Comic Frank DeLima, an Island favorite, put a Christmas spin at his Blue Note Hawaii gig noontime today (Dec. 11) at the Outrigger Waikiki resort.
He entered the stage as Lolo Bono, the sumotori, with a body costume reflecting a bulky Japanese wrestler. When he undid the bulky piece, he uttered, “I wish losing weight was that easy.” ‘Twas an apropos lament blending reality with show biz.
Between sit-down patter and chatter and a few stand-up routines with his trademarks such as Foo Ling Yu Chinese character, DeLima had some mobility issues but managed to wobble and toss out punch lines familiar and new.
His ethnic faves prevailed, led by the timely “Filipino Christmas” with DeLima as a lit-up Christmas tree, with audience members chiming in appropriate vocal support. An errant strand of tinsel from his head occasionally danced along, and in typical DeLima ad-libbing, he managed to get his right hand to stuff the garland into his neck zone.
Frankly, his mood and message was all about yuletide cheer … to share the gift of laughter.
He offered two new shticks to his silliness:
- “76 Hormones,” a parody to the tune of “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man,” to address the issues of aches here and there among seniors, from neck to knees, from back to shoulders. The parody was a collaborative effort between DeLima and sometimes parody creator David “Kawika” Talisman, who has personally endured beaucoup pain treatments.
- “Blue Christmas,” his new parody with the familiar holiday ditty, bemoaned the pain of high prices for everything, from hamburgers to bananas to gasoline. The tune, a bit uncertain with DeLima (in Santa coat with faux beard) embracing a sock puppet for the first time, could be tweaked with an expanded intro about the reality of soaring prices that affect the pocketbook of many.
DeLima also revisited his “Twelve Days of Christmas,” the local version beginning with “one mynah bird in one papaya tree.” Unable to stage this one at the height of the pandemic, this revival had funny moments in his effort to secure audience members to utter each of the 12 days, with the viewers taking on No. 5, with a chorus of “five big fat pigs.”
Yes, there was a brief revisit to his No.1 from yesteryear, “Lucille.” However, the pair he selected from the audience were not familiar with his trademark, though his wahine visitor had expressive bursts as Lucille.
The strength of his material included childhood recollections of growing up in Pahoa as a Portuguese kid living among Chinese and Japanese households from where he picked up the skills of mimicking. Reproducing these ethnic lingo for comedic effect, his intent is to honor the mixed plates of island life. No racism here, because he respects the ethic differences that constitute island life.
With musical support from Bobby Nishida and David Kauahikaua, DeLima is the lone stand-up comic who sings.
A wish for next year: Hope DeLima will bring back his singing voice on the likes of “Waimea Lullaby,” which is a splendid departure from his comedic style. …
And that’s Show Biz. …
