Stage Archives - Page 3 of 32

July 30, 2025July 30, 2025

BROADWAY NOTES: ‘GYPSY’ ENDS AUG. 17

“Gypsy,” currently in a revival production starring Audra McDonald as Mama Rose, will close Aug. 17 at the Majestic Theatre. The windup will have played 28 previews ad 269 performances.

The show originally was to be on Broadway through Oct. 5.

While McDonald has been wowing audiences, she didn’t win a Tony earlier this summer and grosses have not been as strong as anticipated. Consequently, “Gypsy” has not earned a Top 10 slo regularly in the weekly tallies.

**Audra McDonald as Mama Rose in :=”Gypsy.” The show closes Aug. 17,**

I would have loved seeing her, but I missed traveling to New York this year and won’t plan to during the rest of the year.

Ethel Merman originated the role in 1959, but I’ve not seen her. However, I’ve taken in the other revivals, starring Angela Lansbury in 1974, Tyne Daly in 1989, Bernadette Peters in 2003, and Patti LuPone in 2008…

Bright Kids staging ‘Gypsy” Aug. 8 to 24

A Hawaii revival of “Gypsy” will be produced by the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation for three weekends beginning Aug. 8 and continuing through Aug. 24 at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College. Jacquelyn Holland-Wright, an alumnus of Castle High School, will enacting Mama Rose. Curtain times are at 7:30 p..m Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $22 to $44, available at www.iabk.org …

…

The return of the masked Phantom?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legacy show, “The Phantom of the Opera,” shut down in 2023, after a history-making 35-year residency. It’s Broadway’s longest-running musical of all time.

But that masked hero, who sought the favors of Christine, apparently will make a comeback, specific timetable unknown.

Lloyd Webber, however, has been teasing a sequel from the opera house ghost. While the show’s working title is “Masquerade,” the Phantom likely will be haunting show-goers again, perhaps next season…

‘A Chorus Line’ marks 50^th anniversary

A one-night special, celebrating the 50^th anniversary of “A Chorus Line,” was staged Juiy 27 by and for the original cast members of the Tony-award winning show.

The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, staged the production at the Shubert Theatre, for 15 years – from 1975 to 1990 – the home of “A Chorus Line.”

Original cast member Baayork Lee remounted the original Michael Bennett backstage musical with Bob Avian choreography.

Special guests included members of the original 1975 singers-dancers, including Kelly Bishop, Wayne Cilento, Baayork Lee, Priscilla Lopez, and Donna McKechnie, joined by special guest performers Charlotte d’Amboise, Jessican Lee Goldyn, Robyn Hurder, Francis Jue, Krysta Rodriguea, Jessica Vosk, Anthony Wayne, Tony Yazbeck and Leigh Zimmerman.

The production is known for its icoic finale formation number, “One Singular Sensation,” known for its synchronized formation of the single row of pomp and circumstance dancing, complete with top hats…

TV notables to co-star in murder mystery

They are former Army buddies, and legendary television figures, who have a penchant to take on stage roles, doing dramas, comedies and mysteries.

It’s all for charity, for Fox/KHON lsland news anchor Joe Moore and his former military pal Pat Sajak, the celebrated “Wheel of Fortune” host of the syndicated game show

**Pat Sajak, left, and Joe Moore will co-star in “Prescription Murder” ar the Hawaii Theatre.**

Moore, still in the news anchor seat, and Sajak, who’s retired but still occasionally appears as a guest host, started co-starring in plays at the Hawaii Theatre. It started 24 years ago, when they starred in Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” and they’re still going strong.

This year, the pair is taking on “Prescription Murder,” the original Columbo mystery thriller by William Link and Richard Levinson, whose work became the inspiration for the “Columbo” mysteries on TV. Performances will be from July 31 to Aug. 10.

Moore will take on the part of Lt. Columbo, the somewhat disheveled, bumbling detective who made Peter Falk a star, and Sajak will be Dr. Roy Flemming, a brilliant psychiatrist, intent on murdering his wife. The show is a give-and-take, back-and-fourth and cat-and-mouse escapade of thrills, wits and chuckles.

Moore says, this “will likely be our final time on stage together.”

Rob Duval is directing, and the supporting players include Bryce Moore, Therese Olival, Amy K. Sullivan and Aiko Chinen.

Tickets range in price from $42.50 to $87.50, available at www.hawaiitheatre.com/prescriptionmurder or (808) 528-0506…

A steadfast trio dominates the $2 million club

Summertime means longstanding Broadway favorites – the kingpin trio of “Wicked,” “The Lion King” and “Hamilton”—are the lone members of the elite $2 million club. The recent closing of a hot ticket, “Sunset Blvd.,” opened a slot in the Top 5, and surprise, surprise, “Aladdin’s” magic earned the show the No. 4 position.

The Top 10:

1–“Wicked,” $2.386 million

2—”The Lion King,” $2.324 million

3—”Hamilton,” $2.736 million

4—”Aladdin,” $1.610 million

5—”MJ, the Musical,” $1.394 million

6–“Maybe Happy Ending,” $1.382 million

7—“Just In Time,” $1.316 million

8—“Death Becomes Her,” $1.251 million

9—“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.246 million

10—”The Outsiders,” $1.237 million

The complete list, for the week ending July 27, courtesy the Broadway Guild:

And that’s Show Biz…

July 24, 2025July 24, 2025

‘HAMILTON’ TURNS 10 AUG. 6. GO FOR IT

On Aug. 6, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” blockbuster will celebrate its 10^th anniversary with a gala performance in the house where it happened — that would be the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

I received an invite, if you can believe it, to partake in the gala on Aug. 6. Guess the show wanted some regular fans to be dazzled by the notable invitees.

Financially, this one’s way out of my reach – tickets are either $5,000 or $2,500 for mezzanine seats –but it will be historical and memorable if you want to splurge. The higher-price ticket includes a pre-show and after-show reception; the less expensive ticket includes the post-show event.

The performance will feature the current cast which, lest you forget, currently features two performers with Hawaii ties, Marc delaCruz, who I have befriended and interviewed, and Reanne Acasio, who I also met via an interview. It would be a hoot to see them in action, but health is a priority now, and I don’t think I could survive the journey.

There’s the airfare to consider, too, and a hotel room is a necessity.

For the record, I’ve seen the Broadway production twice, once with the original cast, a second time with delaCruz, who is an understudy of the title character of Hamilton. Acasio, who joined the cast a few months ago, understudies the three Schuyler sisters in the show, but I have yet to see her.

But I’ve watched another localite, Joseph Morales. enacting the Hamilton role in a touring company when it was ensconced in a Chicago theater. Plus, I watched the touring company that did show at Blaisdell Concert Hall two years ago.

I recall the first time; I couldn’t secure affordable seats, and orchestra tickets were astronomically high. So, I wound up buying two tickets –at $750 apiece – way up in the balcony, in the second-to-the-last row up high. However, it’s still a conversational memory.

For the 10th anniversary, the “Hamilton” logo bears 10 stars surrounding the familiar figure of Hamilton atop the star.

Ultimately, here’s the rub: If you want to be in the room where it happened, on a milestone date, who’s stopping you to go? The Public Theatre, where “Hamilton” first played off-Broadway prior to its Broadway debut, is overseeing the anniversary show. Come to think of it, though I didn’t see “Hamilton” there, I have taken in shows at the Public. Maybe that’s how I got the email invite. If you have been to the Public and weren’t invited, go for it—invite yourself at events@publictheater.org

Scherzinger, ‘Sunset Blvd.’ are No. 1

A new Broadway champ: ‘Sunset Blvd.’

In the final week of “Sunset Blvd.” on Broadway, Hawaii star Nicole Scherzinger – performing as Gloria Swanson, talkies star – went out as a winner, with the musical yielding grosses of $2,481,018.

The surge earned the show, and Scherzinger, the laurels of being the No. 1 hot ticket for the week ending July 20, bypassing perpetual chart topper “Wicked,” which was No. 2.

The Top 10:

1—”Sunset Blvd.,” $2.481 million

2— Wicked,” $2.412 million

3—” The Lion King,” $2.218 million

4—”Hamilton,” $2.187 million

5—” Death Becomes Her,” $1.485 million

6—”Aladdin,” $1.469 million

7—”MJ,” $1.406 million

8—”Maybe Happy Ending,” $1.347 million

9—”Just in Time,” $1.327million

10—” The Outsiders,” $1.207 million.

The full list, courtesy the Broadway League:

And that;’s Show Biz…

July 20, 2025July 20, 2025

SOAK IN DHT’S ‘SPONGEBOB’ HIT

Diamond Head Theatre has plunged into the whirlpool of fun of “The SpongeBob Musical,” a marvel of stagecraft based on Nickelodeon’s spirited cartoon character and its undersea antics.

Originally dubbed “SpongeBob SquarePants,” the show- — minus the squarepants – is a colorful enterprise of quirky characters residing in Bikini Bottom, whose quiet lives are upended by a volcanic eruption falling and wiping out the sea community.

The real accomplishment is the coming-of-age triumph of the technical crew at DHT, which has had frequent difficulty creating satisfying sets in its still-new theater with fly space that hadn’t been available for more than 100 years.

**The sets are remarkable. including this one with underwater rainbow. Photos by** **Brandon Miyagi, courtesy**

Thus, SpongeBob has arrived to rescue and resolve the techie production ills of the recent past, making this perhaps the best-ever, cohesive DHT enterprise.

Advisory: this is not a kiddie show. It’s family-oriented, with wide appeal to adults and parents. So, take a plunge and savor the silliness of SpongeBob.

**Chad Navarro, strumming uke**, **is SpongeBob Squarepants.**

The saga of the undersea community threatened to lose its home is one of bonding to challenge and upend and survive the explosion of underwater mountains.

**Meana Stone is Sandy Cheeks, who has a great voice,**

“SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” – the formal official title –was a huge hit with both critics and spectators and earned 12 Tony Award nominations for it run at the Palace Theatre at Times Square.. I saw it and laughed and applauded and adored this cartoon transformed into a live-action stage musical.

Then, and particularly now, “SpongeBob” satisfies with terrific sets, boasting bright and bold costumes, and a spirited cast plus, inventive staging, strong performances, and all the bells and whistles of a triumphant show.

Greg Zane, an islander with Broadway credits, is the bright mind and master and logically the influence to glue the elements together. He’s attracted skilled techies, along with an inspired corps of actors and dancers, to give “SpongeBob” its energetic heartbeat. As director and choreography (and a former actor-dancer himself), Zane’s zest is a gift well shared.

On stage, diminutive Chad Navarro is a tireless SpongeBob, who sings, prances, and dances like a wind-up toy, and his character is notably optimistic to inspire his sea buddies to become the village that bonds and unifies in a time of crisis.

**Nathaniel Ryan-Kern is the four-le**gged Squidward Q. Tentacles.

His BFF is Patrick Star (Zack Oldman, who has comedic traits, and late in the Act 2, a sleek and sensational dancer), and the characters include Squidward Q. Tentacles (Nathaniel Ryan-Kern, navigating with four legs), Sandy Cheeks (Mehana Stone, bearing a powerful voice), Eugene H. Krabs (Lee Nebe, who runs the Krusty Krab restaurant and bears. a pair of claws), and Sheldon J. Plankton (Pressly Wheeler, an antagonist with vibrant pipes).

The whacky denizens include pirates, sea anemones, sardines and more.

Deanne Kennedy’s awesome scenic design features a splendid oceanscape of a warm light blue with coral accents, against which appears a four-tiered underwater rainbow in Act 2, and a pair on instances of glistening jellyfish descending from the fly space in the first act, and circular bubbles falling from above in the second act. Further, there are a pair of underwater “mountains” on wheels that move and turn with grace and they’re quiet, and silent in movement. Overall, these design elements elevate appeal and provide an element of finesse.

David Decarolis’ lighting is phenomenal, from bright of the day to darkness during the volcanic eruption, with occasional flashes creating dramatic effects.

Tim Manamtam’s and Sarah Velasco’s sound design complement the lights and occasionally augment onstage dramatic moments, like footsteps when the four-legged Squidward character tromps off stage, and visual elements of fog and strobe lights.

Emily Lane’s costumes and Aiko Schick’s hair and makeup design go hand in hand, with very bright colors on styles and outrageous hairdos for the entire cast of 20-plus. You can’t find the garb or the wigs at second-hand shops, so a sizeable budget was well spent.

**Sage Nguyen is Pearl Krabs, in Emily Lane’s glorious costume and Aiko Schi**ck’s pink wig.

Kyle Conner was props designer, Jared Paakaula was associate director, and Evan Autio choreographed the “I’m Not a Loser” sequence in Act 2, with Squidward and the anemones.

Jenny Shiroma’s music direction involved an ork of eight, with three keyboards and to guitars, and the music covered a range styles, with tunes tapped by producers. Thus, the score features songs by Steven Perry and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Cyndi Lauper, They Might Be Giants, Plain White T‘s, David Bowie and Sarah Bareilles.

There’s a multitude of other gems and surprises, if you look hither and yon, like the clever formation of a pineapple, which is the home of SpongeBob, a ticking aerial clock above the theater proscenium, and remote-controlled crab in a couple of scenes. All joyful stuff, in a landscape of unpredictability…

And that’s Show Biz…

“The SpongeBob Musical”

What: A musical by Stephen Hillenburg, with book by Kyle Jarrow, based on Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob SquarePants” cartoon

Where: Diamond Head Theatre

When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus 3 p.m. Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Aug. 9

Tickets: $41, $52 and $68, at (808) 733-0274 or www.diamondheadtheatre.com

July 10, 2025July 10, 2025

PAPER TRAIL FUELS SOME MEMORIES

You never know what you’ll find, when you pore through old boxes you’ve neglected for years.

As a journalist, I’m referring to stuff I’ve kept because newspapers were the focus of my career. I often save many articles for future use.

Interestingly, the three tear sheets I discovered brought flashes of joy, because they were very much a part of my life.

Show directory

One treasure, which reflected the pulse of Broadway, was a compilation of all of the shows in New York, which helped me select shows. The New York Times maintained the tradition of collating small advertisements which – at a glance – reflected the pulse on the Great White Way. This list was dated March 15, 2020, well before the COVID 19 pandemic halted and buried Broadway a few months later.

The prevailing hits included “Phantom of the Opera,” “Come From Away,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Frozen,” “The Lion King,” “Book of Mormon,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” ”West Side Story” and “Six.”

I saw all of these shows – over a couple of visits – before the lights went out. And with the shutdown, The Times and shows stopped the listings…which never were restored even when the lights were turned on again.

Yeah, I know, the data is available via your iPhone or your laptop. But the at-a-glance peek at what’s playing became history…

Indexing fun

So did the TGIF – The Great Index to Fun – which was a tradition at the Honolulu Advertiser, a Friday tabloid in the morning paper. Disclosure: I wrote features and/or reviews in TGIF, which was a handy-dandy resource to see where or what was happening for the weekend and beyond.

My colleagues on TGIF – reporters, copy editors, page designers and chief editor (plus staff photographers) – dutifully produced the section week after week, from earlier years when entertainment ruled Waikiki and name acts brought their shows to Aloha Stadium, Blaisdell Arena and/or Concert Hall, and Waikiki Shell.

TGIF didn’t survive the merger of the morning Honolulu Advertiser and the evening Star-Bulletin, and a feature section eventually disappeared. The Star-Advertiser became a two-section endeavor – main and local news, and sports. Instead of a feature section on Sundays, a Travel section prevails – with a key New York Times story with art, week after week.

The paper truly has a content issue, or perhaps it doesn’t give a damn…

Bright beginnings

Then I came across a feature article I wrote, published Aug. 3, 2016, in the Star-Advertiser, sharing news that survivors, supporters and former actors in a Ron Bright musical, were launching the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation, to perpetuate the legacy of Mr. B, as he was called.

The revue, entitled “Brighter Still,” was to feature a roster of Bright Kids in a production July 13 at the Hawaii Theatre, the first IABK show organized by Ligaya Stice, executive director. The show corraled everyone who was a someone singing and dancing for the late director-educator at Castle High School, whose auditorium bears the Bright name, and at Paliku Theatre at the Windward Community College, where an IABK show usually sets anchor.

Former Bright-directed talent traditionally participate in a Bright show, coming from near and far. Mo Bright, widow of the director, said “A little bit of Ron lives in each one of them/”

IABK’s annual musical production, “Gypsy,” opens Aug. 8, with a three-weekend run at Paliku through Aug.24. For tickets, visit Www.iabk.org

‘Wicked” defying gravity; remains No. 1

“Wicked” retains its No. 1 on the Broadway grosses tally, for the week ending July 6.

However, “Hamilton” has jumped into the game, again, moving up a few notches to No. 2.

The Top 10:

1—“Wicked,” $2.257 million.

2—“Hamilton,” $2.110 million.

3—”The Lion King, $2.054 million.

4—” Sunset Blvd.,” $1.940 million.

5—” Aladdin,” $1.378 million.

6—” Maybe Happy Ending,” $1.331 million.

7—”MJ,” $1.232 million.

8-“Just In Time,” $1.231 million.

9—”Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.167 million.

10—“The Outsiders,” $1.146 million.

The complete list, courtesy the Broadway Guild:

And that’s Show Biz…

June 22, 2025June 22, 2025

POSSIBLE 10-YEAR RUN FOR ‘CIRQUE’

I revisited “‘Auana,” the Cirque du Soleil spectacle, the other night at the Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber resort.

The show, launched last December, has just passed its six-month residency, with its stunning 80-minute spectacle in the heart of the Waikiki mainstream. I said in a December review that Cirque is the future of Waikiki attractions. Highly visible, a non-stop showcase of faith in Hawaiiana, loaded with artistry and creativity. And huge.

Business has been brisk, with two performances at 5:30 and 8 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays.

The good news: “‘Auana” — Hawaiian for wandering, drifting thoughts – has an agreement with the Outrigger for a run of 10 years, a keen investment by the hotel with the team from Montreal, Canada, known for its prolific planting of performance companies in a wide range of destinations over the decades.

Honolulu is the creator’s newest production, with pure Hawaii story lines, with narrations and songs and dancers, delivered in native Hawaiian language. Though the title of the show might suggest wandering, it’s quite certain “‘Auana” will stay put here. It is the essence of the ‘olele spirit (language, speech, texture) of original island songs and dances. And the Hawaii influences flow beautiful in the lively choreography embellished by the eye-filling island costumes

Cirque’s next launch will be Germanic, in Berlin, in November 2025.

Instead of another review of the Waikiki show, let me share highlights via a recapitulation of images of the major segments that have resonated with an audience comprised largely of spectators who don’t speak or understand Hawaiian. Not to fret …this is a wholly visual endeavor, and a satisfying cultural entity. Let us count the ways.

1 – A journey via canoe sets the story in motion…

2—A surfer dude defies gravity and “surfs” on cylinders…

3 – A segment on the naupaka flower depicts the bloom’s unique idiosyncrasy: only half-a-flower emerges from the buds.

4—Let’s call this the balloon boy, whose feat is a wonderment.

5—If there’s an acrobat, and an oversized cocktail glass filled with water, she’ll share her balletic poses.

6—A salute to “Hawaii Five-O” features a tourist ork (from the audience), for comic relief. More fun than gents learning to hula.

7—The Hawaiian sand painter creates images with, yes, sand and hand…shared on the show’s huge screen…

8—And voila, her art sashays into a mystifying, colorful rainbow…backed by a sweet vocal by a gent of “Over the Rainbow,” delivered in – what else? – Hawaiian.