Category: Show Biz

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‘Island moments’ in the Tonycast

There were “island moments” — two — in last night’s (June 7)Tony Awards televised on CBS.

No one mentioned it, so I will: Darren Criss and Nicole Scherzinger were key award presenters since they both won Tonys last year… Criss, as Best Actor in a Musical (“Maybe Happy Ending”) and Sherzinger, as Best Actress in a Musical (“Sunset Boulevard”). Their presence was part of the ritual of passing down the crowns to this year’s victors in the same categories.

Darren Criss and Nicole Scherzinger, key Tony presenters.

Lest you forget, Criss spent his early childhood in Hawaii; Scherzinger still has family here and has had a notable musical career as the centerpiece of  The Pussycat Dolls.

I haven’t seen any of this year’s winning shows and performers, but I’ve been researching the slate of attractions, since I’m heading to The Big Apple in July to see some of the shows, and already have secured tickets to many titles with toe-tapping energy, including “Schmigadoon,” the parody of “Brigadoon,” which snagged four trophies including Best Musical.

Ann Harada, in the ensemble of “Schimagadoon.”

And drum roll, please; another island tr!ouper —Ann Harada (no relation), a Punahou grad –is in the “Schimagadoon” ensemble. Yippee!

Other new musicals I’ll catch: “The Lost Boys”  (four Tonys) and “Cats: the Jellicle Ball” (three Tonys). Will experience “Titanique”  (the Celine Dion-“Titanic” parody) — nominated for Best Musical.

Will see “Oh, Mary” for the first time, but will revisit “Moulin Rouge” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the latter a pared-down version (“Harry” originally was a two-show attraction).

Was curious about the  “Beaches” musical, based on the film featuring Bette Midler and her signature hit, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” but without a star wattage, the Broadway version was shuttered when it wasn’t nominated for a Tony.  The cancellation enabled me to buy tickets to “Titanique,” completing my show list.

The Tonys spectacle is truly a wonderment and a revelation: How can producers and backstagers move one show’s sets and sundry performers off the stage, and get another cast and sets placed in an incredibly short time, with the cadence and confidence of a marching band.

This year’s Tony cast also staged several remarkable hits again with on-and-off tempos – “Chicago,” “The Book of Mormon” (back in action in real time, following a theater fire two weeks ago) and “A Chorus Line.” The latter was a singular sensation—a Cassie singing the show biz anthem, “What I Did for Love,” but it would have been a bonanza to have the “One, Singular Sensation” showstopper, but it would have been a miracle chore to assemble singers-dancers dressed in glittery duds and topped with hats. Just a thought…

It’s summertime, and the going’s not easy

Summertime theater-going  dropped in overall grosses for the week ending June 31. An indication: “Wicked,” normally in the top five, took a dive to No.6.

The 2026 Best Play production, however, soared to No. 3 before the Tony Awards this past Sunday (June 7), and likely will inch-up toward the top of the horse race. So will “Schmigadoon,” the just-crowned Best Musical, find its way to the Top 10?

 “Hamilton” managed to be the lone show topping the $2 million level.

As summer vacationers head for Broadway, there should be more see-sawing attendance figures.

The Top 10:

1—”Hamilton,” $2.028 million

2–“The Lion King,”$1.979  million

3—“Death of a Salesman,” $1.35 million

4—“MJ the Musical,” $1.582 million

5—“Oh, Mary,”  $`.534 million

6—“Wicked,” $1.464 million

7—“Ragtime,” $1.300 million

8—“The Lost Boys,” $1.290 million

9—“Aladdin,” $1.196 million

10—“Giant,”  $1.178 million

The complete list, courtesy the Broadway League:




And that’s Show Biz…

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Brice is right in ‘Funny Girl’

In her Diamond Head Theatre debut as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl,” Becca Brake turns in a star-making performance, hitting all the right notes and delivering all her solo vocals with powerful confidence.

Not an easy task, considering she is working in the shadows of Barbra Streisand, who originated Fanny Brice on Broadway and later in the film.

Hello, gorgeous!

Brake starts off slowly, then going full-throttle-furiously, chewing her lines in rat-tat-tat swiftness, and conquering every one of her solo vocals with stunning flair and finesse.

Not surprisingly, audiences are cheering and applauding.

The show, about a hungry-for-fame singer from New York’s Lower East Side, features a musical score by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics), based on a book by Isobel Lennart.  It’s a made-for-the-stage story of talent and eagerness overtaking the odds and challenges of the uncertainties of stardom, in the era of vaudeville and  the Ziegfeld’s Follies.

John Rampage, DHT’s seasoned director-choreographer, is the perfect choice to helm and mount “Funny Girl,”  which is the fourth revival  of the classic over the past six decades,  Rampage knows the road map to this one, steering  his cast of 29 –  tap dancing has been his specialty – with the spirit of the era. And yep, he  knows how to party hearty with a corps of dancers who also sing…a strength of DHT musicals.

Shari Lynn is Mrs. Brice, Becca Brake is Fanny Brice, in “Funny Girl.”

The show is well cast, with Mark Sanders (debonair, smooth talker) as gambler Nick Arnstein, who marries Brice; Shari Lynn (a stalwart Jewish mother, with a firm perspective of life), as Mrs. Brice;  Joe Martyak  (profound business man, and a star-maker), as Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.; and David Weaver (loyal, supportive best buddy of Fanny) as Eddie Ryan, the  talented dancer-choreographer.

Brake carries the burden of singing and delivering the show’s familiar hit songs – “I’m the Greatest Star,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and “People”  –all in Act 1, with a couple of duets with Nick. Brake still dominates the song count in Act 2, with such novelties as “Sadie, Sadie” and “Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat”  rendered with the company.

Jenny Shiroma efficiently conducts the orchestra of seven; the opening overture here is not exactly the best (not the fault of the musicians).

The techies deliver where it counts: Dawn Oshima’s lighting design and Michael Minor’s sound design work hand in hand; Miya Yoshimoto’s hair and make-up design project the look and style of an earlier time.

Kyle Conner’s and Dawn Oshima’s set design – depicting backstage of the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, circa 1924 —  is a curiosity, with a pair of moveable stairways as the centerpiece. There’s a lot of old-time roll-on/roll of set pieces, like Fanny’s dressing room, lots of furniture (sofas, chairs, tables) and a couple of recurring “drops” (a faux brick wall, a reflecting and glittering curtain). It’s all effective, considering the time, and a reminder of old times before the new DHT launched, when set pieces were on wagons and relied on cast and stagehands to push and pull.

Playdates originally were through June 7, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 3 p.m. Saturdays and 3 pm. Sundays. Extension dates have been announced for Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14.

Tickets are $43 to $70, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or 808-733-0274…

And that’s Show Biz…

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DHT’s ‘Funny Girl’ opens Friday

“Funny Girl,”  opening Friday (May 22) at Diamond Head Theatre, is a classic show biz musical, about the aspirations of and eventual conquest by a Lower East Side singer with stardom in her heart and soul.

It boasts a score by Jule Styne (music) and Bob Merrill (lyrics) with a book by Isobel Lennart, based on Lennart’s story.

It’s a challenge not to link  Barbra Streisand, singer-actor-diva whose fingerprints are all over the Fanny Brice role, which she originated in the 1964 Broadway stage version and later the 1968 film version, which also earned her a 1968 Best Actress trophy.

DHT’s cast boasts young and veteran talents in the leading roles. Becca Brake will perform the Fanny Brice role, hungry for fame, with Mark Sanders as gambler Nick Arnstein. Shari Lynn will enact Mrs. Brice and David Weaver will be Eddie Ryan, Joe Maryak will appear as Florenz Ziefeld Jr.

The score of riches include “I’m the Greatest Star,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and “People,” all familiar titles originated by Streisand which you’ll likely be singing as you exit the theater.

John Rampage, veteran DHT artistic director, is director-choreographer , with Jenny Shiroma handling musical direction.

Playdates originally were through June 7, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Thursdays, 3 p.m. Saturdays and 3 pm. Sundays. Extension dates have been announced for Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14.
Tickets are $43 to $70, at www.diamondheadtheatre.com or 808-733-0274..


‘Harry Potter’ cursed, Radcliffe ‘brilliant’

Daniel Racliffe

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” was swept away from the weekly Broadway pinnacle, somewhat of a surprise since it had been dominating the survey for weeks. But Daniel Radcliffe prevailed, to top the charts.

The Top 10:

1— “Every Brilliant Thing,” the popular show starring Daniel Radcliffe,  made a historic leap to No.1, with a gross of $1.98 million, just shy of a short jump into  the $2 million club.

2— “Hamilton” with nearly a 100 per cent capacity attendance surged to $1.89 million.

3—“The Lion King” skidded a bit, but still earned $1.71 million

4–“Death of a Salesman” was full of life, with $1.71 million.

5—“Oh! Mary” grossed $1.57 million.

6—“MJ the Musical” remained a chart regular, with $1.43 million.

7—“Ragtime” logged an enviable $1.25 million.

8—“Maybe Happy Ending” remained a reliable hit with $1.16 million.

9—“Lost Boys” found its way to the Top 10, with $1.16 million.

10—“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” fell through the ceiling, landing with a thud and a low gross of $942K.

The complete list for the week ending May 17, courtesy the Broadway Guild:

And that’s Show Biz….

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‘Yellow Face:’ A volley of vitriol

I’m old enough to remember the casting controversy of the Engineer role in “Miss Saigon,” a Cameron Macintosh hit in the 1990s. And this theatrical friction recurs in the current theatrical satire, “Yellow Face,” now at Manoa Valley Theatre.

Jonathon Pryce, a Welsh actor, was cast to play the Engineer in the Broadway launch of “Saigon,” which was an affront to the Asian community.  Playwright David Henry Hwang, best known for scripting “M. Butterfly,”  rightfully cast an Asian, B.D. Wong, to play the leading role.  But Hwang was not silent about the “Miss Saigon” development.

Pryce, Wong and Hwang are smack dab in the middle of the casting conversation and  its implications, in Hwang’s  bold and “Yellow Face”  production, which plays like a mockumentary with a volley of vitriol.

Reyn Afaga is DHH (as Hwang is called) and he leads a small army of Asian and part=Asian performers, who argue, agree, yell, shout and spew out opinions like bullets in this theatrical drama en route to becoming a social and satirical comedy. The players form a vigorous and vital animated ensemble, directed by Reiko Ho, herself a seasoned and savvy director of numerous Asian-content works in her career. “Yellow Face” easily could be the most explosive  and controversial entry in her list of credits.

Reyn Afaga, in yellow shirt, plays David Henry Hwang in “Yellow Face.”

“Yellow Face” is easy to watch as it dismantles real-life drama and repurposes it  into onstage comedy, examining and exploring the elements of farce, racial discrimination,  cultural identity.

Nicholas Gianforti plays Marcus Gee, an actor cast as  “The King” in “The King and I,” and mocked as a fraud, since he is not Asian but trying to legitimize the role popularized by Yul Brynner (who was part Asian).

Other players are Brandon Caban, who is the constant announcer in a wave of informational bursts of headlines and quips from newspapers like the New York Times and the Post; Sam Bui is Henry Yuah Hwang (NYH), the father of DHH who idolizes Frank Sinatra and  “My Way;”  Elizabeth Ung is Leah Ann Cho; Anastacia Narrajos is Jane Krakowski; Angeline Roselani Han is Carla Chang; and David Tang is Stuart Ostrow. All cast members take on numerous smaller roles and also actively move  or remove furniture and set pieces as needed.

MTV’s recent series of in-the-round staging is over, as “Yellow Face” is staged in the more conventional proscenium format, though there’s no proscenium. Before there’s any stage action, the performance space is kind of blank canvas; Willie Sabel’s stage is all black but takes on different hues thanks to lighting; the open space enables romping by the entire cast, with selected props, and Janine Myers’ lighting and Sarah Velasco’s sound direction work their magic. Amber Lehua Baker’s costumes are  suitable and functional and Kelly Belle’s props are comprised mostly of tables, chairs, and stools.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays; a matinee has been added at 3 p.m. May 23; and two performances also have been added at 7:30 p.m. May 30 and 3 p.m.. May 31.

Tickets: $25 to $47, at (808) 988-6131 or www.manoavalleytheatre.com

Around town

Hoku Zuttermeister.

Hoku Zuttermeister has been performing at Roy’s in Hawaii Kai, doing  informal sets on the lawn outside of Roy’s downstairs bar. According to Robbyn Shim, who does p.r. for Roy’s, the entertainment community has been stopping by the catch him in action. Among Zuttermeister’s pals tuning in: Nina Kealiiwahamana, Robert Cazimero, and Manu Boyd. Nothing like attracting celeb listeners…

With the extension of the “Ke Kilo Lani: Robert Uluwehionāpuaikawēkiuokalani Cazimero” exhibit till May 30, another panel discussion has been added to the series at Gallery ‘Iolani at Windward Community College, adjoining Paliku Theatre.

Roland and Robert Cazimero, back in the day…

Zachary Lum, a member of Keauhou and a Gent from Halau Na Kamalei, will moderate.

The final panel discussion will be from 6 to 7 p.m. May 21, and the panelists will be members of Cazimero’s halau, the Gentlemen of Hālau Nā Kamalei o Lililehua, who will discuss their learnings and perspectives of the exhibition.

For tickets, register at https://www.waheafoundation.org/

Gail Mack, Lance Luke, Keith Hiraoka and Bobby Nishida will perform from 5 to 8 p.m. today (May 17) at Mango Street Grilll in Wahiawa. For reservations, call Daryl at (808) 627-5451. Same number, to preorder a prime rib dinner…

The musicians also perform from 6 to 8 p.m. May 29, at The Edge, at 31 N. Pauahi St. Reservations: (808) 888-3228; $5 cover prevails.

And that’s Show Biz…

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Film tax bill will fuel industry

The Hawaiʻi Film Alliance announced today (May 8) that the state’s landmark film tax incentive legislation has passed the legislature and awaits the Governor’s signature.

SB 2580 is the measure that the film and television communities have been awaiting, since the latest legislation – a tax incentive infrastructure which will enable movie and TV creators to once again aim their cameras to end the drought here – so actors, directors, cinematographers and all the allied craft industries, can soon start shooting again after a decade without prominent filmic action throughout the state.

Gov. Josh Green is expected to sign the legislation, which will green-light future projects and once again stabilize a new generation of  feature films and episodic television fare to fuel the island’s  entertainment industry.

“This bill positions Hawaiʻi to become the premier Pacific hub for global film and streaming production,” said Irish Barber, president of the Hawaiʻi Film Alliance. “More importantly, it creates sustainable local careers so Hawaiʻi’s creative workforce no longer has to leave home to build a future in this industry. This is about investing in our people, our stories, and the long-term future of Hawaiʻi’s creative economy.

The bill passed the full floor vote in both chambers of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature .

The legislation strengthens Hawaiʻi’s ability to compete for major film, television, and streaming productions while prioritizing local workforce development, expanding opportunities for Hawaiʻi businesses, and creating long-term stability for the state’s creative economy.

“This bill positions Hawaiʻi to become the premier Pacific hub for global film and streaming production,” said Irish Barber, President of the Hawaiʻi Film Alliance. “More importantly, it creates sustainable local careers so Hawaiʻi’s creative workforce no longer has to leave home to build a future in this industry. This is about investing in our people, our stories, and the long-term future of Hawaiʻi’s creative economy.”

Among the major provisions included in SB 2580:

  • Base tax credit rates of 22 per cent on Oʻahu and 27 per cent on Neighbor Islands.
  • A 5 per cent local hire uplift for productions meeting the 80 per cent of local hire threshold, bringing effective rates to 27 per cent on Oʻahu and 32 per cent on Neighbor Islands.
  • Inclusion of streaming productions under the incentive program.
  • An increase in the per-production cap to $20 million, with exemptions for productions exceeding $60 million in qualified spending.
  • Expansion of the overall annual program cap to $60 million.
  • Extension of the program sunset to January 1, 2038.
  • Retroactive implementation effective December 31, 2025
  • Reinstatement of third-party CPA audits for accountability and transparency
  • Updates to General Excise Tax treatment for film industry payroll companies to better align with comparable payroll service structures

The inclusion of local hire language in statute represents a milestone achievement for Hawaiʻi’s production workforce and reflects years of advocacy from local crew members, producers, and industry professionals seeking to build a more sustainable in-state industry.

“For years, Hawaiʻi has watched productions come here to begin projects and then leave for other jurisdictions because our incentive structure could not compete with the realities of modern production — especially in the streaming era,” Barber said. “That meant lost jobs, lost opportunities, and local workers being forced to leave Hawaiʻi to continue their careers. SB 2580 changes that trajectory.”

Jason Momoa

Among the recent projects filmed here: Jason Momoa’s “Wrecking Crew,” Disney’s  live-action “Moana,” and Momoa’s “Chief of War” limited shooting here. In the heyday of a tax benefits, episodic CBS procedurals like “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” were anchored in Hawai‘i” and another CBS legacy series, “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” was launched but could not sustain life in Pearl Harbor and Honolulu, before being pink-slipped.

Jurassic Park

Hawai’i also hosted such major movie blockbusters, for limited shooting but grand reaction upon release. Remember the likes of “Indiana Jones” and “Jurassic Park”?  Perhaps a new generation of these mammoth attractions will beginning shooting here, with the latest tax incentive legislation.

Brian Keaulana

“When audiences around the world see Hawaiʻi on screen, they want to experience these islands for themselves,” said Brian Keaulana, founding member of HFA and the International Cultural Arts Network. “Film and television showcase Hawaiʻi’s beauty, culture, and aloha spirit to a global audience, inspiring visitors to travel here and supporting hotels, restaurants, transportation companies, small businesses, and local communities throughout the state. The impact of this industry reaches far beyond the set.”