Willkommen to “Cabaret,” when Manoa Valley Theatre revives the Tony and Oscar-winning evergreen musical beginning Sept. 8. Finally, the new season launches in September.
MVT will convert its black box environs to reimagine the Kit Kat Klub, the seedy Berlin nightclub, “where everything is beautiful,” as the Emcee declares. The theater will have limited VIP cabaret seating, with tables and chairs, atmospherically creating the vibes of the club.
Up front seats on both sides of stage will put you as close as you can be without being a cast member.
So who’s playing who?
Gage Thomas will enact the role of the Emcee, who welcomes the audience as host of the evening. Other cast members: Nick Amador (Cliff Bradshaw), Marisa Noelle (Sally Bowles), Susan Hawes (Fraulein Schneider),Sally Swanson (Fraulein Kost), Mo Radke (Herr Schultz), Rob Duval (Ernst Ludwig), Marcus Stanger (Max). The Kit Dancers are Alex Zinov, Emily North, Taylan Claro, Asha DuMonthier, Chloe Tower, Sean Kaya, Eriq James, with Olivia Manayan the female swing.
Alex Munro is director, Maka‘i Nash is musical director, assisted by Justin Garde; Dwayne Sakaguchi is choreographer, Shell Dalzell is technical director, Willie Sable, is set designer and scenic artist; Calitin Tong is prop designer, Janine Myers is lighting designer, Maile Speetjens is costume designer, Lisa Ponce de Leon is makeup designer, Lock Lynch is sound designer and engineer, Aly Sutton is stage manager, and director assistants are Aiko Denise Chinen and Olivia Manayan.
The Tony-winning show, still running on Broadway and an Oscar-winning film that triggered cinematic interest in musical productions, needs little introduction. Germanic sentiments are high, and the Emcee tracks the tale about the American writer Bradshaw, who is attracted to the saucy Sally Bowles, and embraces folks surviving under the cloud of the Third Reich.
The score, by the prolific duo comprising Fred Kander and Fred Ebb, includes songs that would fit a jukebox, including the title song, plus other memorable ditties shared by different characters, such as “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Perfectly Marvelous,” “Two Ladies,” “Tomorrow Belongs to Me,” and “Money.”
Playdates are Sept. 8 to 25, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with 3 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets: $42 for adults, $37 for seniors and military, and $24 for youths 25 and younger, available at www.manoavalleytheatre.com or at (808) 988-6131.
Outside beverages or food are prohibited, but in-theater beverage service will be available, as expected at a cabaret. …
Hot and Cole
Over at Diamond Head Theatre, Cole Porter’s beloved shipboard musical, “Anything Goes,” sets sail Sept. 9, playing through Sept. 25.
The tale involves Reno Sweeney, a nightclub songstress and evangelist, who is booked on the S.S. Americana, sailing to England. Her pal, Billy Crocker, is a stowaway, to be close to his love, Hope Harcourt, but there’s a problem – she’s engaged to Moonface Martin.
So the love triangle has to be resolved, but enroute to the finale, there’s a body of Porter songs and lyrics – think, “Anything Goes,” “Easy to Love,” “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “All Through the Night” – plus tap-dancing sailors and a smidgen of blackmail, all leading up to the grand finale.
The characters are based on the original book by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, and on a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman.
Andrew Sakaguchi will portray Billy Crocker, Jody Bill is Reno Sweeney, Christine Kluvo plays Hope Harcourt; Ahnya Chang is Erma, and Matthew Pedersen enacts Moonface Martin.
John Rampage is directing, with tap choreography by Caryn Yee and musical direction by Jenny Shiroma
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, at 3 p.m. Saturdays and at 4 p.m. Sundays (no Saturday matinee Sept. 10).
Tickets:$25-$35, available at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or (808) 733-0274.
‘The Three Phantoms‘
“The Three Phantoms,” a musical revue featuring actors who have played the Phantom, will be a Broadway-extra of sorts, when it plays at 7 pm. Oct. 29 and 2 p.m. Oct. 30.
Hawaii theater will remember Craig Schulman, whose performance as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” made him an instant fave of locals, and he is featured with Keith Buterbaugh, Gary Mauer, and Dan Riddle in an evening of Broadway tunes not just from “The Phantom of the Opera,” in which Schulman donned the mask, but not here.
This program will include male repertoire from Great White Way solo, duet and trio renderings of faves from “Phantom,” “Les Miz,” “Miss Saigon,” and other possibilities from “Damn Yankees,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “South Pacific,” and “Kiss Me Kate.”
An earlier version of “The Three Phantoms” previously played here, with a different cast.
Tickets: $30 to $50, available at www.hawaiitheatre.com or (808) 528-0506. …
Boys will be boys
After two years of waiting, because of the pandemic, the Tony-winning “Jersey Boys” will finally open Sept. 13 and run through Sept. 25,at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
Yep, the musical about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons will finally make its Hawaii premiere in a two-week run.
You know the hits: “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” ”Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “My Eyes Adore You,” among others.
Tickets previously bought will be accepted for the run, but for questions, visit the Blaisdell box office or visit www.ticketmaster.com to verify the new playdates. Tickets start at $45.
Broadway grosses, for week ending Aug. 28
There were no $3 million shows last week, though the usual top grossing productions prevailed.
“The Music Man” pulled in $2,716 million, for No. 1.
“Hamilton,” at $2,072 million, was No. 2.
“The Lion King,” with $1,795 million, was No. 3.
And at No. 4, “MJ,” the Michael Jackson musical, was a skosh behind “King” at $1,731 million.
The week’s grosses, courtesy The Broadway League:
And that’s Show Biz. …