‘EVAN:’ SPLENDID, BUT TENSION-FILLED

In “Dear Evan Hansen” — the emotional Tony Award-winning Broadway musical embracing teenage angst, loneliness, kindness, mental health, and suicidal issues — Manoa Valley Theatre hits all the right notes, with a superb cast led by Darian Keanu Aquino as the title character.

It is a potent and painful glimpse – loaded with tension — of the profound power and unexpected danger of social media, and the unintended fame earned by Evan, a high school student who writes himself an email in a doctor-ordered exercise that  gets into the hands of an unhappy peer, Connor Murphy (Presley A. Wheeler, equally unstable, carefree, sometimes rude, and a free spirit), who finds a printout in the school’s computer room, and steals the letter enroute to committing suicide.

Connor’s mom, Cynthia Murphy (Susan Hawes, every bit a concerned mother), discovers the errant  letter after his death, and it becomes the catalyst  and centerpiece in Evan’s twisted rise to fame and a campus hero.

Darian Keanu Aquino is Evan, Presley A. Wheeler is Connor, in “Dear Evan Hansen.”– Photo by Brandon Miyagi, courtesy MVT.

The show features a book by Steven Levenson  (passionate and eloquent) and music and lyrics by Oscar winners (“La-la Land”) Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (absorbing and heart-tugging tunes). Directed by Rob Duval on a “set” by Elyse Takashige that is a bare but functions as an oversized billboard with periodical projections designed by R. Andrew Doan that propel – Facebook and TikTok fashion – the meandering plot details. The  tech team thus is as vital as the acting ensemble, and together, there’s raw power and cadence that propel the highs and lows of this emotional roller-coaster.

Aquino as  Evan has body language that speaks emotions without words. He is twitchy and nervous, with constant blinking eyes, with a fetish about his wet and clammy hands, always apologizing and possesses a never-ending habit of pulling down his tee shirt, shirt, or hoodie. Evan is a perpetual loner, walking a tightrope with a baggage of worries, not the least of which is his inability to find a genuine friend to sign his cast on his injured left arm. Enter, Connor, an indication that he’s an outsider, too,  

With telling details, the plot is all about relationships, between Evan and his best bud, Jared Kleinman (Shane Nishimura, a charming wise-cracking sidekick, who’s Evan’s only friend), who serves as a warm shoulder to lean on. While Evan accepts Connor’s signature on his cast, he’s a hardly a pal, in life and in his imagined encounters after his passing, but there’s a moment of mutual, vigorous rock-dancing.

Evan, who is attracted to Connor’s sister  Zoe Murphy (Ayzhia Tadeo, initially distant and quizzical but eventually tenderly sweet), overcomes the friction after Connor’s death.

 Further, there’s a relationship between Evan and his working mom, Heidi  Hansen (Vanessa Manuel-Mazzullo ) and with Connor’s parents, Larry Murphy (David Weaver), father of Connor, and Cynthia Murphy (Susan Haws). Not surprisingly, there are cracks and gaps in the relationship, when Evan is “outed” as a liar, the fibs heightened by public acclaim of his befriending Connor.

There’s one more relationship instance, between Evan and Alana Beck (Jenelle Wong, a willing cheerleader), who is co-president with Evan of the Connor Project, which she is fully committed to, to perpetuate the life of Connor.

Evan’s inability to spill the beans of his faux pretenses is understandable; he was a nobody before the tide turned, and the attention serves his psychological deficiencies while simultaneously feeds the frenzy that lifts his ego. That he could even deliver a speech at an assembly of peers plus the Murphy family reflects his lofty status and his declining fragility. And Aquino’s performance gets richer and more robust as Evan’s popularity soars, and the details get more specific and cloudier with fake specifics, like falling from a tree in the orchard of apple trees he had never seen. He’s found pieces from a massive puzzle, and he’s reaching out to complete a portrait he feels his rooters anticipate.

The musical score is splendid and the singers soar; the riches include Evan’s “ “You Will Be Found” in Act 1, the anthem where he laments his loneliness and uncertainty. Evan and Zoe’s duet on “Only Us” assures that his crush is becoming a real romance in Act 2, and Evan’s “Words Fail” is the ultimate “I’m sorry” effort, with the admission, “I never meant to make it such a mess.”

Jenny Shiroma conducts (and also plays keyboards with) the unseen orchestra of eight, supported by the resourceful sound designed by Sarah Velasco and Timothy Manamtam. Lighting designer Chris Gouveia illuminates the set with brilliance; and costume designer Amber Lehua Baker delivers with credible everyday garb. Likewise, Lisa Ponce de Leon’s hair and makeup design also reflects the simplicity the show requires.

For the faint of heart, bring Kleenex, because there will be emotional elements that will evoke tears. Truly. And for those queasy about language, there several F-bombs throughout the play…just so you know.

And with the sensitive health concerns of mental illness, and the element of suicide, MVY has a “You Will Be Found” postcard inserted in the “Dear Evan Hansen” playbill, should there be families or friends with need for support and consultation. Also, HMSA is the presenter of “Dear Evan Center,” cementing potential health needs for the community at large. A noble and necessary involvement…

And that’s Show Biz. …




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“Dear Evan Hansen”

A musical by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, with book by Steven Levonson

What: A lonely youth who writes a letter that falls into the hands of a suicidal peer, and the fame then furor, that ensues

Where: Manoa Valley Theatre

When: at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through April 7; extension dates,  March 29 and 31 and April 6 and 7

Tickets: $36 to $46, at (808) 988-6131 or www.manoavalleytheatre.com

EMME TOMIMBANG BURNS DIES AT 73

Emme Tomimbang Burns, a beacon in Hawaii’s broadcast landscape, died Monday (Feb. 19) night at Queen’s Medical Center, while undergoing open heart surgery. She was 73.

A proud graduate of Farrington High School and a prominent figure in the Filipino community, she was the widow of Judge James S. Burns, who preceded her in death.

Best known as the producer and host of “Emme’s Island Moments,” Emme (pictured) — full first name Emmeline — was queen of Hawaii TV’s version of what is dubbed a “magazine show,” assembling show biz celebrities and notables in all walks of life.

Her “Emme” brand has been televised on all network affiliates, including KITV, KHON and KGMB, with screenings also on KFVE. She produced the productions and served as interviewer on all episodes.

Her idol was Oprah Winfrey, and she was inspired to put her own imprint on that genre.

She also was a philanthropist, supporting JABSOM, the James A. Burns School of Medicine, , named after  Gov. John A. Burns, her father-in-law.

Memorial services are pending…

Sneak peek at MVT’s new season

Manoa Valley Theatre has let the chat out of the bag.

Season ticket owners have learned that MVT’s 2024-2025 season will include three theatrical treasures:

  • “Parade,” a Tony Award-winning musical Alfred Uhry (book) and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The show, fresh from a Broadway run earlier this year, starred Ben Platt. “Parade” is a true story about a dramatization of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and 1915 lynching, of Jewish American Leo Frank in Georgia.
  • “Kim’s Convenience,” a comedy by Ins Choi,  about a Korean family operating a grocery store in Toronto’s Regent Park neighborhood.
  • “Side by Side by Sondheim,” a Stephen Sondheim musical which honors and celebrates the lyrical and tuneful artistry of the iconic Broadway composer, a favorite of the acting community.

Details of the complete new season will be forthcoming…

And that’s Show Biz…

‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ FILMING PROMOS

Ryan Seacrest, incoming “Wheel of Fortune” host, has been in Waikiki with letter-turner Vanna White, to tape promos for the next season of the syndicated game show.

Seacrest, who still hosts ABC’s “American Idol,” is succeeding Pat Sajak, the original “Wheel” host, who announced his retirement last year and will exit in June 2024. Thus, Seacrest will make his debut later this summer.

Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest, on location in Waikiki

Seacrest and White  have been seen in tourist mode, donning swimwear and goggles and flipper diving gear for knee-deep waves in waters off Waikiki. The duo, wearing appropriate island wear,  also trekked in the shopping mall at the Hilton Hawaiian Village…  

Cataluna’s ‘Kimo’ premieres Feb. 23

Lee Cataluna’s “Kimo the Waiter,” a glimpse of exclusion, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility within the community of television and film work, will make its world premiere at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Paliku Theatre on the Windward Community College.

The production is a partnership of WCC and the Hawaii Conservatory of Performing Arts (HCPA), where Cataluna is HCPA’s Established Island Artist.

The comedy explores the plight and frustration of Kimo, a dude that loves to act who tracks and attends auditions for roles, but he’s either too brown or not brown enough, or perhaps not enough, period. How many times can an actor play “the waiter”? He’s good, but clearly lives with rejection.

Set in 1980s Honolulu, “Kimo the Waiter” tracks the elusive dream of an actor whose dream world is never within his reach.

Alakaʻi Cunningham and Kirstyn Trombetta in “Kimo the Waiter.

“’Kimo the Waiter’ is a hilarious and moving look into the world of an actor. Cataluna shows the frustrations and raucous truths of what actors experience,” said director  Taurie Kinoshita.

 Set in the Hawaii of the 1980s, “Kimo” features Alakaʻi Cunningham as Kimo. The cast also includes Stuart Featheran, Kirstyn Trombetta, Maya Leslie-Berengue, and Kealaulapoiunalani Faifili.

The family-friendly comedy, which runs approximately 90 minutes, should relate to constant auditioners who’ve experienced rejection.

Tickets: $15 to $25, available at palikutheatre.com or call (808) 235-7315.

And that’s Show Biz…

MVT CAST FOR ‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’

Darian Keanu Ruiz Aquino will portray the title character in “Dear Evan Hansen,” which opens March 7 in its Hawaii premiere at Manoa Valley Theatre.

The Broadway musical, with tunes and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (with book by Steven Levenson), will be directed by Rob Duval. It will run through March 24, and a holdover is likely.

Ben Platt originated the Evan Hansen role in 2016 and topped the cast for four years thus becoming a bona fide Broadway luminary, earning him a Tony Award for Best Actor and enabling him to move into films, television, the recording industry and since has starred in other plays on the Great White Way.

“Dear Evan Hansen” was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won six trophies, for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Orchestration, Best Actor and Best Featured Actress (Rachel Bay Jones).

The show explores such life issues as bullying (Evan has social anxieties and depression), and suicide (Connor Murphy, a high school classmate of Evan who feels like a social outcast lacking friends, who takes his own life). Social media also triggers cynicism and fake emails, creating tension challenging trust.

Platt also starred in the film version in a 2021 film version, but the venture was sidelined due to a backlash of criticism that Platt, by then, was too old to play a high school student.

Aquino (pictured) may be remembered for his role in “Be More Chill,” another youth-oriented show at MVT. “Evan Hansen” castmates  include Vanessa Manuel-Mazzullo (Heidi Hansen), Ayzhia Tadeo (Zoe Murphy), Presley Wheeler (Connor Murphy), Shane Nishimura (Jared Kleinman) David Weaver (Larry Murphy), Susan Hawes (Cynthia Murphy), and Jenelle Wong (Alana Black). The ensemble includes Pono Lundell, Alana Clayson, David Hurley and Jasmine Haley Anderson).

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets: $26 to $48, on sale at www.manoavalleytheatre.co or (808) 988-6131. …

‘Sweeney Todd’ No. 1, for week ending Jan. 14

There’s a new king on Broadway – and he’s a demon and a murderer. For the first time, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” has joined the $2 million club, toppling the reign of “The Lion King.”
The Top 10 grosses, for the week ending Jan. 14:
1—”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $2.111 million.
2– “The Lion King,” $1,918 million.
3 – “Hamilton,” $1,901 million.
4 – “Merrily We Roll Along,” $1,834 million.
5— “Wicked,” $1,757 million.
6 –” MJ The Musical,” $1,401 million.
7—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1,387 million.
8 – “Back To The Future: The Musical,” $1.218 milion.
9 – “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” $1,208 million.
10—“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,171 million.
The full list, courtesy the Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz…

‘FIRST LADY OF STAGE’ JO PRUDEN DIES

Jo Pruden, often regarded as “The First Lady of Hawaii Theater” for her astonishing and admirable stage performances here, died Jan. 10 at her Mililani home following a long illness. She was 84.

She suffered a stroke in 2021 but was well enough to perform – alongside her husband Jip Pruden —  in “Love Letters” in December 2023, at the Brad Powell Theatre at The Actors Group in Iwilei.

It was to be her final appearance in a string of more than 100 shows in a brilliant career spanning 55 years of stagecraft magic.

Jo and husband Jip arrived in Hawaii in October, 1967 and by February, 1968, she was playing the lead in “Send Me No Flowers” at the Little Theatre at Schofield Barracks, a humble beginning of greatness to come.

“I have only praise for Jo’s consummate talent as an actor as many would agree,” said Vanita Rae Smith, a prominent director-producer here and a theatrical colleague of Jo for more than five decades. “She was always in tune with the heart and soul of each character.

“Together, we’ve done over a hundred events, stage productions. Readers Theatre and 30 Schofield Barracks 4th of July Spectacular.

“We performed in Germany, Belgium, Sacramento, CA and Charlotte, NC. We worked together each day for 13 years at Richardson Theatre (at Fort Shafter) where she managed my Army Community Theatre box office. I celebrate my best friends and ohana, Jo and Jip Pruden for 55 wonderful years.”

Indeed, Jo had a wonderful life, sharing her skills in her beloved theatrical life. Her credits and accomplishments were bountiful, beautiful and broad:

  • She amassed 18  Po’okela Awards, for perfomance excellence, from the Hawaii State Theatre Council.
  • She was honored in 2007 with HSTC’s Pierre Bowman Lifetime Achievement Award, which spawned a memorable acceptance quote she borrowed a line from “Love Letters,” “If acting is your passion don’t you dare stop doing it for the rest of your life.”
  • She was a notable isle talent on filmed-in-Hawaii CBS network television, logging 10 performances on “Hawaii Five-O” and five on “Magnum P.I.,” original versions shot here.
  • She inhabited 48 Readers Theatre shows at  Army Community Theatre, and after the ACT terminated stage events,  joined numerous  readings at the Pohai Nani retirement residence in Kaneohe, then four more plays at TAG when the series relocated town side of the Koolaus.
  • She did a tour of U.S. Army installations, doing shows in Germany and Belgium.
  • She worked for TV Guide here, but retired to manage the ACT box office, where Smith was manager and producer who oversaw a range of entertainment events .With her alliance with the Army theater and a compadre of Smith, Jo also had another gig — narrating 25 ceremonies of the Army’s annual 4th of July hoopla for 25 years at Schofield.

Jip and Jo Pruden, at her 2023 birthday dinner.

Shari Lynn Acebedo, longtime friend, recalled Jo’s first trip to New York City with her in 2010, with subsequent treks in 2013, 2015 and 2017. “Brad Powell and Brother Gary were there at the same time,” Shari recalled about the first trip, “and we were able to share some great times. “She hadn’t been to NYC until I suggested that we go. Here eyes were as big as saucers as we strolled down Broadway. Unbridled happiness! We loved to shop, see shows and eat. “

Jo was born and raised in Enterprise, Alabama, and her hometown name possibly inspired her enterprising acting career. She majored in Theater Arts at the University of Montevllo.

Jo’s tenure as a queen of drama embraced a swirl of community endeavors, at theaters large and small, on stages such as Army Community Theatre, Manoa Valley Theatre and its predecessor, Hawaii Performing Arts Company;  Diamond Head Theatre, and its predecessor, Honolulu Community Theatre; Kennedy Theatre, at the University of Hawaii, Windward Theatre Guild, Hawaii Theatre, Hawaii Pacific University Theatre, The Actors Group, Starving Artists Theater Company, Oumansky Magic Ring Theatre, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village; and several more.

A short list of her formidable credits include “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf,” “Agnes of God,” “Picnic,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Wolf,” “King Lear,” “The Trip to Bountiful,” “Doubt,” “August: Osage Country,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “The American Dream,” “Nine,” “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” “Music Man,” and “Mame.”Besides her husband of 56 years, Jo is survived by  a sister, Jayne Pleasants, of Clayton, Georgia.

There will be no funeral service, but a celebration of life event is being planned for the afternoon of Feb. 18, specifics not yet known,  at Manoa Valley Theatre….

Personalities

Iam Tongi, Hawaii’s first “American Idol” winner, is on the ballot for a People’s Choice Award.

He is vying, along with TV competition candidates, several from “RuPaul’s Drag Show,” plus candidates from “Dancing With the Stars,” “The Bachelorettes,” “The Golden Bachelor” and “That’s My Jam.”

Winners will be revealed on an NBC special, at 8 p.m. ET Feb. 18…

Vocalist Shari Lynn and keyboarder Jim Howard return to the Paradise Lounge of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, from 7 to 10 p.m. Jan. 13 and Jan. 27, part of her twice-a-month arrangement with the jazz club…

Broadway grosses, week ending jan. 7

All hail the king. Disney’s “The Lion King” roared to the top of the Broadway list, one of only two other shows on the elite $2 Million club.

The week’s Top 10 shows:

1 – “The Lion King,” $2,444 million.

2—“ Wicked,” “2,124 million.

3 – “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” $2,037 million.

4 – “ Hamilton,” $1,968 million.

5 – “Merrily We Roll Along,” $1,785 million.

6 – “ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” 1,708 million.

7 – “ Aladdin,” $1,617 million.

8 – “MJ The Musical,”$1,569 million.”

9 – “Back To The Future: The Musical,”$1,374 million.

10 – “Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,335 million.

The complete list, courtesy The Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz. …