Bruno Mars, Hawaii’s favorite musical son, gives the islands’ Zippy’s restaurants a sweet boost in the current People magazine. It’s the issue with Jon Bon Jovi on the cover, in the magazine’s summer June 29 issue exploring favorite food and destinations in the 50 states.
The “Risk It All” singer – and constant chartbuster, as a soloist, as a duet-with-divas, and a co-star with Anderson. Paak in Silk Sonic — heads straight for Zippy’s when comes home.
So what’s his favorite? It’s the Korean chicken plate. Hmmm, so maybe you’ll see him when you’re in line waiting for your Korean chicken plate, too… but the People item didn’t list which branch Mars seeks his take-out. Hey, Bruno—the Zippy’s in Kahala has reopened after a three-month renovation….
Lyric’s on ‘Big Brother’
Lyric Medeiros
Another local – and future star – is singer-actress Lyric Medeiros, one of the featured faces and talents on CBS’ “Big Brother” this summer. You know her musical father Glenn Medeiros, who became a superstar singer as a youth, when he recorded “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You.” Now he’s president of Saint Louis School, but his children – Lyric’s brother’s name is Chord – are unsurprisingly musically inclined.
Said Mediros: “I told my kids (Lyric and Chord) growing up that they can reach for any dream they have, but they first need to attain their education to prepare them for a job that will give them a comfortable life in case their first option does not come to fruition,” said dad Glenn. “Both my kids have done that. In the case of Lyric, her dream has always been to be an actress, She loves to sing and dance but she is an amazing actor. After attaining both her law degree and MBA, she is now ready to follow her dream by getting herself out there for all to see on TV and other forms of forms of media.”
Lyric will be in the show until she gets eliminated…
When Robert’s ‘Moon’ shines
Robert Cazimero
It’s not precisely when there’s a full moon, but Robert Cazimero’s done one “Full Moon Concert” at Chef Chai’s on July 12, and plans more serenades Aug. 16, Sept. 6, Oct. 25 and Nov. 15.
Then he goes into Christmas mode, Dec. 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., with Cazimero serenading from 6:30 p.m.
Cost is $125, and reservations may be made at Open Table or Chai’s at (808) 333-0279…
Yes, post carding used to be a trip-related thing. Back in the day, you’d secure a bunch of postcards whenever you visited a city. You’d buy a few cards and bring some postcard stamps with you when you hit the road.
That’s a tradition that’s mostly extinct now. Before, if you visited Europe, your hotel concierge in Italy or France would have the appropriate foreign stamps to affix to your postcard.
Nations like the U.K., New Zealand, Mexico, Croatia, etc. possibly would have exotic stamps, including some treasures. In reality, however, you’d beat your card home because out-of-country mail is understandably slow-mo.
In days of old, you could even use generic postcards showing your hotel. Or gratis cards from your airline. Boring, but doable.
My home-made postcards/notecards, for a week-long New York visit. The tradition lives!
I’m so old-school and believe the postcard industry – and perhaps even the post office – have killed this element of travel communication. Bright new postcards at a curio shop cost a few dollars now, if you can find ‘em at all. The standard cheapo cards were 10 for $1, and they were OK if you don’t mind cards depicting outdated Statue of Liberty or Empire State Building images. Equally out of date: a post card flashing Times Square neon signs depicting “Phantom of the Opera” or “A Chorus Line” billboards, a pair of singular sensations long gone.
E-mail has changed the world. And I changed, too. I make my own, decorating cards pr paper sheets depicting my destination. It’s almost always a New York theme, and this year, I’m doing a Broadway jaunt.
But postal costs are also a factor. The present price to mail a first-class envelope is 78 cents, but will rise to 82 cents beginning July 12. A domestic postcard stamp currently costs 61 cent, and it rises to 65 cents starting July 12.
I’m utilizing my Forever stamps, bought earlier at discounted for eternal use.
E-mails erased the necessity of sending postcards; a quick “arrived 10 a.m.; off to a boat tour,” via your iPhone would suffice, along with a companion image of you on a tour going ‘neath the bridges in Chicago, New York, or San Francisco.
But I’m a crafter, and a crafter crafts. And notecards -to the Big Apple- with appropriate stickers or rubber stamps –are especially easy to create. It’s very basic crafting, but I enjoy sharing ‘em.
A confession: I’m bound for New York this week, to catch a clutch of Broadway shows, including “Lost Boyd” and “Schrigadoon,” both Tony winners this year.
FYI, I’m done making my N.Y. postcards/notecards, 2026 edition, and have assembled envelopes, too, in anticipation of the keeping the postcard ritual alive.
I affixed an apple with glitter inside, and chose a signature NY attraction or nameplate to complete the NY theme.
In the past, I used subway maps, adorned with tiny yellow cabs; Lady Liberty has been a favorite motif and years ago, I purchased a great rubber stamp. Two years ago, I was ambitious created a mini-newspaper filled with data of shows I was seeing and it was so easy to make, using one sheet of 8 ½ x 11 paper, folded like a book with only two scissor cuts. Grade school teachers know this trick for their youngsters— a mini book with a few actual pages to turn. I filled the wee pages with text messages.
With my homemade cards, I’ll write notes and mail ‘em in-between Broadway shows or while breakfasting or lunching. Hmmmm, not certain if I made enough notecards or will have enough time to scribble a note and affix the stamp and find a mailbox…
“Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things every Saturday.”
That was the familiar tagline of entertainment columnist Wood, 94, who died Friday (June 19), at a Kaneohe senior care facility, following a long illness.
Ben Wood
According to friends, he vacated his downtown condominium years ago and spent a year at a Kaneohe care facility before moving to St. Francis Medical Center for faith-based senior care.
Wood, whose last column was on Oct. 14, 2017 in the merged Honolulu Star-Advertiser, was a legendary reporter-columnist who wrote about island culture, people, and the performing arts. He covered the Golden Years of Waikiki at the height of the visitor industry’s growth..
He hawked the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during WWII, which symbolically was when he started working for the then-evening paper. That was his claim to fame.
He attended Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1949.
He joined the Army in 1955, serving in the infantry for a year and was assigned to the European edition of the Stars & Stripe, serving for eight years as a civilian journalist following his military discharge
He adored wine and fine dining, commonly winding up at hot spots like Michel’s and Ruth’s Chris Steak House for celebratory events, like his fabled, annual all-wahine birthday luncheons.
Wood got married in 1974 to his wife, Brita (nicknamed “the Frau,” to his friends and readers) but she preceded him in death in 1996 .
Services are pending.
Cravalho is banking on color green
Auliʻi Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the 2016 animated film of the same name, has joined the cast of “My Adventures with Superman.” Cravalho will voice Jessica Cruz in teenage mode, who eventually will become DC Comics’ first human female Green Lantern.
Auli’i Cravalho
In “Superman,” Cruz will be a teenager.
Jake Wyatt, showrunner on “My Adventures with Superman” and the upcoming “My Adventures with Green Lantern,” stated the following regarding Cravalho’s casting:
“Casting brought us a lot of fantastic reads for Jessica. But when I heard Auli’i, there was this complexity of emotion to her read — a natural, almost oblivious charm that she brought to Jess — and I knew she was the one.
“But I hadn’t even looked at the name, I just ran out of my office like, ‘Have ya’ll heard this take??’ Then Stephanie [Gonzaga] and Karen [Graci] told me that it was Auli’i, that she was already a princess, how she’d done brilliant work with Karen on a previous show, and that was that.”
Cravalho rose to prominence with her vocal performance as Moana in the hit Disney film. She reprised her role for the sequel, “Moana 2,” as well as a cameo in “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” She previously played Janis in 2024’s “Mean Girls.”.Known for her strong singing voice, Cravalho has also embraced an impress theater resume, having starred in “Sunset Boulevard,” “Evita,” “Children ofEden,” and“Cabaret.”
“We’d already planned for the second episode to showcase how Supergirl [KianaMadeira], in particular, was changing their world. We wanted to look at how different people had very different reactions to the same Kryptonian. So when word came down from the brass that Green Lantern was greenlit, we wanted our pre-Lantern Jessica Cruz to give us the girl-on-the-street view of Supergirl. How would a shy, relatively powerless teenager see this powerful, young super-woman out there changing the world? And what would it be like for Supergirl to see herself through Jess’s eyes?”.
Wow, this could be somewhat of a record two-years of Hawaii actors appearing in a Broadway musical.
The latest is Ann Harada (no relation), who was quite visible on the recent Tony Awards televised on CBS..
Harada is portraying Florence Menlove, in the Tony-winning “Schmigadoon,” in residency at the Nederlander Theatre through Sept. 6.
Ann Harada, in “Schmigadoon.”
Being in a Tony show is nothing new for the Punahou grad; her resume includes the naughty but hilarious “Avenue Q,” in 2004, which was produced by Islander Kevin McCollum, and colleagues Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller. “Avenue Q” upset the highly-touted “Wicked.”
Marc delaCruz joined the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” in November 2018, and performed in the “Man 5” ensemble track, symbolic since he has had to cover the roles of Philip Schuyer, James Reynolds and the doctor, and had to be on call to perform any one of the three characters.
He understudied numerous other roles, including Alexander Hamilton, the role created by Miranda, and other principal parts like King George II, Aaron Burr, and Thomas Jefferson, and he has become the only Asian American and the first and only actor of Filipino descent, to enact the Hamilton lead role on Broadway, making history in the process. However, he concluded his regular seven-year tenure with the production, performing his final show at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Nov. 23, 2025.
Marc delaCruz has exited “”Hamilton”
At one point, delaCruz was one of two troupers of Filipino descent in “Hamilton,” when actress Reanne Acasio of Hawaii joined the ensemble, portraying the three Schuler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy. Quite an achievement, when both isle troupers take on multi roles, in a landmark and still-running hit…
Aleks Pevek, another actor from Honolulu, is winding up a role in the ensemble of “Chess,” at the Imperial Theatre. He also is the understudy for the lead role of American grandmaster, Freddie Trumper. The cast – with Aaron Tveit as Trumper.
Lea Michele as Florene Vally and Nicholas Christoper as Anatoly Sergievsky also will take their final curtain “Chess” bows on June 21…
Alex Pevek winds up “Chess” run
Finally, Zare Anguay continues to be part of the hit Broadway musical, “Aladdin,” at New Amsterdam Theatre, where he is an ensemble member, a swing actor, a dance captain, and a fight captain. His Kaneohe fans, friends and family are proud of his success. Oh, and he’s also a former Bright Kid …
Zare Anguay is still in “Aladdin.”
Last season, islanders took pride, when a pair of former residents earned key Tony trophies. Nicole Scherzinger won Best Lead Actress in a Musical (“Sunset Boulevard”) and Darren Criss earned “Best Lead Actor in a Musical (“Maybe Happy Ending.”). That’s why they were presenters at this year’s ceremonies…
Name dropping
Willy Falk, a former resident and alumni of Punahou, was enchanted with Tihati performers in the 100th celebration.
Willy Falk, a Broadway actor who always returns home for his alma mater’s annual celebration here. So happens this year was the 100th Punahou Luau, and Tihati’s Polynesian show was the featured entertainment. He was quick to send aloha to Tihati co-founder and now retired Cha Thompson, and noted “Your son just sang beautifuy and your daughters (or perhaps grand daughters) danced enchantingly.” Indeed, so many in the Tihati company are related and perform beautifully, and often a viewer needs a cast list to sort out who’s who…
When a notable acting name, with Broadway and TV creds visits a local playhouse, he deserves applauds for his generosity of time. Daniel DaeKim and wife Mia took in a performance of Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Yellow Face” before it closed, and stayed after the performance to chat with the cast. Kim, of course, knows a lot about this satirical dramatic piece, since he played DHH, a fictionalized alter-ego of the playwright David Henry Hwang (“M. Butterfly”), on Broadway in 2024….
Did you know that there was a singer-musician with island ties, who won a Grammy award earlier this year? Megan Skiendel, a member of the Katsye group, earned the New Artist of the Year gramophone this year. So belated congrats…
‘Book of Morman’ a hit all over again
“The Book of Mormon,” which was temporarily shuttered due to a fire at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, is rallying back to chart supremacy, becoming the No.1 grossing show for the week ending June 14. It also entered the $2 million club, achieving figures topping $2 million.
Former cast members Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, who joined the company in a segment on the recent Tony Awards commemorating the 15h anniversary, fueled new renewed popularity of the controversial production.
And in an unlikely development, “Wicked,” a perennially in the Top 10, got bumped off the Top 10 for the week ending June 14.
The Top10:
1—“The Book of Mormon,” $2.238 million
2—“Hamilton,” $2.109 million
3—“The Lion King,” $1.944 million
4–“Death of a Salesman,” $1.78 million from a seven-performance week.
5—“Oh, Mary,” $1.524 million
6–“Ragtime,” $1.434 million
7—“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.393 million
You will, when Diamond Head Theatre unveils its cast for the upcoming “Les Miserables” production, opening July 24.
Anthony Fedorov will portray Jean Valjean, the protagonist unjustly imprisoned for 19 years who breaks parole to seek a rich life, but Jose Ver, cast as the antagonist Inspector Javert, is forever in pursuit of Valjean.
This beloved musical based is based on Victor Hugo’s novel and showcases musical theater’s grand, rich score, which most theater fans can sing, since every number has become part of the folklore of musical theater.
Its uplifting characters perform songs of hope, heartbreak, struggle and redemption, laced with romance, honor and heroism in wartime 19th century France.
The Cameron Macintosh production is the world’s longest running musical, and boasts a grand score featuring music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and book by Alain Boublil, based on the classic wartime Hugo story.
Other leads in the company: Mehana Stone (Fantine), Lainey Hicks (Cosette), Ainsley Schearer (Eponine), Kimo Kaona (Marius), Buffy kahalepuna Wong (MadameThenardier), Presley Wheeler (Thernardier), Kime Braud (Enjolras), Mali Na’auao (Gavroche), Philex Kepa (Gavroche), Elle Silver (Little Cosette/Young Eponine), Mazzy Meers (Little Cosette/Young Eponine), Madison Abe-Revera (Little Cosette/Young Eponine).
Also in the Ensemble: Mike Abdo, Kim Anderson, Landon Ballesteros, Becca Brake, Drew Bright, Ioane Camacho, Mary Chesnut Hicks, Kalani Hick, Sage Hirasuna, Casey Lauti, Lee Nebe, Shane Nishimura,Cayden Park, Larry Paxton, Pualaela Slover, Marie Staples, David Weaver, Karsyn Wentzell, Brian Willis, Trent Yamagata, Rain Young, Anna Young.
Doug Kreefer will direct this spectacle, and Jenny Shiroma is musical director. “Les Miz” enables the artistic team to take advantage of the revolving stage installed on the DHT floor.
Willie Sabel is set designer, and it’s a no-brainer that he’ll build the show’s iconic barricade.
Jericho Sombrio is sound designer, Kyle Conner is props designer,Chris Gouveia is lighting designer, Emily Lane is costume designer, Aiko Schick is hair and make-up designer, Trudi Melohn is production stage manager.
Though opening July 24, the formal opening night will be on July 31; and even before the show opens, extension dates have been announced for 3 p.m. July 26, 7 p.m.. Aug. 5, 7 p.m. Aug. 20 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21.
Tickets: $70 and $54 at (808) 733-0374 or diamondheadtheatre.com
