Category: Show Biz

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A SEDUCTIVE ‘SWEENEY’ AT MVT

Manoa Valley Theatre’s revival of “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” is stunning and seductive with a syncopation of elements that give it its specific pulse.

This becomes obvious, in the early moments of the production, when musical director Joe Pacheco’s nine-piece orchestra starts the rhythmic tones from an angular huddle on stage left, quickly joined by the splendid ensemble appearing in synch and unity of movements of James Wright’s expressive choreography on “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd,” a charismatic and expressive intro to theatrics to come.

Director Stephanie Conching has the skills of a maestro, moving her actors like notes in an aria, yielding visual soloists and ensemble choruses that clearly lighten and brighten this dark, sinister work by Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and Hugh Wheeler (book), from an adaptation by Christopher Bond.

I’ve seen perhaps six or seven “Sweeney” productions over the decades, and each has its own  personality and pizzazz.

I recall the original, directed by Harold Prince, with Len Cariou as Todd and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett, in a mammoth staging with even a catwalk, and the less-is-more version when Patti LuPone sang and played the tuba. And yes, I took in the latest Broadway revival in July directed by  Thomas Kail, with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford (with voices from heaven).

But worry not this one is as good as it gets. This cast is remarkable, rich in depth and definition, creating vivid characterizations.

Sally Swanson is Mrs. Lovett, Kyle Malis is Sweeney Todd.

Kyle Malis, with shiny bald pate, is a Todd with a huge baritone voice and is cut-throat spooky with a blade. Not to worry; no blood splashes since the red stuff are fabric which flows whenever there’s a victim in the barber’s chair.

Sally Swanson, as Mrs. Lovett, has a huge personality and projects power and assurance. But her bakery to peddle her meat pies made from victims of Todd’s barber shop upstairs, is mostly a tray and table with a meat grinder downstairs. She is a co-conspirator in the crimes.

Kenna Shafter is Johanna, Miguel Cadoy III is Anthony.

Miguel Cadoy III, as Anthony, the suitor infatuated with Johanna, possesses the show’s most romantic voice, singing “Johanna,” one of the repeating tunes in the score; Johanna, played by Kenna Shafter, is the daughter of Todd, has a sweet demeanor demonstrated on “Kiss Me,” a duet with Cadoy, as they plan to run away together.

Kimo Kaona, as Judge Turpin, is corrupt  as they come – manipulating and menacing as a dishonest father, lording over Johanna as his prisoner.

Buffy Kahalepuna-Wong, left, as the mysterious Beggar Woman, has threatening entrances and exits, so she brings bold presence to the crowd, an oracle not to be dismissed. And she possesses a secret identity.

Rocco Bechirian, as Tobias, renders an unexpected beaut of a tune, “Not While I’m Around” with Swanson.

Mira Fey’s set design is a two-level wonderment, with three staircases (the ork’s nestled ‘neath one) and barely enough space for Todd’s new barber chair, with the seat dropping corpses to the first floor. At MVT, real estate is limited, and Fey manages to compact doorways and corridors with efficiency, allowing a spacious central dance floor, if you will, for the large ensemble.

Costume designer Amber Lehua Baker showcases vintage styles to suit a range of body types, and Lisa Ponce de Leon’s hair and makeup live up to her usual magic. Willie Sabel’s scenic contributions are eye appealing.

 ——————————————–

MVT Goes Ticket-less

Starting this season, with “Sweeney Todd, the Demon

Barber of Fleet Street,” there’s no longer a physical ticket

anymore.
If you have reservations, just provide your name

and ID like a driver’s license. and attendants will verify

your seat numbers.

 ——————————————-

Janine Myers’ lighting design and Hanale Ka‘anapu’s sound design are fitting for the needs, with two levels of consideration.

“Sweeney” is a box office hit, but here’s a tip: three more performances have just been added Oct. 6, 7 and 8. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

“Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

A musical by Stephen Sondheim, with book by Hugh Wheeler, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond

Where: Manoa Valley Theatre

When: Remaining shows, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 and 29,  3 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 and 30, and  3 p.m. Sept. 24; extension shows at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7, and 3 p.m. Oct. 8.

Tickets: $25 to $45, available at www.manoavalleytheatre.com or (808) 988-6131.

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SYDNEY NEXT DESTINATION FOR ‘NCIS’

Just when you thought that “NCIS: Hawai‘i’” was the last in the tireless franchise on CBS, along comes “NCIS: Sydney,” debuting Nov. 10  in Aussieland and Nov. 13 in the U.S. both on CBS and on Paramount+, the network’s streaming channel.

The Sydney project’s first season will be comprised of eight episodes

Did we really need another spinoff, while the flagship original (21 seasons and counting) and the last newbie, “NCIS: Hawai‘i” (this would be its third season) are sidelined and off-air because of the devastating Hollywood writers-actors strike?

Seems  the labor issues in America don’t affect the first international spinoff of “NCIS,” with Down Under actors and producers involved in the venture, taking advantage of one of the most popular trademark shows in the galaxy of procedurals.

Mavournee Hazel, William McInnes, Tuuli Narkle, Todd Lasance, Olivia Swann, and Sean Sagar on the set of ‘NCIS: Sydney.’

According to online resources, the Sydney “NCIS” cast will star Olivia Swann (DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow”) as NCIS Special Agent Michelle Mackey; Todd Lasance (“Spartacus: War of the Damned” ) as her 2IC AFP counterpart, Sergeant Jim “JD” Dempsey; Sean Sagar (“The Covenant”) as NCIS Special Agent DeShawn Jackson; and Tuuli Narkle (“Mystery Road: Origin”) as AFP liaison officer.

“‘NCIS’” is one of the most popular series in the world and we’re thrilled to expand this franchise with a uniquely Australian twist,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.

“With the addition of  “‘NCIS: Sydney,’” our studio and network footprint continues to grow in this fascinating world that has been a proven winner with viewers on both linear and streaming platforms. Featuring the stunning backdrop of Australia, the new series will incorporate the high-stakes intrigue, humor and camaraderie that have kept fans captivated by the NCIS teams for over two decades.”

Crime has no borders, so the  franchise is going global, launching the fifth “NCIS” team and the first with international roots. The catalogue includes “NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans” and “NCIS: Hawai‘i” and only the flagship show starring the original Special Agent Mark Harmon (not very visisble in the recent episodes) and the newest, starring Vanessa Lachey (the first woman Special Agent, anchored in Honolulu), still airing in the U.S., though disrupted by the Hollywood strike. …

Broadway grosses, week ending Sept. 10

Let the lion roar again.

“The Lion King” again rules over Broadway, topping the Great White Way’s Top 10 list.

Here are the leaders:

  • “The Lion King,” $1.850 million.
  • “Hamilton,” $1.746 million.
  • “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1.593 million.”
  • “MJ. the Musical,” $1.515 million.
  • “Wicked,” $1.487 million.
  • “Aladdin.” $1.219 million.
  • “Moulin Rouge,” $1.204 million.
  • “Back to the Future: The Musical,” $1.079 million.
  • “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.056 million.
  • “A Beautiful Noise: the Neil Diamond Musical,” $1.008 million.

The full list, courtesy The Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz. …

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CHUNG: A PROMOTER EXTRAORDINAIRE

Yemun Chung, a talent manager and entrepreneur extraordinaire, died Monday (Sept. 11) in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 78.

A San Francisco-born talent manager and recording and show producer, Chung was a self-styled promoter who became best known locally as the manager of The Fabulous Krush (later, The Krush), who won Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in 1981 and in 1985.

Chung, celebrating his 78th birthday — his last — with a cake.

Chung died of an apparent heart attack, after complaining of chest pains, at the VA Hospital Emergency Room, according to his wife, Gloria.

Yemun was 78, celebrating in June with a birthday cake.
“Days prior to the heart attack, he was in great spirits, looking forward to seeing Carrie Underwood at the end of this month,” said Gloria. 

“Yemun’s kidneys were functioning at 6 per cent last January 2022 and that’s when he started dialysis knowing that if he did not, his time would be limited,” she said. “He was grateful every day that he was able to live more than a year and a half on borrowed time. He was very positive and knew the Lord could take him anytime and was ready.”

Chung had been having shortness of breath issues and was scheduled to visit a doctor Sept. 22 for a cardiac catheterization and to check for blockages in his heart, said Gloria.”Sadly we never had the chance to perhaps save him.,” she said.

Chung and his wife were former Honolulans who migrated to Las Vegas 13 ½ years ago, to help raise her grandchildren.

Thus, he had to abandon a legacy of celebrity management, recording production, and show production, in an era when managers often had p.r. appeal.

Chung was a reporter and producer in the 1970s at KGO Radio in San Francisco, but ventured to make his mark in Hawaii, rubbing shoulders and elbows with some of Hawaii’s celebrity managers and recording icons beginning in the 1980s and eventually evolved into one of the most active talent-touting managers  himself through the early 2000s.

He held numerous jobs in the emerging entertainment frontier in Waikiki, serving as director of marketing and promotion for the Jim Nabors show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Dome and, befriended Kimo McVay, whosd prime celebrity client then, included Don Ho who was the main attraction at the Duke Kahanamoku’s nightclub, at the International Market Place.

But it was his managerment of The Krush act, who performed in the 1980s at the Garden Bar of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, that got him noticed. Chung produced the group’s albums that notably won Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in 1981 and in 1985.

The Fabulous Krush copped the Most Promising Artist trophy in 1981 and its “Fabulous Krush” debut was Album of the Year. In ’85, The Krush won the Hoku Contemporary Album prize for its “More and More” disc.

The wins heightened the act’s visibility and popularity, and The Krush became one of the rotating headliners, sharing time slots with the Society of Seven and The Ali‘is, at the Main Showroom of the Outrigger Waikiki resort.

With hits such as “Waialua Sky,” The Krush became nightclub favorites as well as hitmakers on the Hawaii charts, and Chung was the mover-and-shaker behind the raves.

Tom Moffatt, left, one of Chung’s mentors.


In the 1990s, Chung joined the talent team that included George Chun at Tom Moffatt’s Paradise Records and he  consequently worked with a host of local performers.
Among the other entrepreneurs Chung collaborated with was Jack Cione, who staged a couple of Waikiki nightclub attractions, and co-promoted a music club in Aiea as well.

Gloria and Yemun Chung, in white garb, with the Local Divas, from left, Nohelani Cypriano, Carole Kai, Melveen Leed and Loyal Garner.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he worked on promotion for the Local Divas, the femme foursome comprising Carole Kai, Melveen Leed, Loyal Garner and Nohelani Cypriano, popular on the concert stage.

Clearly, Chung was a major player in the Waikiki mainstream, where he made his mark rendering managing chores, music-producing skills, and — something he loved — doing hands-on publicity, whether it was writing p.r. releases or posting concert posters around town.

Chung and his wife were residing in Northwest Las Vegas; survivors also include stepchildren Yvette Brink, Beau Brinik, Darrell Kadooka (spouse Jair) and grandchildren Krissy, Ashlee and Atticus. Services are pending.

And that’s Show Biz. …

All photos courtesy Gloria Chung

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DISNEY DEBUTING STITCH RACE CARS

Stitch, of “Lilo & Stitch” fame, may not yet be seen in the live-action film because of the ongoing Hollywood writers and actors’ strike, but he’ll soon be varooming in a live-racing series of die-cast cars to be released by Beast Kingdom.

Disney will release six vehicles, date not yet known, to feature Stitch in a new dimension: a car racer.

The Stitch collectible race cars feature various motifs and colors.

In the new toy, Stitch is featured in various poses, in blue, pink, yellow and dark blue cars, and is shown donning yellow sunglasses in one car and eating an ice cream cone in another. A spaceship option also is available, with actual design elements not yet announced.

The cars are $35 apiece, which is more in the adult-collectible range, but if you buy the six-car collection, buyers will have an opportunity to win the  seventh chase car, designated as the Iridescent Ice Cream Sports Car.

Stritch racers will feature pull-back power for racing.

Stitch, a.k.a. Experiment 626, thus will break out as the most popular of the “Lilo & Stitch” ‘ohana, which includes Stitch’s best friend, Lilo, the Elvis-adoring hula-loving Hawaiian girl.

Beast Kingdom is the creator of a range of Disney franchise characters, including “Toy Story,” “Pinocchio,” “Star Wars,” and “Alice in Wonderland.”…

Chefs unite to kokua Maui

Chefs for Hope / Kako‘o Maui, a mammoth food, wine and entertainment fund-raisder benefitting the Maui wildfire victims, will be staged from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 15) at the Neal Blaisdell Center.

Beneficiaries will include the Salvation Army and the Hawaiian Way Fund (Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement).

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for VIP seating guests, 6 p.m. for others.

Three tiers of service will be available:

  • VIP, with table service seating, $5,000 for a table of 10. Reservations at Chef Chai, at (808) 585-0011.
  • Reserved, self-serve seating, $300, or $3,000 for a table of 10. Reservations through the Blaisdell box office.
  • Grazing tickets, $200. Reservations through the Blaisdell box office.

Chef Chai Chaowasaree, pictured above left, and Pacific Rim Concepts LLC, are principal organizers.

Alphabetically, participating restaurants are: Basalt, Bubbly and Bleu, Chef Chai, Da Bald Buy Food Truck, Feast, Fig and Ginger, Fresh Box, Hot Pot Heaven, Jinya Honolulu, Kapa Hale, Kapolei Golf Club, Koko Head Café, KTER4U, Kuhio Ave. Food Hall, La Vie Waikiki, Layers of Flavor, Mariposa, Miro Kaimuki, Nami Kaze Hawaii, Nosh Hawaii, PAI Honolulu, Roy’s, Side Street Inn, The Kahala Hotel and Resort, and Tikis Grill and Bar.

Entertainers include the Honolulu Jazz Quartet, Jake Shimabukuro (pictured right), Robert Cazimero and Tavana; Billy V will emcee.

Beverages will be provided by Hawaiian Soda Co., RNDC and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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‘MAGNUM’ HAS A LUCKY STREAK GOING

“Magnum P.I.,” abandoned by CBS and rescued by NBC, just might be the fall season’s luckiest procedural.

First, it has a bunch of completed but not yet viewed episodes – dubbed the second-half of season five – when CBS rushed to cancel the show. NBC became the savior, like the good soul that rescues a abandoned child at the fire station.

This has been a tense, unexpected fall season, since WGA and SAG-AFTRA members decided to go on strike, creating a havoc for series that had to shut down since writers could no longer create valuable new scripts to film and actors joining the picket lines.

Because “Magnum” had half-a-season of episodes in the can, this was a gold mine, good enough for NBC programmers deciding to give the island-filmed, island-shot a solid Thursday night slot since fresh scripted shows were not available.

So on Oct. 4, at 8 p.m., “Magnum” wlll air where one of NBC’s prestigious  franchise “Chicago” episodes called home, since the “Chicago” shows – M.D., Fire and P.D. –are also off the radar, till new scripts are written and readied for production. The “Chicago” camp is not thrilled that one of its slot is going to be taken by “Magnum.”

Perdita Weeks as Higgins, Jay Hernandez as Magnum: Lucky and tardy?

NBC has released a trailer on the resilient “Magnum,” with Jay Hernandez as Thomas Magnum, uttering “Doing what I do is risky,” as he leaps from a rooftop. But with a dramatic new edge, he admits, “When you least expect it, everything can change.”

That’s when Perdita Weeks, as his sweetheart-partner Juliet Higgins, tells him, “Thomas…I’m late.” Don’t think she means “tardy for a dinner,” so late, in adultspeak, probably means she’s hapai, missing her period.

The coy, playful dialogue could mean a little Magnum might be on the way, though this can’t be played out since episodes are already filmed and unless “Magnum” earns new life and more show orders, viewers won’t see the baby’s birth.

In addition to Hernandez and Weeks, “Magnum” also stars Zachary Knighton as Orville “Rick” Wright, Amy Hill as Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta, Tim Kang as Gordon Katsumoto, and Stephen Hill as Theodore “T.C” Calvin.

 All previous four season episodes pf “Magnum” are now airing only via Freevee, as part of Amazon Prime’s free-streaming service. …

Only a new development would give birth to more “Magnum” marvels. …

HTY world-premiering‘The Royal School’

“The Royal School” will make its world premiere at 7 p.m. today (Sept. 8) at the Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s Tenney Theatre.

The historic play brings to life a time and place where Hawai‘i’s ali‘I attended the Royal School, an elementary school still operating in Honolulu today.

Hawaiian leaders such as Kamehameha IV, Kamehameha V, Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Queen Lili`uokalani, Queen Emma, and King Kalakaua were together as children at Ke Kula Keiki Ali`i, the Royal School. 

The boarding school was established in 1839 by Kamehameha III for the education of ali`i children, all of whom could be called upon to lead the Nation of Hawaiʻi.

Goods and Cataluna’s play recalls the time when Royal School students often looked to each other for friendship and support to establish aa balance between the Hawai‘i of their ancestors and the changes of global influences, technology and political upheaval being brought to the islands.

The staging is modern with historic material, alongside original songs composed in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, as well as English/Hawaiian rap and mele. 

The production is designed for children 8 years old and up and will appeal to high school students and adults.

Catalulna, co-creator of the piece, said,“The creative team on this project worked to keep the story from the point of view of the royal children — some of whom entered the boarding school when they were 4 years old — rather than from the perspective of their missionary teachers or from the distant gaze of historians. In this play, the childhood voices of Hawaii’s kings and queens transcend time and speak to the children of today, the future leaders of Hawai’i.”

“The Royal School” cast includes Alysia Kepaʻa, Moses Goods, Damani Jones Timson, Annie Lokomaikaiʻi Lipscomb, and Kaonohiokalaealohilohinei Muller

HTY commissioned the new songs by co-creator Goods, music by Mattea Mazzella, and dramaturgy by Ryan I. Kahaʻiolelo Sueoka.

Eric Johnson, HTY artistic director, is directing an ensemble of HTY newcomers, including Alysia Kepaʻa, Kaonohiokalaealohilohinei Muller, and Damani Jones Timson performing with veteran company members, Moses Goods and Annie Lokomaikaʻi Lipscomb.

Jonathan Clarke Sypert is choreographer, Chesley Cannon and Eric West are set and props designer, Iris Kim is costume designer, Mattea Mazzella is sound designer, Chesley Cannon is lighting designer, and Kalani Pokipala is DJ consultant and musician.

After the premiere, performances will be at 4 p.m.Sept.16, 2 p.m. Oct. 1 and 4 p.m. Oct. 7.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.htyweb.org or by calling the box office at (808) 839-9885 ext. 720. HTY Members receive tickets for shows as part of their membership. …

‘Funny Girl’ exits with $2.137 million gross

“Funny Girl” and its leading lady, Lea Michele (as Fanny Brice), have left the building but not before posting a $2.137 million gross, topping the Broadway charts for the week ending Sept. 3. Nope, it did not rain on her parade.

Last week’s leaders, provided by The Broadway League:

1 – “Funny Girl,” $2.137 million.

2 – “The Lion King,” $2.077 million.

3 – “Hamilton,” $1.895 million.

4 – “Wicked,” $1.697 million.

5 – “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $1.674 million.

6 – “MJ, the Musical,” $1.591 million.

7 – “Aladdin,” $1.362 million.

8 – “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.316 million.

9 –“Moulin Rouge,” $1.262 million.

10 – “Back to the Future: The Musical,” $1.234 million

And that’s Show Biz…