“Shari Lynn and the Boys on Broadway,” this year’s attraction for Manoa Valley Theatre’s major fundraiser, “Manoa Marquee,” is set for 5 to 9 p.m. April 9 at the Ko‘olau Ballroom in Kaneohe.
It’s bubbling over with talent: Shari Lynn joins the “boys” — Kip Wilborn, Guy Merola, Buz Tennent and Elika Santos — and they’ll have solo and collaborative moments. They share Broadway and operatic voices; all but Santos have island stage creds, so expect sizzling voltage from the ensemble. Santos briefly was a lead singer with Tony Ruivivar’s Society of Seven in Waikiki.
“We’ve just started rehearsals, and Kip (still remembered for his Jean Valjean role in “Les Miserables” at Paliku Theatre) did all the vocal arrangements,” Lynn said. Club veteran Jeanette Trevias will be musical conductor. You might remember a limited run of this show at MVT, but Lynn puts her own feminine imprint on this expanded concept.
Tickets: $250 at 988-6131 or manoavalleytheatre.com.
WHEE, THE PEOPLE
About 150 fans and friends of showbiz veteran Jack Cione brought tears of joy at his 90th-birthday party at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s Manoa Grand Ballroom in Moiliili on Wednesday. “I thought I had no friends; most of them are dead,” he said.
Bo Irvine hosted a casual show that had all the flavors of a Cione production: women clad in scanty garb of sequins and feathers, naughty burlesque dancing, lip-syncing ensembles, a 75-year-old female impersonator (Brandy Lee) who still has the power of delivery, and lots of video wishes from Cione rooters. I sat next to him, and he said, wiping tears, “I hope to make it to 91.” He’s already booked a trip to Tahiti.
It’s a dream come true for Horace Dudoit III and his Ho‘okena, who performed on the “My Hawaiian Girl” track of country singer Josh Turner’s new “Deep South” CD.
“I was honored, blessed and fortunate to be given the freedom to arrange our vocals, write a verse and play the ukulele on this song,” Dudoit said. “It was one of the scariest but exciting performances.”
The Hawaiian Style Band celebrates the 25th anniversary of the release of its first hit album, “Vanishing Treasures,” with a Blue Note Hawaii one-nighter on Saturday. Signature hits include “Love and Honesty,” “Let’s Talk Story,” “Live a Little” and “Rhythm of the Ocean.” Original band members Robi Kahakalau, Bryan Kessler and Wade Cambern will be joined by Michael Grande, Zanuck Lindsey, Randy Aloya and Garin Poliahu, with a guest appearance by Kaumakaiwa Kahele Kanaka‘ole, who wowed ’em recently at the Blue Note.
MOVIE MATTERS
Ludi Lin, who stars as Zack the Black Ranger in Liongate’s reboot of “Saban’s Power Rangers,” will receive the Rising Star award at the Eighth Annual Hawai‘i European Cinema Film Festival on March 31 at the Moana Surfrider. Besides the red-carpet gala, Lin will visit Hawaii schools to encourage students to pursue their career dreams in the arts. Chris Lee, a former film producer and CEO of Bad Hat Harry Productions, developed the education programs of the Hawai‘i European Cinema as part of a collaborative effort with the University of Hawaii’s Academy of Creative Media, which Lee founded. “Power Rangers,” complete with a high-tech motif and new team of rangers, arrives on the big screen Friday. Oh, and Bryan Cranston drops in as Zordon.
“The Shack,” starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer, features a former Hawaii actress, Sumire Matsubara, as Sarayu, aka the Holy Spirit. It is her first English-language film. She attended Punahou School and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh; she is the daughter of Japanese entertainers Junichi Ishida and Chiaki Matsubara and has Nippon work creds.
And that’s “Show Biz.”
Wayne Harada is a veteran Honolulu entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or email wayneharada@gmail.com.
