Reviews Archives - Page 2 of 14

May 31, 2025June 1, 2025

‘STITCH’ SKIPPED STREAMING ROUTE

There’s joy and jubilation aplenty, in Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” summertime hit.

Islanders flocking back to the cinema, to enjoy a bona fide treasure and pleasure, will realize this isn’t a kiddie film. It’s a dramady with laughs, with a positive script and appealing cartoon characters coming to life.

Surely, you must know someone in the film – a relative, a neighbor down the street, a hula dancer you’ve seen –so there’s plenty to applaud. Further, “L&S” appear to be this year’s smash hit, so clap like crazy. With its opening weekend gross last week topping $183 million domestically, it’s almost certain that a Disney sequel will be in the works in the distant future.

**Stitch with Lilo (Maia Kealoha): Skipping streaming for the big screen.**

For the record, Disney earlier pegged “Lilo & Stitch” as a streaming film via its Disney+. Luckily, somebody saw gold and plans swiftly changed. “L&S’s” performance – a live-action flick with cartoon roots — was No. 2 for the Mouse House for the first weekend — with “The Lion King” checking in at No. 1 with $171 million” in 2019 and “Beauty & the Beast” garnering $174 million in 2017.

Clearly, the blue alien from the cartoon original is back and steals the picture. Stitch was naughty, two decades again, and he’s still unabashedly eager to create havoc, and he’s the key non-human (also known as 626, in his earlier life) we still adore. The cutie who steals the film is newcomer Maia Kealoha, who brings Lilo to life, but she’s still searching for a friend, still loving Elvis Presley on vinyl, and is unafraid to shove her hula halau smartie off the stage. She needs a companion badly, and this turns out to be Stitch, who resembles a dog or a koala bear, who’s blue, with a lot of teeth, has special powers, and well, becomes a pet and a companion in escapades that put both in trouble. Lilo names him Stitch, and he arrives from the heavens and they become best buddies. Message here: you take the friend that crashes in your troubled life.

Her sister Nani (Sydney Agudon) still frets about holding a job, finding another one, caring for Lilo, and dodges the social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere) who wants to split the family. But yes, Lilo and Stitch both know – family means ‘ohana, and no one gets left behind.

‘Twas the mantra then, and it still works now. If you don’t abandon hope.

Kaipo Dudoit, appearing as David Kawena in his feature film debut, has a crush on Nani, and is a neighbor of Lilo and Nani. Off camera, he dances hula with Robert Cazimero’s Merrie Monarch-winning Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua, occasionally sings with his father’s group Ho‘okena, plays the violin, and is a massage therapist. Reviewers are calling him a hunk! He boasts a fit body, and he’s got trendy, Hawaiian tattoos.

And how can you resist Tutu (Amy Hill), the caring surrogate grandmother to Lilo and Stitch and a neighborhood pal anyone would want and comes to your rescue. She voiced a fruit seller in the animated cartoon, but in the flesh, she’s precious. Looks the part, talks the part, and has the heart of a beloved tutu wahine.

Heard, but not seen – the enthusiastic and engaging Kamehameha Schools Children Chorus (directed by Lynette K. Bright – performing the charismatic “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride,” this time with American Idol winner Iam Tongi plus Mark Keali‘i Ho‘omalu joining in. That tune, plus “He Mele No Lilo,” are back for another serenade, with links to the first animated “Lilo & Stitch” film. They were good luck charms then, and lovely sounds of aloha now, like great friends reunited again.

There’s more off-camera camaraderie in the screenwriter role. Chris Kekaniokalani Bright co-wrote the movie with Mike Van Waes. Chris’s mom is Lynelle Bright, Kamehameha Schools Children Chorus, and as a child, Chris became friends with Dean Dubois and Chris Sanders, original screenplay writers of the first “L&S” cartoon feature, sharing cultural and island history then. Sanders directed the cartoon and voiced Stitch, and leaves everyone in stitches in the live-action update. However, the director here is Dean Fleischer Camp, known for his precious “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” who masterly nurtured the spirit of Hawaii and delivered the right touches and sentiments dealing with woman/female issues of life challenges. Lilo is a little princess, but this is not your customary princess adventure.

Locals also know that Chris’ father Clarke Bright is now bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and conductor of the orchestra at all I’m a Bright Kid Foundation musicals, and his grandmother is Mo Bright and late grandfather was Ronald B. Bright, legendary director and drama teacher at Castle High School.

Clooney drama will air live before Tonys

George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck” continues to sit atop Broadway’s weekly box office grosses, for the week ending May 25. The play has set records, now in the lofty $4 million club; it is vying for five Tony Awards, including Clooney’s Best Actor in a Drama nomination in the June 8 event. The show will air live in an unprecedented screening at 7 p.m. ET (1 p.m. Hawaii time) the day before, June 7.

The Top 10:

1—”Good Night, and Good Luck,” $4.238 million

2—”Othello,” $3.327 million

3—“Glengarry Glen Ross,” $2.750 million

4—”Wicked,“ $2.353 million

5—”The Lion King,” $2.055 million

6—“Hamilton,” $1.956 million

7—”Death Becomes Her,” $1.559 million

8—”Aladdin,” $1.349 million

9—”Moulin Rouge! The Musical,“ $1.277 million

10–“The Outsiders,” $1.268 million

The full list, courtesy the Broadway Guild:

And that’s Show Biz…

May 27, 2025May 27, 2025

‘LA MANCHA:’ VOICES/SONGS/SET

There are three elements in Diamond Head Theatre’s “Man of La Mancha” that elevate, fascinate and thrill audiences:

The pair of lead voices of Buz Tennent as Miguel de Cervantes /Alonso Quijano/Don Quixote and Anna Young as Prisoner/Aldonza/Dulcinea bring power and finesse to their roles. Note the slashes (/) between the character names; they’re plentiful in this show.
The inspirational and immortal tune, “The Impossible Dream,” is the exit song audiences sing or hum en route home. And Tennent owns this one, each time he sings it. He projects, perfects, and protects the integrity of the power ballad that is the essence of hope and conquest.

**Deanne Kennedy’s set design, with arches, is formidable and functional.** **A walkway, right, descends to provide entry and exit in two scenes. Brandon Miyagi photos, courtesy Diamond Head Theatre.**

Deanne Kennedy’s impressive single set, comprising eye-filling arches beneath which all the action takes place, is formidable and smartly functional. There are smaller arches reflected in the window designs, and this single three-in-one set disavows noisy movements of smaller set pieces shoved on and off stage, a problematic quest for DHT since its new theater opened. The set is challenged only by a metallic staircase that unexpectedly drops from the heavens, sort of, to provide a dramatic entrance and exit in two scenes in the show. Smoothly and quietly.

The musical, written by Dale Wasserman (book), Mitch Leigh (music) and Joe Darion (lyrics), is a tangle of hope, dreams, and intentions of a playwright and poet (Quixote), who is fascinated by windmills, and his idealism, imagination and inclinations collide in his characterizations. Simply, he struggles and is conflicted between reality and delusion. As Cervantes, he is sent to prison during the Spanish Inquisition where he relates the tales of Don Quixote via a play-within-a-play with his fellow prisoners to protect his Quixote novel.

**Buz Tennent, as Don Quixote, owns the “Impossible Dream” tune.**

Multiple themes – perseverance, imagination, and the element of dreams – are heightened via recurrence and repetition. Quixote and his devoted manservant, Sancho Panza (Mo Radke) are Spaniards in Seville, though their mission to right wrongs and undo evils, might emulate the knights of the roundtable upholding chivalry in “Camelot.”

**Anna Young is Aldonza, aka Dulcinea.**

The delusional Quixote mistakes a windmill for a huge four-armed giant. Worse, at a roadside inn Quixote thinks it’s a castle, and he challenges muleteers and recognizes Aldonza, who toils at the inn, but mistakes her for Lady Dulcinea, to whom he has been eternally loyal. Also shamelessly loyal: Sancho, who pledges his bond with Quixote on “I Really Like Him.”

This not the easiest show to sit through, because of the volley of themes and tuneful reprises. Besides the two lead voices, there are a few other dependable and dedicated singers, too: Larry Paxton (Padre), Garrett Hols (Dr. Carrasco) and Lainey Hicks (Antonia).

Director Bryce Chaddock is like a prison warden here, taking on this journey of quixotic quests and dreams of a creative soul searching for perfection in an imperfect world. Of the cast of 21, 15 play prisoners and other double- and triple-cast roles.

Two faux horses generate smiles and appeal; they giddy-yup and trot with amusement and charm, but the actors are not credited in the playbill. At least, I couldn’t detect the identities.

John Rampage is choreographer, though “La Mancha” isn’t a dance-centric show.

Jenny Shiroma gets a full sound from her eight-piece orchestra, and the tech work is efficient and clean – Dawn Oshima (lighting), Mike Minor (sound), Kyle Connor (props), Emily Lane (costumes) and Mia Yoshimoto (hair and makeup) can all take a bow.

Advisory: There is no intermission, so the advice is to sip your drinks and visit the bathroom before the show. Running time: 1:55…

And that’s Show Biz…

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‘Man of La Mancha’

What: A musical about Miguel Cervantes, who stages his ‘Man of La Mancha’ while imprisoned. The show was written by Dale Wasserman (book), Mitch Leigh (music) and Joe Darion (lyrics).

Where: Diamond Head Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays; extended playdates at 7:30 p.m. June 13 and 3 p.m. June 14.

Tickets: $41 to $68, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com and (808) 733-0274

May 20, 2025May 20, 2025

‘CONVENIENCE’ DELIVERS KIM CHEER

Ins Choi’s “Kim’s Convenience,” now at the Manoa Valley Theatre, is a sit-com about an immigrant Korean family operating a corner store in modern-day Toronto, Canada.

It arrives in the aftermath of a series of popular episodic chapters screened on Netflix, peeking in on a family involved in the daily biz of selling goods in a cornerstone store visited by a walk-in crowd. But you don’t see the usual foot traffic like on the TV show.

**The Kim Family amid the shelves: from left, Miki Yamamoto as Janet, Brandon Hagio as Appa, and Sun Min Chun-Dayondon as Umma.**

But clearly, the streaming has widened viewership and thus casts an immense shadow on the play. I fear some show-goers who are diehard fans will expect a lot but receive just a little. Abbreviation is the special here.

I loved the giddy pace and vibes of the TV program, and stage designer Willie Sabel has created a perfect setting dominated by shelves chockful of everyday needs, from breakfast cereal to snack-time chips, from chilled drinks to boxes of pancake mixes. And yes, instant saimin, too. Sara Ward, as prop designer, must have had a cheerful shopping mission to shop for the array of goodies to stock the shelves.

Appa (Brandon Hagio), the patriarch of the family, is an Archie Bunker sort with his own cache of racial slurs. He’s a worry wart, the sergeant of cars illegally parked in a no-parking zone we never see, and Appa also is conflicted, about his ranking now and his eminence in the future.

In comedies like this one, the verbal no-no’s trigger the loudest laughter, and Hagio is a master of put-downs. As viewers, we yearn for a volley of hisses and howls, but the show requires a bit more time than the allotted 1:45, including intermission.

The other key family member is Janet (Miki Yamamoto), a photographer at heart, whose beau is Alex (Jonathan Beck, in multiple roles), and she constantly dodges rockets from Appa about boyfriends and marriage. But she survives.

Director Reiko Ho has a way with characters, with a rhythm of cycles, but the production minimizes a couple of family regulars, including Kim’s wife, Umma (Sun Min Chun-Dayondon), and son Jung (David Tang). They share a key scene, staged on a bench, where they belt out a song of faith. Umma doesn’t have the usual confrontations as in the TV series, but Jung has a special photo to share as well as a pre-final curtain revelation of sort, comprising sentimental lore with familial love; he accepts to carry out Appa’s dream to tell his story by taking over the convenience store, not selling out to strangers or looming developers nearby. Nothing like fulfilling his dad’s wishes.

Amber Lehua Baker’s costumes are functional, every-day wear; Janine Myers’ lighting design includes a minimal but a nice high-and-low mood surprise midway in the show; and Timothy Manatam’s sound is, well, sound.

It’s a blessing to showcase the work of a Korean, to share a modest but endearing comedy about successful immigrants writing their own chapter of establishing a viable mom-and-pop enterprise….

And that’s Show Biz…

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“Kim’s Convenience

What: A comedy by Ins Choi, about an immigrant Korean family and the convenience store they own in Toronto, Canada

Where: Manoa Valley Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays; through June 8; extended shows at 7:30 p.m. May 21, 7:30 p.m. June 4, and 3 p.m. June 7.

Tickets: $24 to $47, at www.manoavalleytheatre.com and at (808) 988-6131

May 2, 2025May 2, 2025

AFTER-PARTY FLAVOR AT LEI DAY

Billed as the Hawaiian Airlines May Day Concert, last night’s Lei Day extravaganza at Bishop Museum was sort of an after-party for core performers at the recent Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo.

Indeed, Robert Cazimero and his hui of kane dancers in his Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua swept the ‘auana and kahiko categories in the prestigious hula competition last weekend. A few numbers were repackaged for the Lei Day audience to examine and experience HNKOL’s signature choreography.

**Robert Cazimero, at his white grand piano, festooned with yellow plumeria.**

Clearly, some of the memorable Merrie moments still were swirling in the audience and it was Zachary Lum, Keauhou member, who wisely opined that Lei Day felt more like an “after -party” following Na Kamalei’s victories in Hilo.

**Halau Na Kamalei O Lililehua, doing hula kahiko at Lei Day “after party.”**

For kumu hula Cazimero, this year marks the 50^th anniversary of his leadership in training hula gents, and nostalgia was part of an unstated ingredient of Lei Day. Thus, appreciation and gratitude of his own kumu way back in the day — Maiki Aiu Lake— still resonated, even if he has potential to become his generation’s Maiki in theory and in practice.

At 76, Cazimero’s leadership and integrity have shaped his mission in life – he lives and breathes hula to the max, teaching men to tell stories of life through song and dance—for more than half his life. Na Kamalei always has been a rarity, boasting men who not only dance, but sing mele and chants in Hawaiian.

But a new breeze of teamwork has been evolving in recent years.

Keauhou, the trio comprising brothers Zachary Alaka‘i Lum, his brother Nicholas Keali‘i Lum, and their Kamehameha Schools classmate Jonah Kahanuola Solatorio, have become Cazimero’s “house band,” providing splendid vocals and instrumentals. In select instances, the Lum bros dance, too – they are Na Kamalei regulars and versatility is in their DNA. Keauhou’s excellence in traditional Hawaiian mele is admirable. And Zach’s leadership and performance traits could make him a kumu over the coming years.

**Zach Lum and Nick Lum: Keauhou members who also do hula.**

The death of Roland Cazimero, Robert’s inventive brother whose guitar skills and harmonics were key to the duo’s sound, left a void for several years. But for several months now, Kuana Torres Kahele — himself a prolific trouper, who sings, composes songs, and plays ukulele and guitar, and fashions lei in-between — has enriched the Caz sound. Kahele, a guest artist, soared in his segment with Keauhou, rendering beautiful mele like “Ke Anu O Waimea” and “’Ohu ‘ohu O ‘ahu,” two place songs, plus “E Ku‘u Lei,” with Cazimero joining in to fortify and punctuate the duet format.

For special events like Lei Day, Cazimero tapped his lifetime best-buddy Kaipo Hale, to continue to join the Caz brand, as he previously has done. He brings the riches of a robust baritone voice and composing vibrancy to the party. Hale shared “Pauoa Hula,” about his home community; his “Pua Melia ‘Ala Onaona” brought the Royal Dance Company to the limelight; and his “Huapala Maka Onaona” featured Na Kamalei. Natch, Keauhou, Cazimero and Kahele provided support.

Two halau gents had solo dance moments. Alvin “Gunny” Hanzawa, no longer a regular but still savvy of the skills he learned, flew in from California to participate, a rare Japanese hula dancer. And veteran Keola “Bully” Makaiau, clad in the silver-grey hinahina, had a solo moment with power and grace, unlike his often comedic participation in the monthly Full Moon concert gig with his kumu at Chef Chai’s.

Other guest dancers were Kina and Kalani, so there was no shortage of kane hula, and four veteran kumu including Vicky Holt Takamine, showed the audience how the old-timers swished and sashayed with traditional decorum to share their artistry.

On a tune entitled “Ka Lehua I Milia,” Cazimero reached upper-register notes to provide his, and the evening’s, most melodic and trusty tones, belting lyrics while at his grand piano. It was the peak — the high point — of the evening’s cadence between ‘auana and kahiko gymnastics.

The finale, “Lei Puakenikeni,” tapped everyone in the cast, combining singers and dancers and musicians in uniformed bonding, like threading puakenikeni blossoms to create an immense, fragrant lei.

And that’s Show Biz…

March 23, 2025March 25, 2025

A SATISFYING ‘GREASE’ ENCOUNTER

“Grease is the word, is the word that you heard
“It’s got a groove, it’s got a meaning
“Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
“Now, grease is the way we are feeling.”

— From the title tune of “Grease,” the musical

Your first encounter of the show “Grease,” now at Diamond Head Theatre, is an oversized cut-out of a red car frame hanging over the proscenium of the venue, created by set designer Deanne Kennedy.

It is formidable, dominating, and reflecting a precise groove, of the time (circa 1959), the place (Rydell High School), the emotion (nostalgic teen-age angst) of an indefatigable serving of pop culture.

The show’s two centerpiece figures, Danny Zucko (played by Cameron Scot) and Sandy Dumbrowski (portrayed by Sophia Ysrael), initially lack chemistry and spark, like two lost souls from different sides of the railroad tracks. Summer’s over, and they’re back in school, with uncertainties of direction.

They are eventually united in song, dance and romance, in a powerful story tenderly directed by Michael Ng, in collaboration with the agile and imaginative choreography by Dwayne Sakaguchi. They both connect the dots in this familiar journey.

Such teamwork throughout the creative ranks eventually makes “Grease” a well-oiled wonderment, though the ghosts of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John unintentionally linger from a hit film that obstructs the Danny/Sandy relationship.in the stage version. It’s not till Sandy, like the Newton-John’s late-in-the-show remake in a body-clinging leather outfit, that she starts percolating.

**Sophia Ysrael is Sandy Dumbrowski in “Grease.” Photo by Brandon Miyagi.**

Homecomings can be a snoozer, after all. The point is, unless you’re hip to the relatability of being greased, your presence has ceased.

Two things help bring the magic of “Grease” to life:

— The rich well of rock/pop classics. Happily, DHT has invested in paying extra royalties fees, to enable the cast to sing tracks from the movie, like “Grease,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Sandy” and “You’re the One That I Want.” These titles are solid gold, so the inclusion is a triumph for the audience.

**The ensemble offers rigorous dancing in the show’s megamixes. Photo by Brandon Miyagi.**

— The use of group vocals and dances by the company of troupers, in moments that might be termed “megamixes” of specific tunes, is part of the process toward satisfaction.. The title song “Grease,” is the essence of time and place and even pace, but melodies like,“Shakin’ at the High School Hop,” “Born to Hand Jive,” and the finale version of “You’re the One That I Want” are hallmark. Karaoke meets disco, resulting in rousing vocals and choreographic explosions.

Secondary characters steal some of the thunder in the show. For instance, Jody Bill as Betty Rizzo, has a leading lady moment, on “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee;” Jantzen Shinmoto as Kenickie puts sizzle into “Greased Lightning;” Kiakahi Kekoa as Roger and Lainey Hicks as Jan shine on “Mooning;” Gabriel Ryan-Kern as Johnny makes “Born to Hand Jive” come alive; and Jeff Andrews as Teen Angel and Parker Kilkenny as Frenchy team up wonderfully on “Beauty School Dropout.”

**The hand jive number is one of the megamixes of songs. — Photo by Brandon Miyagi.**

A production of this magnitude – with a cast of nearly 30 — requires a vigorous and versatile ensemble: Kirra Baughn, Drew Bright, Victoria Chang, Paul Garcia, Justin Garde, Sammy Houghtailing, Caris Leong, Shane Nishimura, Maggie Ryan, Gabriel Ryan-Kern, Emi Sampson, and Jasmine Weldon provide dependable and exquisite support.

Designer Kennedy’s bag of set tricks work well; besides the car motif at the proscenium, she constructs smaller pieces (like sofa chairs, easier to move) and aerial groupings of signs and ribbons (not a task to fly up and down, and quiet) and scaled-down towers for Rydell High signage (moveable with barely a squeak). Oh, a smart move, too, to position a six-piece orchestra in an elevated stage; nice to see and applaud maestro Darcie Yoshinaga and her seven-piece ork here instead of the invisible pit.

Not certain who gets credit for creating Kenickie’s red car, seemingly a full-sized sedan; is it Kennedy’s vision, or part of the wizardry of Kyle Conner’s props design?

Chris Gouveia’s light design and La Tanya Siliao’s sound design are right on target.

Other background heroes include Emily Lane (costumes) and Aiko Schick (hair and make-up), whose tasks involve scores of color-coordinated gears for men and women, with seemingly unending costume changes, and beaucoup wig creations for the myriad of required looks.

It all adds up to a satisfying funfest…

And that’s Show Biz…

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“Grease”

What: A musical about homecoming teens at Rydell High School, with book and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Case, with a title tune by Barry Gibb

Where: Diamond Head Theatre

When: Performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; also, at 3 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through April 20.

Tickets: $41 to $68, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or (808) 733-0274