‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ FILMING PROMOS
Ryan Seacrest, incoming “Wheel of Fortune” host, has been in Waikiki with letter-turner Vanna White, to tape promos for the next season of the syndicated game show.
Seacrest, who still hosts ABC’s “American Idol,” is succeeding Pat Sajak, the original “Wheel” host, who announced his retirement last year and will exit in June 2024. Thus, Seacrest will make his debut later this summer.
Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest, on location in Waikiki
Seacrest and White have been seen in tourist mode, donning swimwear and goggles and flipper diving gear for knee-deep waves in waters off Waikiki. The duo, wearing appropriate island wear, also trekked in the shopping mall at the Hilton Hawaiian Village…
Cataluna’s ‘Kimo’ premieres Feb. 23
Lee Cataluna’s “Kimo the Waiter,” a glimpse of exclusion, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility within the community of television and film work, will make its world premiere at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Paliku Theatre on the Windward Community College.
The production is a partnership of WCC and the Hawaii Conservatory of Performing Arts (HCPA), where Cataluna is HCPA’s Established Island Artist.
The comedy explores the plight and frustration of Kimo, a dude that loves to act who tracks and attends auditions for roles, but he’s either too brown or not brown enough, or perhaps not enough, period. How many times can an actor play “the waiter”? He’s good, but clearly lives with rejection.
Set in 1980s Honolulu, “Kimo the Waiter” tracks the elusive dream of an actor whose dream world is never within his reach.
Alakaʻi Cunningham and Kirstyn Trombetta in “Kimo the Waiter.”
“’Kimo the Waiter’ is a hilarious and moving look into the world of an actor. Cataluna shows the frustrations and raucous truths of what actors experience,” said director Taurie Kinoshita.
Set in the Hawaii of the 1980s, “Kimo” features Alakaʻi Cunningham as Kimo. The cast also includes Stuart Featheran, Kirstyn Trombetta, Maya Leslie-Berengue, and Kealaulapoiunalani Faifili.
The family-friendly comedy, which runs approximately 90 minutes, should relate to constant auditioners who’ve experienced rejection.
Tickets: $15 to $25, available at palikutheatre.com or call (808) 235-7315.
And that’s Show Biz…
SUPER BOWL ’24: YOUR CHOICE?
KUNG HEE FAT CHOY — YEAR OF THE DRAGON
MURDER, MAYHEM, MIRTH IN WHODUNNIT
An oddity, “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” is neither a full-fledged musical nor a riotous comedy, though there are brief tuneful segments and a mix of laugher, amid a series of murders.
The whodunnit, playing at the Diamond Head Theatre, is actually quite charming. Actors eager to audition for a show (a musical, natch), along with a dancer, a singer and a comedian, who are seeking employment, so they assemble at the mansion of Elsa Von Grossenknueten (Lisa Konove, flamboyantly brilliant and in her prime) in Chappaqua, New York. The time is midnight (of course), at the height of a chilling snowfall (another of course). The theatrical figures hope wealthy Elsa will bankroll the musical, or so is the premise.
In actually, the estate is where three dancers were previously murdered by an unknown slasher, and a policeman, Michael Kelly (Michael Abdo, sleek in his sleuthing) is among the invitees and believes the slasher also is among the party guests. So everyone is a suspect; or dead serious. a forthcoming victim.
The play, by John Bishop, is set in December, 1940, and opens with the murder of Elsa’s maid Helsa Wenzel (Brianna Johnston, fittingly domestic, who comes to life again, which viewers later learn how). The slasher claims several more victims, terrifying the survivors, who are stuck in the snowstorm and the expected happens: the lights go out, meaning more murders when they go on again.
The motley crew includes the singer, Patrick O’Reilly (Christopher Denton); the dancer, Nikki Crandall (Emily Lane); the comic Eddie McCuen (David Samsel), a director Ken De La Maize( Lee Nebe); and a writing team comprising Roger Hopewell (Andrew Simmons) and Bernice Roth (Betty Bolton). They’re all wary of the lurking mayhem, beginning with the demise of Elsa’s friend, Marjorie Baverstock (Heather Taylor).
“Musical Comedy” cast: seated front, Lisa Konove, Michael Abdo and Heather Taylor; rear, from left, David Samsel, Emily Lane, Brianna Johnston, Christoper Denton, Andrew Simmons, Betty Bolton and Lee Nebe. — Brandon Miyagi photo, courtesy DHT.
An ensemble show, the cast builds chemistry with shared fear and mutual concerns about who is the killer. Frequent hilarity lessens the intensity of emotions in this kind of murder mysteries, and director John Rampage maintains a cadence of fright and laughs. Actress Konove, a veteran of many dramatic and comedic shows in the past, is in her element in this one, clad in flowing, elegant and colorful gowns created with authority by Emily Lane (doubling as a cast member), with Aiko Schick’s hair and makeup designs contributing to the era of the ‘40s.
A star is born, in set designer Randy Tandal’s auspicious debut as a stage designer, whose maginificent single-set spectacle is efficient and functional, with book shelves that spin to hide, then display, a hidden passageway. The one-view spectrum includes handsome doorways for entrances and exits, plus a clothes closet which conceals a body and also displays wardrobe. There are eye-filling gems including artwork on the walls and working lamps, working in sync with prop designer Travis O. Asaeli’s contributions – a desk, a comfy armchair, and a faux grand piano.
At long last, DHT has come of age, marking the first anniversary of the new theater with a set (finally) that demonstrates and reflects the magic of stagecraft. Clearly, greatness sprouts with time and talent. This set — and its creator — are winners! No set pieces to roll on and off stage; nothing to descend from the overhead fly space. What you see is what you get–excellence.
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“The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940”
A play by John Bishop, about theatrical types gathering at a mansion, where murder is on the menu and a snowstorm prevents an escape
Where: Diamond Head Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; also at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 18; extension playdates, 7:30 p.m. Feb.23 and 3 p.m. Feb. 24
Tickets: $37 to $62, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or (808) 733-0274
And that’s Show Biz…