At 75, comedian Frank DeLima has common aging issues. Body aches everywhere, loss of memory, unstable legs.
At his brunch show Sunday (Dec. 3) at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki resort, he celebrated the upcoming holidays with hilarity and ho-ho-ho revelations about his life. He shared a solution to his tiring legs, explaining his frontside (tummy) is now the same size as his backside (butt), which gives him equilibrium.
Such was the tone, and temperament, of his presentation.
Yes, he donned a Santa’s outfit. Yes, he delivered the expected “Filipino Christmas,” which simultaneously salutes the yuletide and pokes fun at Filipinos. No racism intended – never, in a DeLima show – but the underlying fodder for his success over the past 47 years as a comedian who demonstrates his adoration of local ethnicities (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Polynesian, Portuguese, and yes, particularly Filipino) because that’s his brand. He generates laughs because he celebrates, not condemns, the races here.
You’ve heard the jovial jokes, right? He learned, first hand, the idiosyncrasies of island living, in the Pauoa Valley region where he grew up. His gags may be exaggerated, but reflect truths – Japanese listening to Naniwabushi radio programs, with unique vocal tones; Chinese burning firecrackers at gravesites, bringing manapua to share with the deceased; Okinawans, with hairy chests, arms and legs, and so on.
A masterful parody creator, he unveiled his latest “Kona Low,” the term favored by weather forecastors, referring to what used to be called “Kona weather,” singing the newbie to the tune of the oldie “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let it Snow!” He relied on what he called his “teleprompter,” a cardboard roll-out with lyrics, with the liner comprised of Clorox boxes. So DeLima.
An earlier parody, to the tune of “Mack the Knife,” described the unfortunate fate of Captain Cook, the presumed discoverer of the Hawaiian Islands, who was eaten by the Hawaiians, as the legend goes.
Other namedropping melodies tapped King Kamehameha and Imelda Marcos.
Audience participation is part of DeLima’s agenda, so not surprisingly, he beckoned audience members to take the stage for his laugh-loaded ritual of rendering the island version of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” from 12 televisions to one mynah bird in one papaya tree. Happily, or perhaps laughingly, the dude tapped to do the mynah/papaya line could not get it right until the bitter end, earning cheers and hurrahs for his achievement.
‘Twas a sweet end to the show.
And that’s Show Biz…
