Category: Stage

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OSCAR VIEWERSHIP REBOUNDING

It wasn’t just a grand night of winning for the cast of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which earned seven Academy Awards in ABC’s telecast  Sunday night (March 12).

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, won too , in the overnight Nielsen’s ratings, attracting 18.7 million viewers in the 95th Oscarcast.

It was the best performance and a rebound mode for the Hollywood org., with Nielsen polling showing a 12 per cent gain over last year’s Will Smith’s slap-in-the-face sideshow, seen by  16.7 million viewers. Further, the show gained a 4.0 rating in the coveted demographics of 18 to 49, marking a 5.3% increase over last year.

And perhaps the Oscars might have brought a new respect and a return to loyalty to sit and watch an awards show. The Oscars did far better than this year’s Grammys, which pulled in 12.5 million and a 2.9 rating in the demos. The last Emmys didn’t do well, either, watched by 5.9 million and a rating of 1.2 last year.

ABC execs are awaiting the next-day adjustment of ratings number, expected on Tuesday (March 14), anticipating a bit more juice in viewership numbers, expressing some fears that the Daylight Savings Time early Sunday morning might have confused potential watchers.

Ratings for the Oscars have been critically lower in recent years hitting a record low in 2021 of 10.5 million viewers and a 2.2 rating among the key adults 18-49 demographics. …

Some reflections:

I did pretty well, in the predictions in seven categories. The one I stumbled over was Best Actor. I figured Austin Butler, as “Elvis,” would be a shoo-in, a bona fide actor singing and shimmying like Presley. Brendan Fraser was a worthy winner, for playing the overweight “whale” in “The Whale,” but 75 per cent of his win should rightfully be shared by his prosthetic creator.

Oscar winners, from left: Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis. Getty Images.

There was uniform agreement that “Top Gun: Maverick,” the stellar sequel with Tom Cruise, brought audiences back to the movie theater to watch a movie. That the film earned just one Oscar, for Best Sound, is ludicrous. And he wasn’t a nominee, so it’s no surprise Cruise skipped the show.

Cheerleader of the night? The indefatigable Jamie Lee Curtis, the “Everything” Best Supporting Actress,  whose early win set the tone and the pace for the final outcome. At 64 and never been a trophy winner (or nominee) throughout her career, she deserved the laurels and clearly she’s not a name-dropper; betcha today’s young film-goers don’t know she’s the daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

Comebacker of the year? Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, 51, also from “Everything,” was a kid actor in an “Indiana Jones” caper, but was unable to land a major project like this year’s biggie. His acceptance speech was genuine, heartfelt joy for years of dreams, hopes and patience. That onstage hug with Best Film presenter Harrison Ford  was a keeper. And weeper.

Michelle Yeoh, 61, had to wait nearly forever to snag her Best Actress (“Everywhere”) statuette. She and Quan made film history, being  the first Asians to win in their respective category, signaling the inclusion of Asians in the Hollywood multiverse. Betcha a sequel will arrive in two years (audiences expect it) but history repeating itself? Hmmmmm.

And as good and alarming as it depicted the brutality of war, Netflix’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Best International Feature Film) won several technical awards. War is hell, but did we really need this, while war is seen nightly  on your TV screen?

And can we return to the old formula of limiting Best Feature Films to five titles instead of the current 10?

With sew many (get it?) gowns focused on bras with open midriffs, peek-a-boo fabrics and trains that waited for an accident to happen, it’s a wonder no wardrobe malfunctions were reported or recorded.

Lady Gaga.

While I picked that Indian novelty, “Naatu, Naatu” as Best Song, mostly because that vigorous choreography in the film,  the most commercial tune with abundant pleasure is/was Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand,” heard in the end credits of “Top Gun.” Her live vocal delivery on the Oscar show was pure, powerful and potent – delivered in black T-shirt and jeans — perhaps a wider audience will embrace the tune in the weeks ahead.

I miss the Old Hollywood, when the likes of Meryl Streep, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sean Connery,  Julie Andrews, Kirk Douglas, etc. would be in the front rows of the theater, kibitzing, hugging, sharing camaraderie. Many have gone to the screens in the heavens, but few surviving Hollywood greats have not earned the clout of yesteryear’s screen faves. …

Hawaii Kai gaining new eateries

With the closure of Zippy’s Hawaii Kai dining room in the Koko Marina Shopping Center and the exit of Outback Restaurant at the Hawaii Kai Towne Center, it’s good news to learn that new kau kau options await.

Later this month, Scratch Kitchen will take over the site of the Outback Restaurant, joining the family of established eateries at Hawaii Kai Towne Center, Roy’s and Maile’s Thai Bistro.

And expect Paradise Poke to join the dining community in the space next to Starbuck’s at the Towne Center.

And next to Zippy’s at Koko Marina, a new tenant is prepping for an opening later this year. There is hope for the hungry crowds. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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‘WOODS’: SEE WHAT EAGERNESS LOOKS LIKE

“Into the Woods,” the splendid musical with songs by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, can be minimal and magical, or large and luminous. A favorite of stage actors, it’s an ambitious  challenge for any cast, amateur or professional.

Farrington High School’s revival —  directed and choreographed by Aubrey Lee Staley, with the school’s academy director, Miguel Cadoy III as musical director — is somewhere in-between.

For the Kalihi cast, this is a challenging effort, part of the campus journey to bolster acceptance on the theatrical map, with a core of stellar actors who are not yet accomplished dancers. The production does not have an adequate budget but nonetheless keeps tickets at an astonishing low of $10 for adults and there’s no hand-out playbill but you can download the critical credits online.

Yet “Into the Woods,” with its fairybook characters threatened by the giant, still gets “it” when everyone goes frolicking into the woods in search of missions and goals of mundane life. Go see and discover what eagerness looks and sounds like.

The Baker (Isaac Liu) and the Baker’s Life (Janal Baran) want a baby. Little Red Ridinghood (Julian Sanchez) wants to visit Granny (Maryann Nabua), Cinderella (Summer Pilor) wishes to go to the ball. Jack (Axle Munoz) is chastised by his Mother (Lucienne Jamera) for selling Milky White (a cow puppet, designed by Audrey Castandea-Walker, and manipulated by Marky Raphael).
The stepsisters Florinda (Rovie Piso) and Lucinda (Leihua Kuhaulua) want to become the belle of Cinderella’s Prince (Anselm Fautanu). This tale has a second royal, Rapunzel’s (Jade Escalante) Prince (Prince Adena).

The Witch (Cristal Ponce) threatens just about everybody and the Wolf (Brandon Lukas) stalks the little girl with the red cape, so life is a struggle.

And the Narrator (Randyl Degal) is the tour guide as the characters mix, mingle, and connect. He’s very much a part of the wants and needs of all.

With its once-upon-a-time framework, Sondheim’s score and Lapine’s libretto reflect dark and light, sadness  and happiness, and acceptance and resistance plus other dualities of life.

So the Baker and his Wife are instructed by the Witch to secure “a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn and a slipper as pure as gold,” giving them beans from her garden to barter with, and a key thread in the unfolding of the storyline.

The goal for the haggard one really wants these things to reverse a curse on her, to return to her earlier beauty.

The repeating themes: nothing is impossible, so live your dreams. The powerful message: Choices often mean consequence, so not everything comes easily. The outcome: agony can be transformed into hope and happiness.

Sondheim’s melodies are exquisite and often transformational, with cadence and complicated lyrics that define the prolific songwriter’s style, so delivery requires a complex art form of its own. One of the lingering tunes comes late in the show; “No One Is Alone” (delivered by Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, the Baker and Jack) is a signature.

And “Finale: Children Will Listen” (by the Witch and the company) is compelling and charismatic.

Director Staley, with  Kirstyn Galiusas as her assistant, works well with the ensemble scenes, bringing out the richness of company voicing; her choreography, however, is serviceable but static, clearly suggesting that dance is not the pivotal trait of her cast.

Erin Kamikawa’s costumes are colorful and functional. Christopher Patrinos is set designer and technical director; his stage design features a stationary principal bridge connects two moveable staircases (think “Hamilton”), garnished by forestry-like vines. The orchestra is situated behind the bridgeway.

There was one mishap, at last Saturday’s performance; the Stepmother’s (Kamakea Wright) wig toppled in one scene, but quickly adjusted, earning slight applause and chuckles.

Advisory: though the play explores beloved fairytale faves that young children may identify with, this is not for the very young, because the show demands quiet concentration.

Yes, the young ones might find delight in Milky White, the puppet cow, who earns a moo-ving cheer at the final curtain, but parents should have discretion in bringing their kids. Despite Sondheim’s vision, all children do not always listen. …

“In the Woods”

What: A musical by Stephen Sondheim, with book by James Lapine.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (March 3 and 4) and 2 p.m. Sunday (March 5).

Where: Joseph Rider Farrington Auditorium, at Farrington High School.

Tickets: $10 for adults (18 and older), $5 for students (5 through 17), $3 for Farrington students with ID, at https://www.showtix4u.com/events/15389

Download playbill: at https://www.canva.com/design/DAFbc4-g0BU/1k3g-OsVAYCLRaX9kj2Exg/view?utm_content=DAFbc4-g0BU&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

And that’s Show Biz. …

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‘TICK TICK,’ ‘LA CAGE’ CASTS REVEALED

Two anticipated box-office hits loom in March, at Manoa Valley Theatre and Diamond Head Theatre.

The theaters have unveiled their casts for “Tick, Tick…Boom!” and “La Cage Aux Folles.”

‘TICK, TICK…BOOM!’

Before there was “Rent,” there was “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” an autobiographical and aspirational musical on the artistic struggles of composer-playwright Jonathan Larson, then approaching age 30 without a production bearing his name.

He hustles – down to the wire  — to create his first musical, “Superbia,” but gets stressed out because he can’t complete the show’s final tune. His workshop session is a sellout, but there are no takers.  Playwright Stephen Sondheim supports him, with valid advice: start writing your second show (which turns out to be “Rent,” his signature production).

But he died on the night before its off-Broadway premiere, so “Boom!” explores the earlier months and years of his theatrical anxieties.

Taj Gutierrez

The show will make its Hawaii debut at Manoa Valley Theatre, where it will be staged March 9 to 26.

Taj Gutierrez heads the cast as Jonathan Larson; he last appeared as Judas in DHT’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” last year. Other leads in the cast are, Kimo Kaona as Michael, Larson’s buddy, and  Emily North as Susan, his girlfriend; alternating actors are Moku Durant as Jon, Ian Severino as Michael and Bianca Tubolino as Susan.

Moku Durant

Mathias Maas is director and choreographer, Jenny Shiroma is musical director, David Heulitt is assistant director, Mira Fey is technical director, Elyse Takashige is set designer,  Willie Sabel is scenic art director, La Tanya Faamausili-Siliato is prop designer, Hope Laidlaw is lighting director, Amber Lehua Baker is costume designer,  Lisa Ponce de Leon is hair and makeup designer,  Lock Lynch is sound designer and engineer, Sarah Velasco is assistant sound designer, Janine Myers is master electrician, Taylor Bair is stage manager, and  Maile Alau is intimacy coordinator.

Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets: $42, adults; $37, seniors and military, $24, youths 25 and younger. Reserved seating.

Reservations:   (808) 988-6131 or online at www.manoavalleytheatre.com …

‘LA CAGE AUX FOLLES’

Some boys will be girls in “La Cage Aux Folles,” the Broadway musical that gave the world the “I Am What I Am” anthem, which opens March 24 at Diamond Head Theatre.

The show is about Georges, manager of a drag show nightclub starring Albin, his long-time romantic partner. Complications arise when Georges’ son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancee’s super-conservative parents to meet them amid the glittering masquerade of men portraying women.

Guy Merola

“La Cage” is based on a film and stage version with the same title, with book by Harvey Fierstein and music by Jerry Herman, based on the original play by Jean Poiret. “The Best of Times” also has been a hit.

The cast features Guy Merola as Georges, Andrew Sakaguchi as Albin,  Charles Ho as Jean-Michel, Nanea Allen as Anne, Aaron Miko as Jacob, Shari Lynn as Jacqueline, Fedrico Biven as Mons. Renaud, Suzanne Maloney as Mme. Renaud,  Joe Martyak as Dindon, Kim Anderson as Marie Dindon and Jake Wolf as Francis.

Andew Sakaguchi

The Cagelles include Jack Dia, Marcus Stanger,  Genesis Kaeo,  Gabriel Ryan-Kern, Jared Duldulao,  Andrew Simmons,  Brittany Lewis,  Anastasia Chrysler, and Heather Taylor.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays; and 4 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets: $27,  $37 and $52;  no senior, military, or student discounts. Call (808) 733-0374 or visit www.diamondheadtheatre.com …

Broadway grosses, week ending Feb. 19

With the looming closure of “The Phantom of the Opera,” the continues to draw first-time or repeat viewers, making the Andrew Lloyd-Webber classic the longest-running musical on Broadway, the chart-topper.

The top seven grossing shows last week:

1 — “The Phantom of the Opera,: $2.562 million,

2 — “Hamilton,” $2.000 million.

3 — “The Lion King,” $1.929 mlllion.

4 — “Funny Girl,” $1.833 million.

5 — :”MJ,” $1.823 million

6 — “Wicked,” $1.791 million.

7 — “Moulin Rouge,” 1.590 million.

The complete rundown of the shows, courtesy The Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz. …

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ZIPPY’S CLOSING HAWAII KAI DINE-IN

So you must know that Zippy’s Hawaii Kai will shut down its dining room with last meals served on Feb. 5. The take-out counter will continue, possibly through the end of this year.

But it’ll be a sad day when the Zippy’s in my East Oahu community closes its doors.

The location, formerly Castagnola’s, is the chain’s only restaurant boasting a spectacular marina view. Daytime, boats and ducks share the watery view, and nights without moons enable the businesses across the way provide twinkling lights.

It’s not magical, but it’s been a precious location for family meals, take-out, and breakfasts with friends and allies. But location isn’t a factor in the closure. There are several issues at stake.The senior discount cards/program, which provided 10 per cent discounts for everything, from table meals to carry-out, party platters and birthday cakes, though not for special orders like Thanksgiving turkeys. It was a popular promotion, but perhaps too popular, eating into the bottom line: profits.

Zippy’s crispy fried chicken

The issues at Hawaii Kai are understandable. The restaurant can’t find workers/servers and two but seldom three servers usually have to seat folks, get and place orders, serve the meals, sometimes do table bussing work, too. And deliver the check, too. Sometimes only two diners are waiting to be seated; 20 minutes later, there may be 10 or 12, and it’s not surprising that a party or two or four walk out because no one pays attention to the back-up.

The exterior is deteriorating, losing its glory day looks; the dining room was tuned up with plexiglas, a sign of the pandemic. But inside story is plain and simple: business is way down, food prices have risen, and marina views no longer are cherished.

What I’ll miss: the fried chicken, with its crispy skin;  the Zip-Min or the wun ton min, with generous extras like the eggs, and char siu, and the Napoleon Bakery’s  Napples. I assume the bakery, next to and part of the dine-out windows, will linger, and limp along without the declining walk-ins at the dining room.

What’s also been great: You can order your coffee and eggs-and-meat combos or pancakes and waffles, made fresh, and patter and chatter will include coffee re-fills. Elsewhere, the eateries still open for three meals a day, don’t appreciate your over-stays because they need the turnaround business.

The glory days at Zippy’s Hawaii, at the Koko Marina Shopping Center

I still patronize the restaurant, particularly after an early movie visit at the Koko Marina film complex. I fear that the theaters could shut down, too, with fewer and fewer turning out to watch a movie on a big screen. A blockbuster helps fills the corridors on opening night, but otherwise, you don’t see folks bustling to their seats. Streaming at home could be a culprit, ‘cuz there’ve been times when my wife and I are the lone souls watching a new movie. But that’s another story for another time.

Zippy’s management has not provided vital support for more hands on deck, or tending to reports of the air-conditioning going down and other ills of running a restaurant. Zippy’s Hawaii Kai ran out of printed menus in the last weeks of operations, and refills were not provided since the closure was near.

The restaurant had a special-area bar, which shut down years ago, and when business was brisk, it provided overflow space for diners. During the pandemic, that site was supposed to be an employee lounge, but only once did I see a worker actually in that dark and unfriendly room. At one time, Rotarians booked it for monthly luncheon meetings, but no more.

Wait staff has mentioned the restaurant wanted to pare down its lease rent with the shopping center; no one has confirmed or denied.

Since there’s no knowledge if Zippy’s still has to pay for the vacant dining room, in the months ahead, or even if there might be a turnabout and change of plans and a future reopening decision. Perhaps the community needs to rally and sound off, but also put its money where the mouth is … and dine in, like the old days.

What do you think?

Meanwhile, down the street on Kalanianaole Highway, Roy’s Restaurant – which recently marked its 35th anniversary and survived the devastating decline of business during the pandemic – has sorta become my neighborhood restaurant. Yes, it’s many steps above Zippy’s, and costlier to dine there. No,  there’s no breakfast service but I’ll drive to Zippy’s Kahala. But I don’t want Roy Yamaguchi to close his flagship restaurant. …

Oldies and still goodies

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will concertize at 8 p.m. March 18 at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell. But Valli will be the lone voice in the Broadway musical that depicted the original “Jersey Boys.”

Frankie Valii

The popular foursome in the hit Broadway musical explored the life and times of Valli and his buddies. The act, of course, concocted such hit songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” and “Bye Bye Baby.”

The original Seasons, led by Valli, were Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi. Over the years, other singers-musicians provided the music and vocal harmonies to support Valli’s trademark high notes …

The Doobie Brothers are also booked for a show at 7:30 p.m. May 5  at the Waikiki Shell.

This rock-and-soul group has produced such best-sellers as “Listen to the Music,” “Black Water,” “Takin’ It to the Street,” “What a Fool Believes,”and  “Long Train Running.”

The Doobies include Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and John Hartman . …

And that’s Show Biz. …

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REVIEWS: ‘CINDERELLA,’ ‘EDWIN DROOD’

We’re reviewing two stage musicals here — Diamond Head Theatre’s “Cinderella,” the first show in its new facility, and Manoa Valley Theatre’s “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”

We liked one, but not so much the other…

‘Cinderella’

“Cinderella,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein version of the fairy tale about a servant girl who has dreams of good fortunes, is the first musical in the new $22.37 million Diamond Head Theatre.

It is not to be confused with the popular animated Disney version, though the characters are similar: Cinderella has a stepmother and two dipsy stepsisters, in a kingdom where a Prince is staging a ball and looking for love.

Of course, there is a Fairy Godmother who grants Cinderella her wish to attend the ball, but there is no “Bibbidy-Bobbidy -Boo” song here.


The last Broadway revival of this R&H version was known for the incredible and inventive costume design, which won a Tony Award for William Ivey Long, who literally turned rags to riches into marvelous garb with the changes instantly right before your eyes. I saw it on Broadway and not much more mattered, considering this gift of instantaneous wardrobe change.

DHT’s rendering boasts great voices, but redundant choreography scenes, and its  fab costume switch, with Ella’s ball grown drifting downward on a hanger  from the venue’s new fly space is effective  –with kokua from a few huddled cast members – with the unseen switcheroo happening as quickly as possible.

The palatial ball, however  lacks sparkle and party frou-frou, with a skimpy wooden frame depicting a staircase for Ella’s entrance, almost as if funding for a prettier set fell short because money was spent on the theater, a priority over a glitzy party décor.

Christine Kluvo has the right look and voice to render Ella, but the “find” is Paula Fuga as the Godmother, a rather calm savior who brings command and wisdom to the plate; “It’s Possible” is her motto, not “Impossible,” and “Fol-de-Rol” is her answer to “Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo.”

Larry Paxton as The King and Anna Young as The Queen also provide vocal enchantment, and in this telling, the stepmother (Lisa Konove) and her two diddley daughters Portia (Stacy Pulmano) and Joy (Barrie Kealoha) are  simply cartoonish figures in flamboyant costumes and giddy but not genuinely funny.

The Prince (Nick Amador) has a competent voice, but seems to be  a boring royal who finally takes an interest in the ball after Ella shows up in his life. You know the drill; she cuts short her visit because, well, you know what happens after midnight if she’s tardy.

Though the theater has that aerial loft, some set pieces (Ella’s home and the palace exterior) still are rolled on and off stage, the old-fashioned way. And while there is an orchestra pit, musical conductor Lindsay Rabe didn’t take that post-intermission bow.

Alas, director-choreographer John Rampage can’t manufacture laugher or emotion if  they’re not in the script. And with obvious budget constraints, set designer Dawn Oshima and prop designer John M. Cummings III could not fill the stage with grand embellishments. Even the chariot that brings Ella to the ball – the re-imagined pumpkin-turned-coach – is flat with a lone merry-go-round pony.

In her finale as costume director, the retiring Karen G. Wolfe creates elegant gowns and suits favoring hues of sherbet, salmon and white,  for the cast of nearly 40. Or perhaps she can squeeze a dollar from a quarter.

Rampage, as DHT’s artistic director,  has been a tireless and innovative craftsman for decades but misses the mark here. The magical spell is missing.

The new theater is awesome, offering comfortable seats, leg room. and great sight patterns, though there’s no far left or far right aisle, if your seats are in the first six or seven rows. The interior looks like a work in progress, so the space has no personality.

There’s a concession bar plus ample restrooms (outdoors, not within the theater).

The capacity is nearly 500 seats, equaling the old DHT, now demolished. The new main entrance is on the makai side of the new facility, instead of the usual back of the house entry facing the street, so if you park at Kapiolani Community College, there are steps or a wheelchair walkway, to get below street level and the side “front” door.

And parking at KCC currently is a maze, because of construction work and coning and barricading, the only entry is from Makapuu Avenue and one way  is out via Kilauea Avenue, so caution is advised.

‘Cinderella’

Plays Thursdays through Sundays, through Feb. 12. According to the DHT website, the run — including a week’s extension — is virtually sold out.

Tickets: (808) 733-0274  or at www.diamondheadtheatre.com

‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’

Manoa Valley Theatre boasts a stunning revival of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” playing through Jan. 29, and the impressive music-hall set, designed by Andrew Doan, is the first thing you see. The two pairs of box seats (three are utilized as staging areas, the fourth houses orchestra) punctuate the setting of a show house in the London of 1895.

Update: MVT has extended the run of “Drood” through Feb. 5.

The velvet curtain opens, and you start meeting and hearing  this vigorous and vital ensemble, and they’re having fun and you can’t resist joining in. Enticing entertainment follows,.

Directed and choreographed by Miles Phillips (with Taylor Gruver as co-choreographer), this little musical, written by Rupert Holmes, is a play within a play, inspired by an unfinished Charles Dickens novel, which enables the show to engage the audience in deciding who among the cast is a murderer.

Being an ensemble piece, everyone is a somebody and every move might be a clue in this whodunit. If there are “leads,” it would be Christopher Denton as the Chairman, Mr. William Cartwright, Miguel Cadoy III, as Mr. Clive Paget as John Jasper; Susan Johnson Green, as Miss Angela Prysock as Princess Puffer; Kim Anderson, as Miss Deirdre Peregrine as Rosa Bud; Chelsea Carline as Miss Alice Nutting, as Edwin Drood; and Alexandra Zinov as Miss Janet Conover as Helena Landless.

Some of the ensemble characters in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.”

The score offers a gamut of styles, from quasi-opera to show-tune ballads, from light rock to jaunty gems, but no hummable tunes you’ll remember. But Denton as the emcee-chairman, and Cadoy as Jasper, engage in a jewel of a tongue-twister and rapid-fire “Both Sides of the Coin.” Worth going just to experience and applaud this one.

Musical director Jenny Shiroma, as orchestra maestro, has a couple of occasions to shout out a reply from an actor, and she plays the game like the rest of us.

Hannah Jitsukawa’s costumes reflect the era, from bright and showbizzy to dark and somber.

A raise-your-hand survey, to determine the culprit, is somewhat overplayed, and yes, votes matter.

‘The Mystery Edwin Drood’

Playing Thursdays through Sundays, through Jan.29. Update: The show has been extended through Feb. 5.

Tickets: $24 to $45, discounts available for seniors, military, and youths up to 25,  at (808) 988-6131  or www.manoavalleytheatre.com …

Broadway grosses, for week ending Jan. 22

With the closure of “The Music Man,” Hugh Jackman’s $3 million-plus blockbuster during most of its run, guess which show now is the No. 1 hottie. The top seven productions, for the week ending Jan. 22:

No. 1 — “The Phantom of the Opera,” $2.227 million. It winds up its extended run on April 16.

No. 2 — “Hamilton,”: $1.946 million.

No. 3 — “Funny Girl,” $1.933 million.

No. 4 — “The Lion King,” $1.795 million.

No. 5 –“Wicked,” $1.657 million.

No. 6 — “MJ,” $1.654 million.

No. 7 — “Moulin Rouge,” $1.437 million.

The compilation is courtesy The Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz. …

And that’s Show Biz. …