Wow, this could be somewhat of a record two-years of Hawaii actors appearing in a Broadway musical.
The latest is Ann Harada (no relation), who was quite visible on the recent Tony Awards televised on CBS..
Harada is portraying Florence Menlove, in the Tony-winning “Schmigadoon,” in residency at the Nederlander Theatre through Sept. 6.
Being in a Tony show is nothing new for the Punahou grad; her resume includes the naughty but hilarious “Avenue Q,” in 2004, which was produced by Islander Kevin McCollum, and colleagues Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller. “Avenue Q” upset the highly-touted “Wicked.”
Marc delaCruz joined the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” in November 2018, and performed in the “Man 5” ensemble track, symbolic since he has had to cover the roles of Philip Schuyer, James Reynolds and the doctor, and had to be on call to perform any one of the three characters.
He understudied numerous other roles, including Alexander Hamilton, the role created by Miranda, and other principal parts like King George II, Aaron Burr, and Thomas Jefferson, and he has become the only Asian American and the first and only actor of Filipino descent, to enact the Hamilton lead role on Broadway, making history in the process. However, he concluded his regular seven-year tenure with the production, performing his final show at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Nov. 23, 2025.
At one point, delaCruz was one of two troupers of Filipino descent in “Hamilton,” when actress Reanne Acasio of Hawaii joined the ensemble, portraying the three Schuler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy. Quite an achievement, when both isle troupers take on multi roles, in a landmark and still-running hit…
Aleks Pevek, another actor from Honolulu, is winding up a role in the ensemble of “Chess,” at the Imperial Theatre. He also is the understudy for the lead role of American grandmaster, Freddie Trumper. The cast – with Aaron Tveit as Trumper.
Lea Michele as Florene Vally and Nicholas Christoper as Anatoly Sergievsky also will take their final curtain “Chess” bows on June 21…
Finally, Zare Anguay continues to be part of the hit Broadway musical, “Aladdin,” at New Amsterdam Theatre, where he is an ensemble member, a swing actor, a dance captain, and a fight captain. His Kaneohe fans, friends and family are proud of his success. Oh, and he’s also a former Bright Kid …
Last season, islanders took pride, when a pair of former residents earned key Tony trophies. Nicole Scherzinger won Best Lead Actress in a Musical (“Sunset Boulevard”) and Darren Criss earned “Best Lead Actor in a Musical (“Maybe Happy Ending.”). That’s why they were presenters at this year’s ceremonies…
Name dropping
Willy Falk, a Broadway actor who always returns home for his alma mater’s annual celebration here. So happens this year was the 100th Punahou Luau, and Tihati’s Polynesian show was the featured entertainment. He was quick to send aloha to Tihati co-founder and now retired Cha Thompson, and noted “Your son just sang beautifuy and your daughters (or perhaps grand daughters) danced enchantingly.” Indeed, so many in the Tihati company are related and perform beautifully, and often a viewer needs a cast list to sort out who’s who…
When a notable acting name, with Broadway and TV creds visits a local playhouse, he deserves applauds for his generosity of time. Daniel Dae Kim and wife Mia took in a performance of Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Yellow Face” before it closed, and stayed after the performance to chat with the cast. Kim, of course, knows a lot about this satirical dramatic piece, since he played DHH, a fictionalized alter-ego of the playwright David Henry Hwang (“M. Butterfly”), on Broadway in 2024….
Did you know that there was a singer-musician with island ties , who won a Grammy award earlier this year? Megan Skiendel, a member of the Katsye group, earned the New Artist, of the Year gramophone this year. So belated congrats…
‘Book of Morman’ a hit all over again
“The Book of Mormon,” which was temporarily shuttered due to a fire at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, is rallying back to chart supremacy, becoming the No.1 grossing show for the week ending June 14. It also entered the $2 million club, achieving figures topping $2 million.
Former cast members Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, who joined the company in a segment on the recent Tony Awards commemorating the 15h anniversary, fueled new renewed popularity of the controversial production.
And in an unlikely development, “Wicked,” a perennially in the Top 10, got bumped off the Top 10 for the week ending June 14.
The Top10:
1—“The Book of Mormon,” $2.238 million
2—“Hamilton,” $2.109 million
3—“The Lion King,” $1.944 million
4–“Death of a Salesman,” $1.78 million from a seven-performance week.
5—“Oh, Mary,” $1.524 million
6–“Ragtime,” $1.434 million
7—“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” $1.393 million
8—“Giant,” $1.393 million
9–“Lost Boys,” $1.368 million
10– “Chess,” $1.366 million
The complete list, courtesy the Broadway League:
And that’s Show Biz…