D’Versa, and David Weaver.
The cast is a wonderment. The women are Kim Anderson, Jasmine Haley Anderson and Lisa Konove; the guys are John D’Aversa, Andrew Simmons and David Weaver.
Each singer is star-caliber, with the sense of intensity of vocalizing, no matter the mood. Everyone is capable to handle a comedic number, right before mood-changes and the tension of romantic ballads.
Highlights are plentiful, but apologies – coming off a surgery last week, it’s a bit of a strain to take notes in a darkened theater and MVT’s abbreviated playbill no longer offer deserved credits of who sings what.
Disclosure: MVT has an online program, but song titles and performers are shamefully neglected here, too, since “Side by Side” unreels 30 titles plus montages/medleys from “Gypsy,” “West Side Story” and “Company.” These professionals should be rewarded with proper recognition. .
Side-by-side again, top: J. Anderson, K. Anderson, and D’Aversa; bottom, Konove, Simmons and Weaver.
A short list of highlights, however, include “Barcelona,” “The Boy From…” “You Must Meet My Wife,” “Send in the Clowns,” “I Never Do Anything Twice’” and :”Anyone Can Whistle.”
Suggest you take in the show and discover your own favorites and highlights.
What will impress you, too, the moment you enter the theater, is that awesome set. It looks like a condo with open-house appeal, and was created by Jax Pitts, combined with Willie Sabel’s scenic artistry. There’s a sofa, a recliner with a footstool, a staircase to a second level entrance/exit, a shelf containing books and central wall depicting paintings and an oversized screen with rotating images, often as backdrops to select tune deliveries.
Miki Yamamoto
The piano, manned by the indefatigable Miki Yamamoto, is hidden beneath the stage that will host a hilarious series of medleys.
James Wright, director-choreographer, knows the value of pacing. He moves his actors-singers-dancers with fluidity and finesse, so the savvy twirls never sidetrack or diminish the camaraderie of the teamwork.
And his casting is impeccable. The two Andersons and Konove, plus D’Aversa, Simmons and Weaver, could easily step into a touring company of “Side by Side” tomorrow.
Janine Myers’ lighting design and Timothy Manamtams’ sound design complement each other.
There’s credit for costumer (Kanani Sato) but no and hair-makeup credit, so if the ensemble tended to this chore themselves, kudos. The looks suit the performers.
MVT is on a roll, with consistency of show choices, delivering first-rate productions back-to-back.
“Side by Side” thus winds up yet another successful season…
And that’s Show Biz…
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‘Side by Side by Sondheim
What: A musical revue of composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s music, originally produced on Broadway by Harold Prince.
Where: Manoa Valley Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 pm. Saturdays and Sundays, through July 27
Tickets: $25 to $50, with discounts available for military, senior citizens and youths 25 and under, at (808) 988-6131 or https://ci.ovationtix.com/35307sidebyside
Diamond Head Theatre has plunged into the whirlpool of fun of “The SpongeBob Musical,” a marvel of stagecraft based on Nickelodeon’s spirited cartoon character and its undersea antics.
Originally dubbed “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the show- — minus the squarepants – is a colorful enterprise of quirky characters residing in Bikini Bottom, whose quiet lives are upended by a volcanic eruption falling and wiping out the sea community.
The real accomplishment is the coming-of-age triumph of the technical crew at DHT, which has had frequent difficulty creating satisfying sets in its still-new theater with fly space that hadn’t been available for more than 100 years.
The sets are remarkable. including this one with underwater rainbow. Photos byBrandon Miyagi, courtesy
Thus, SpongeBob has arrived to rescue and resolve the techie production ills of the recent past, making this perhaps the best-ever, cohesive DHT enterprise.
Advisory: this is not a kiddie show. It’s family-oriented, with wide appeal to adults and parents. So, take a plunge and savor the silliness of SpongeBob.
Chad Navarro, strumming uke, is SpongeBob Squarepants.
The saga of the undersea community threatened to lose its home is one of bonding to challenge and upend and survive the explosion of underwater mountains.
Meana Stone is Sandy Cheeks, who has a great voice,
“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” – the formal official title –was a huge hit with both critics and spectators and earned 12 Tony Award nominations for it run at the Palace Theatre at Times Square.. I saw it and laughed and applauded and adored this cartoon transformed into a live-action stage musical.
Then, and particularly now, “SpongeBob” satisfies with terrific sets, boasting bright and bold costumes, and a spirited cast plus, inventive staging, strong performances, and all the bells and whistles of a triumphant show.
Greg Zane, an islander with Broadway credits, is the bright mind and master and logically the influence to glue the elements together. He’s attracted skilled techies, along with an inspired corps of actors and dancers, to give “SpongeBob” its energetic heartbeat. As director and choreography (and a former actor-dancer himself), Zane’s zest is a gift well shared.
On stage, diminutive Chad Navarro is a tireless SpongeBob, who sings, prances, and dances like a wind-up toy, and his character is notably optimistic to inspire his sea buddies to become the village that bonds and unifies in a time of crisis.
Nathaniel Ryan-Kern is the four-legged Squidward Q. Tentacles.
His BFF is Patrick Star (Zack Oldman, who has comedic traits, and late in the Act 2, a sleek and sensational dancer), and the characters include Squidward Q. Tentacles (Nathaniel Ryan-Kern, navigating with four legs), Sandy Cheeks (Mehana Stone, bearing a powerful voice), Eugene H. Krabs (Lee Nebe, who runs the Krusty Krab restaurant and bears. a pair of claws), and Sheldon J. Plankton (Pressly Wheeler, an antagonist with vibrant pipes).
The whacky denizens include pirates, sea anemones, sardines and more.
Deanne Kennedy’s awesome scenic design features a splendid oceanscape of a warm light blue with coral accents, against which appears a four-tiered underwater rainbow in Act 2, and a pair on instances of glistening jellyfish descending from the fly space in the first act, and circular bubbles falling from above in the second act. Further, there are a pair of underwater “mountains” on wheels that move and turn with grace and they’re quiet, and silent in movement. Overall, these design elements elevate appeal and provide an element of finesse.
David Decarolis’ lighting is phenomenal, from bright of the day to darkness during the volcanic eruption, with occasional flashes creating dramatic effects.
Tim Manamtam’s and Sarah Velasco’s sound design complement the lights and occasionally augment onstage dramatic moments, like footsteps when the four-legged Squidward character tromps off stage, and visual elements of fog and strobe lights.
Emily Lane’s costumes and Aiko Schick’s hair and makeup design go hand in hand, with very bright colors on styles and outrageous hairdos for the entire cast of 20-plus. You can’t find the garb or the wigs at second-hand shops, so a sizeable budget was well spent.
Sage Nguyen is Pearl Krabs, in Emily Lane’s glorious costume and Aiko Schick’s pink wig.
Kyle Conner was props designer, Jared Paakaula was associate director, and Evan Autio choreographed the “I’m Not a Loser” sequence in Act 2, with Squidward and the anemones.
Jenny Shiroma’s music direction involved an ork of eight, with three keyboards and to guitars, and the music covered a range styles, with tunes tapped by producers. Thus, the score features songs by Steven Perry and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Cyndi Lauper, They Might Be Giants, Plain White T‘s, David Bowie and Sarah Bareilles.
There’s a multitude of other gems and surprises, if you look hither and yon, like the clever formation of a pineapple, which is the home of SpongeBob, a ticking aerial clock above the theater proscenium, and remote-controlled crab in a couple of scenes. All joyful stuff, in a landscape of unpredictability…
And that’s Show Biz…
“The SpongeBob Musical”
What: A musical by Stephen Hillenburg, with book by Kyle Jarrow, based on Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” cartoon
Where: Diamond Head Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus 3 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 9
“Rent,” a popular Broadway musical, is going on the road to Kauai in August.
It’s a first for the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning show, produced last year by the University of Hawaii’s Department of Theatre and Dance in a sold-out run at Kennedy Theatre. The show, with a 40-member cast and crew, will be performed Aug. 8 through 10 at the Kauai Community Colleges Performing Arts Center.
What a splendid notion and opportunity, to share the success of the UH presentation, directed by Joshua “Baba” Tavares an assistant professor of acting on the Manoa campus, who was a former cast member of the 20th anniversary national tour of “Rent,” an iconic creation by the late Jonathan Larson.
As part of the Kauai visitation, the company will stage a free acting workshop on Aug. , to share with and engage in the Garden Island’s community of artists and storytellers. Touring Broadway casts never present performances on the Neighbor Islands, with shows staged only at Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu.
Joshu “Baba” Tavares
“We are so excited to take our show to Kauai and connect with our Kauai ‘ohana in this way”, said Tavares.
So it’s a win-win proposition.
The staging of a well-known production – “Rent” is a Tony-winning rock production, which speaks to a youthful audience – also was a rarity for Kennedy Theatre, customarily known for Japanese kabuki shows and Chinese Peking opera, art forms that address traditional and classic repertoires and have been widely lauded over decades. “Rent” was a breakthrough experiment that worked.
Tavares is opening new doors and avenues with “Rent,” discovering relevance in the process.. “Even though the show is set in a specific time, its challenges feel just as relevant today, especially here in Hawai,i” he said. “Homelessness, gentrification, mental health struggles and finding a way forward after a devastating disease––are we talking about the ’80s and ’90s, or are we talking about today?”
A scene from “Rent,” a Kennedy Theatre production, heading to Kauai in August.
The venue is the newly reopened Kauaʻi CC Performing Arts Center, which reopened in April 2024 after closing due to the pandemic. It boasts major upgrades to its lighting, sound and backstage systems. The venue is once again a a major cultural hub, enabling a Garde Island venue a shot at booking a Broadway production, under new faciity manager Gregory von Hausch.
Gregory von Hausch
Showtimes are from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 8 and 9, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 10. Tickets are $15 for students and teachers (any school) $25 general admission and $60 VIP seating; visit https://www.tixtree.com/e/rent-the-broadway-musical-9501aa6f5187
A workshop also is set for Aug. 9, but specifics have not yet been announced….
The 2025 Kalapana, from left: Konrad Kendrick. Alden Levi, Kenji Sano, Gaylord Holomalia, Todd Yukumoto, Ben Taaca, and Sean Thibodeaux.
Kalapana marks 50th anniversary
Kalapana, the legendary island band known for a vast catalogue of hit tunes, will mark its 50th anniversary in a milestone concert Oct. 4 at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell.
Tickets go on sale today (July 19) at the Neal Blaisdell Center box office at www.ticketmaster.com
While most original group members have gone to the heavenly stage, a retinue of singers-musicians, comprised of friends and contemporary fans, are carrying on the legacy of Kalapana and, of course, the traditional repertoire of classic hits reflecting the still-powerful sound.
Leading the parade are such fans and colleagues as Henry Kapono, the group Summer, and Jordan Kealoha-Yamanaka (formerly of the group, Crossing Rain)..
Founding group member Kirk Thompson will perform, along with Eie Atushi, who has recorded with Kalapana in his native Japan.
Kamasami Kong
Japan’s superstar deejay, Kamasami Kong, will emcee. Of course, islanders know him for his deejaying origins in Hawaii.
Tickets are $225 for limited VIP seats, which includes a meet-and-great with the performers plus a merchandise package. Reserved seats are $150, $75, and $55 and $35 for general admission lawn seats. Keiki 12 and under are free, limited to four kids per couple
A $1 fee will be added to each ticket, with the donation benefitting the Henry Kapono Foundation.
Kalapana’s music has been on radio playlists across the globe, from North and South America to Asia to Europe. In 2011, the group was awarded the Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts.
The 2025 Kalapana group features Konrad Kendrick, Alden Levi, Kenji Sano, Gaylord Holomalia, Todd Yukumoto, Ben Taaca, and Sean Thibodeaux.
The concert is a presentation of Aloha Group International, headed by Barb Saito. She formerly worked with iconic promoter Tom Moffatt, of Tom Moffatt Productions…
Talking about my Same Day Surgery yesterday (July 17) at Queen’s Medical Center.
The visit was to replace an outdated Abbott neuromodulation device and replace it with a new, compatible Boston Scientific version. It’s part of the therapy to control chronic lower back pain and soreness in my sciatic right leg.
Me wearing the hairnet
Some things haven’t changed, when I last underwent this procedure:
I’m still a risk for falling. Soon as I checked in, I received the customary wrist band, which boasts your name and birthdate. But because of my mobility issues and could fall, I must wear a yellow band with a “Fall Risk” declaration. For safety’s sake.
Those silly hairnets still are issued. Necessary, I suppose, but no one looks great with this bonnet.
However, some things have changed:
Socks for the fall prospects are bright yellow like corn on the cobb. Yep, had to put them on, but they were comfy!
Those horrid open-back gowns are still donned openly but now there’s a bunch of snaps at both shoulders, to enable easier access for aides to paste body switches on your chest. Or check your heartbeat.
No denying, the Fall Risk wrist band is for safety’s sake.
There’s quite a village to get patients “fixed,” so it’s not a surprise to get a pre-op visit by your doctor (mine is Dr. Jeffrey Loh), plus a retinue of staff/nurses, like nurses, anesthesiologists, and others who buzz in to take blood pressure, temperature checks, and more.
I also had a pre-op visit, as well as a post-op visit, from Michael Chrysler, the Hawaii rep of Boston Scientific, who donned what looked like scrubs – but he wore a very special red head net. He regularly visits the hospital when a client/patient has a device implanted. I’ll have learned how to properly utilize the new acquisition. And medical insurance should cover the cost of $20,000.
So: I have a new device installed, and that means a wound on the mend. Dr. Loh had to oversee the removal of the old one and the installation of the new one. This involves a magnet that transmits signals to wires attached to the spine.
I’m on antibiotics for a week – pills must be taken once every six hours – and I have a follow-up office visit with Dr. Loh next Friday, where Chrysler will meet me and run through the how’s of operating a controller that will help me navigate the Boston model.
The downside of the surgery? I cannot shower for a week, nor can I wet and/or remove the bandage protecting the zone where the magnet was installed – on the left cheek of my butt. I had a request to Dr. Loh to be sure the magnet was attached deep enough to avoid the fate of the Abbott magnet, which was inserted with a bit of a tilt, which was awkward and a bit painful when I moved around when asleep.
Of course, my wife Vi continues to be an angel in these medical quests. She was bedside before and after the procedure. Thanks, hon; that’s dedication.
A postscript: I didn’t miss it earlier but thought about it now. For some reason, I wasn’t moved to a recovery room like in past procedures. I recall recovering patients were asked and served juice and a cracker when asked “are you thirsty” or “are you hungry?” Must be an inflationary issue to cut back. —
