Entertainer Horace Dudoit III, the leader of the musical group Ho‘okena, is recuperating at home after contracting the COVID-19 virus.
“It really hit me hard!” he said via email, after posting on Facebook that he caught the virus “even though me and my family are fully vaccinated.”
He said being vaxxed enabled him to escape the ravages of coronavirus. “If I wasn’t vaccinated, I would probably be in the ICU right now,” he said.
Earlier this week, he suspected something brewing. “I was going downhill, and just so happened my doctor was able to have me do a monoclonal antibodies treatment at the Respiratory Evaluation Clinic adjoining Straub, “and that treatment helped snap me back from a low point in my condition.”
He and his family are properly quarantined and should be cleared from being isolated by Monday.
Happily, his wife Nani has been an angel of a caregiver through these frightening moments. And he is very thankful she, their sons and granddaughter are free from contracting the virus.
“Nani has been so awesome, taking care of me from a distance, and making sure I am fed well and doing well,” said Dudoit.
From the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Dudoit has been adamant about safety, eliminating unnecessary travels with Ho‘okena, tending to safety measures by mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing, so COVID was totally unexpected. He reiterated that getting vaccinated has been a key to his recovery. …
Updates on delayed stage season
COVID has been an opening night fright, delaying the kickoff of fall seasons at Honolulu’s two largest producing theaters. With COVID numbers surging, Mayor Rick Blangiardi imposed a 28-day shutdown with heightened measures and concerns about indoor activities, forcing theater groups to postpone opening night.
Manoa Valley Theatre has pushed back opening of its “Be More Chill” musical from Sept. 2 to Oct. 14. For the first time ever, MVT season ticket holders will have reserved seats, complicating the rescheduling process, particularly if the social distancing protocol is mandated. If spaced-out seating rules prevail, the theater likely would have to juggle some season seat holders, since capacity would dip to 60 compared to a full-house of 120.
According to the MVT website, “All purchased tickets will be honored. Season ticket holders should expect a call from our box-office to reschedule performance dates and seats based on the new performance calendar.”
Translation: The playout means that ticketing for Sept. 2 will be shifted to Oct. 14 through 31, and patrons should make slide-over date adaptations accordingly. The shifted dates will mean that an extension of “Be More Chill,” if warranted, is no longer possible, and the season’s second show, “The Joy Luck Club,” set to bow Nov. 4, will also require a pushback.
Diamond Head Theatre also is delaying opening of its “Oliver!,” from Oct. 15 to Nov. 5 and is banking on a full capacity house of 475. It also employs assigned seating and if social distancing seating becomes necessary, only half the house can be sold – a major complication.
Season subscribers have been notified, but DHT still is sorting out options before going public and posting updates on its website. …
Ukulele milestone
On Aug. 23, Nā ‘Ukulele ‘Ekolu celebrated the 142nd anniversary of the arrival of the Ravenscrag to Hawaii, the ship that introduced the ukulele to the islands. Manuel Nunes, Augusto Dias, and Jose deo Espirito Santo are credited for introducing the uke to the islands.
Not surprisingly, a trio of local ukulele strummers celebrated the milestone with a YouTube performance. Bryan Tolentino played an 1895 Nunes, Kama Hopkins, an 1886 Santo, and Halehaku Seabury, an 1890 Dias. “When these musicians performed on these antique instruments, it was a historical moment,” said Tolentino. “These three instruments played together last night (Monday), probably never happened before.”
Hopkins is formerly of Holunape; Seabury is with Na Hoa; and Tolentino, a visible, virtual and versatile master of the ukulele, has been staging wonderful online work not just for himself but for the Hawaiian music community. …
Shorts of sorts
King’s Bakery, with roots in Hawaii, has become the subject of a musical parody-partnership with Penn Holderness and his family, online sensations, making merry music and often poking fun at people, things, and places during the pandemic.
Now Holderness offers “The Lunch Song,” a charming and entertaining rap, which I’ve shared with online buddies. It’s a declaration of the mid-day meal, with the sweet bread of choice.
For a peek and listen to this bright and delightful homage to King’s Baker, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7eD_OMGLRg
| Robin Kimura of Greenwood was elated to learn that former isle deejay Kamasami Kong, a leading radio figure in Japan, played one of the act’s tunes, “Loveland Island,” on his Nippon show. Kong always boosts island music on his broadcasts. … |
And that’s Show Biz. …