You never know what you’ll find, when you pore through old boxes you’ve neglected for years.
As a journalist, I’m referring to stuff I’ve kept because newspapers were the focus of my career. I often save many articles for future use.
Interestingly, the three tear sheets I discovered brought flashes of joy, because they were very much a part of my life.
Show directory
One treasure, which reflected the pulse of Broadway, was a compilation of all of the shows in New York, which helped me select shows. The New York Times maintained the tradition of collating small advertisements which – at a glance – reflected the pulse on the Great White Way. This list was dated March 15, 2020, well before the COVID 19 pandemic halted and buried Broadway a few months later.
The prevailing hits included “Phantom of the Opera,” “Come From Away,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Frozen,” “The Lion King,” “Book of Mormon,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” ”West Side Story” and “Six.”
I saw all of these shows – over a couple of visits – before the lights went out. And with the shutdown, The Times and shows stopped the listings…which never were restored even when the lights were turned on again.
Yeah, I know, the data is available via your iPhone or your laptop. But the at-a-glance peek at what’s playing became history…
Indexing fun
So did the TGIF – The Great Index to Fun – which was a tradition at the Honolulu Advertiser, a Friday tabloid in the morning paper. Disclosure: I wrote features and/or reviews in TGIF, which was a handy-dandy resource to see where or what was happening for the weekend and beyond.
My colleagues on TGIF – reporters, copy editors, page designers and chief editor (plus staff photographers) – dutifully produced the section week after week, from earlier years when entertainment ruled Waikiki and name acts brought their shows to Aloha Stadium, Blaisdell Arena and/or Concert Hall, and Waikiki Shell.
TGIF didn’t survive the merger of the morning Honolulu Advertiser and the evening Star-Bulletin, and a feature section eventually disappeared. The Star-Advertiser became a two-section endeavor – main and local news, and sports. Instead of a feature section on Sundays, a Travel section prevails – with a key New York Times story with art, week after week.
The paper truly has a content issue, or perhaps it doesn’t give a damn…
Bright beginnings
Then I came across a feature article I wrote, published Aug. 3, 2016, in the Star-Advertiser, sharing news that survivors, supporters and former actors in a Ron Bright musical, were launching the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation, to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. B, as he was called.
The revue, entitled “Brighter Still,” was to feature a roster of Bright Kids in a production July 13 at the Hawaii Theatre, the first IABK show organized by Ligaya Stice, executive director. The show corraled everyone who was a someone singing and dancing for the late director-educator at Castle High School, whose auditorium bears the Bright name, and at Paliku Theatre at the Windward Community College, where an IABK show usually sets anchor.
Former Bright-directed talent traditionally participate in a Bright show, coming from near and far. Mo Bright, widow of the director, said “A little bit of Ron lives in each one of them/”
IABK’s annual musical production, “Gypsy,” opens Aug. 8, with a three-weekend run at Paliku through Aug.24. For tickets, visit Www.iabk.org
‘Wicked” defying gravity; remains No. 1
“Wicked” retains its No. 1 on the Broadway grosses tally, for the week ending July 6.
However, “Hamilton” has jumped into the game, again, moving up a few notches to No. 2.
The Top 10:
1—“Wicked,” $2.257 million.
2—“Hamilton,” $2.110 million.
3—”The Lion King, $2.054 million.
4—” Sunset Blvd.,” $1.940 million.
5—” Aladdin,” $1.378 million.
6—” Maybe Happy Ending,” $1.331 million.
7—”MJ,” $1.232 million.
8-“Just In Time,” $1.231 million.
9—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.167 million.
10—“The Outsiders,” $1.146 million.
The complete list, courtesy the Broadway Guild:
And that’s Show Biz…