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November 11, 2021November 11, 2021

BECOMING ATTRACTIONS AT BLAISDELL

An award-winning Broadway star and a legendary musical based on the lives of a pop foursome are heading to the Blaisdell Concert Hall next year. Both shows were put on pause and postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lea Salonga, the Filipina songbird who evolved into a Broadway musical star, returns to the Blaisdell Concert Hall at 8 p.m. May 20 and 21, 2022. Salonga earned a Tony Award for creating the role of Kim in “Miss Saigon,” which was a Best Musical nominee in 1991.

Salonga also has deep connections with “Les Miserables,” becoming the first actress of Asian descent to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine on Broadway. She also enacted Eponine and Fantine, respectively, in the musical’s 10^th and 25^th anniversary concerts in London.

Movie fans also know her as the singing voice of two official Disney Princesses: Jasmine in “Aladdin” (1992) and Mulan in “Mulan” (1998). She was named a Disney Princess in 2011 for her work with the Walt Disney Company.

Tickets: $35 to $125, .at www.ticketmaster.com …

And “Jersey Boys,” the hit Broadway musical which tracks the lives and tunes of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, will finally continue its roadshow stop from Sept. 13 through 25 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. The show was a Best Musical Tony winner in 2006, with original Valli performer John Lloyd Young snagging a Best Leading Actor in a Musical trophy. The show ran through 2017 and an off-Broadway revival emerged prior to the health crises, then was shuttered but was scheduled to return in the smaller venue this month.

The current touring production was sidelined, like most other shows here and abroad, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but original ticket purchases will be honored, if you already have seats. Otherwise, tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com …

‘Tis the season

Must be the season – a cluster of new CDs are being released, clearly in time for the holiday season.

Jake Shimabukuro’s “ Jake & Friends,” with guest chirpers including Willie Nelson, arrived earlier this month. It’s chock full of guest singers, whose presence give the disc global interest. Folks like Bette Midler, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Jimmy Buffett, and Ziggy Marley join in this tidal wave of ukulele cheer.

Robert Cazimero’s new album is entitled “Mine,” just out. Haven’t heard it, but if it’s Robert, it’s gotta be heavenly great.

John Kolivas and his Honolulu Jazz Quartet will preview their new jazz collection, with a University of Hawaii Outreach College telecast at 7 p.m. Friday (Nov. 12), viewable without cost by registering at outreach.hawaii.edu/events/honolulujazzquartet…

Streetlight Cadence’s newbie “Midnight” will be out after the holidays, with the quarter launching a $30,000 kickstarter campaign to help finance the product. Visit http://kck.st/307Jibh …

And that’s Show Biz …

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021

HAPPY DAYS AT KANEOHE GARDENS

Leo Days, the Elvis Presley impersonator, and Shari Cheri Grubb, a dancer-choreographer in the “Legends in Concert” assembly of pop stars, tied the knot last Thursday (Nov. 4) at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe.

No, Days didn’t don his bejeweled costume of The King –he chose a customary tux instead — to exchange vows with his bride in an intimate gathering.

Al Waterson was the officiant and Gary Kissinger provided music. Nancy Bernal was the photographer and yep, there was a post-nuptial celebration, appropriately at at Rock Island Cafe in Waikiki. …

Congrats to the show biz couple. …

A green Christmas for Zane

Greg Zane, the director-choreographer of Diamond Head Theatre’s recent “A Chorus Line,” will be helming the theater’s holiday musical, “Elf,” opening Dec. 3 (and running through Dec. 19). He was director-choreographer of the earlier staging of the show here, so it’s hana hou time.

Zane, a Hawaii native who has legit Broadway credits, has been associate choreographer of Lincoln Theatre’s “The King and I,” a Tony Award-winning revival that included Hawaii’s Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang, who earned a Tony.

Well, he was to return to the fold to work on a London run of the Rodgers and Hammerstein evergreen, but that mounting is canceled for now because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Consequently, instead of a potentially white and cold Christmas, Zane will be extending his work-and-vacation agenda in a green and warmer Christmas climate, anchored at his family’s Hawaii Kai home. Sounds good to me. …

Shorts of sorts

Crossing Rain, a local boy band inspired by the K-Pop phenom, is one to watch. The six-member act did a Hawaii Theatre gig over the weekend, and an upcoming tour is on the agenda. Instagram images and videos reflect the harmonies and choreographic influences of Korean boy bands. …

KITV has acquired KIKU TV, and will restore the popular array of Japanese programming. So fans and followers of the array of Nippon shows, can breathe a sigh of relief, when the travelogues and dramas return to the small screen. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

November 6, 2021November 6, 2021

PAULOS CELEBRATE 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Kudos to Irenio and Lilian Paulo, who recently marked their 70^th wedding anniversary and 90 years of life together, in a celebration at the Kahaluu Pond on the windward side.

You know ‘em better as Rene and Akemi Paulo, veteran entertainers on the show biz scene at a time when talent mattered a lot. He’s always been a wizard on keyboards and she was his trusty sidekick singer.

Their daughter, Kathy Paulo-Hirai, noted in a recent Facebook post, that the ‘ohana gathered to toast and reflect on their rich lives and contributions over the decades. This, of course, has always been a musical family, with the likes of Michael Paulo (a stellar jazz performer himself) among the clan carrying on the show biz franchise.

An astounding and inspiring photo recap of the hoopla is posted online. Though both Rene and Akemi now are part of the wheelchair generation, it’s quite obvious they are a picture of enduring life and love. Belated congrats to the couple, their kids and their grandkids. You don’t commonly find this kind of bonding. Oh, and a belated birthday shout-out to Rene, who just turned 91. …

A Makaha Christmas

Add the Makaha Sons, led by Jerome Koko, to the roster of acts staging a holiday concert.

“Makaha Kalikimaka” unfolds at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18 at the Hawaii Theatre.

Guest acts will include Iolani and Natalie Ai Kamau’u, Marie Raquel Higa (aka Rocky Brown) and Robi Kahakalau.

Tickets: www.hawaiitheatre.com …

And that’s Show Biz. …

November 4, 2021November 4, 2021

HOW MANY HATS DO YOU WEAR?

Just asking…

In this day of multi-tasking, how many hats do you wear?

Not referring to a baseball cap, a straw or fabric hat, or a lauhala hat.

Was wondering if you have multi-talents, hobbies or activities, like gardening, photography, baby-sitting or cooking?

List two or three “hats” you don.

I’ll go first, to set the example: 1 – writer, columnist; 2 – crafter, creating notecards and holiday-related lapel pins; 3 –board member, I’m a Bright Kid foundation.

November 4, 2021November 4, 2021

DHT’S ‘OLIVER’ BOASTS A TWIST

Diamond Head Theatre’s “Oliver!” boasts a girl , Caris Leong, portraying Oliver Twist. Talk about a surprising twist.

And Jeff Andrews delivers a rousing and riveting performance as Fagin, a scoundrel by trade and a leader at heart, in shaping the dichotomy of this rarely performed Dickensian chestnut. He’s a baddie with a good heart.

Lionel Bart’s creation, rarely revived, perhaps is best remembered for a splendid 1968 film version that brought Bart’s book, music and lyrics to life, via a cache of tunes including “Consider Yourself,” “Where Is Love,” “I’d Do Anything,” and “As Long as He Needs Me.”

This one has survived the test of time.

Caris Leong, front and center, is Oliver in “Oliver!” at Diamond Head Theatre.

And yes, a classic line, “Please sir, I want some more,” uttered by the titular character seeking more (food) in the orphanage, reflects a somber tale of mistreatment of poor orphans by the wealthy based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel,“Oliver Twist.”

The musical magnifies brightness despite the darkness of Victorian misdeeds of both Mr. Bumble (Christian Clayborne) and Widow Corney (Lindsay Rabe) in a presiding climate of control and power.

The cadre of youths, propelled into pickpocketing under the tutelage of Fagin, a criminal, is essential to endure in a time where goodness manages to succeed despite prevailing despair.

As directed and choreographed by John Rampage, ‘Oliver!’ is an unexpected triumph in these troubled pandemic times, with drama on both sides of the footlights.

The restriction of coronavirus had protocols throughout the rehearsal period; seating had to be shuffled, from full-house reservations altered to resolve socially distanced policies, meaning empty seats between patrons through the show’s finale this Sunday (Nov. 7). I managed to buy tickets for an add-on show this past Wednesday (Nov. 3), which quickly sold out.

Leong, who was one of the Matildas in DHT’s “Matilda” musical several years ago, is a perky and nimble Oliver who easily could pass for a boy urchin. You really accept her for her performance, and gender never is an issue.

The cast is peopled with delightful actors with storytelling skills. The Artful Dodger (Rocco Bechiran, a credible gangleader with spunk), Bill Sikes (Jake Wolf, a perfect villain who lacks ethics) and Nancy (Kim Anderson, sweet-voiced but tough ).

It’s great to have an orchestra combo live, instead of pre-recorded), with maestro Phil Hidalgo at the helm. The sound of music — live! — is back.

Dawn Oshima’s set and lighting design are more functional than fancy, with a central catwalk/bridge with arch, accented with a pair of staircases on both ends. It works very nicely for the flow of traffic.

And Karen G. Wolfe’s costumes reflect the Dickensian times, with a flair of color for women in dresses, a lovely long overcoat for Fagin to prance and preach, an array of hats and shawls, and appropriately drab workhouse duds for the orphan gang.

And hurrah! Consider yourself lucky because the playbill is back, so pick one up inside the main lobby, before heading for your seat – you’ll need to know who does what.

Tickets will be scarce, if available, so check the website, www.diamondheadtheatre.com