NEW YORK >> Have cane, will travel.
For the first time since I started spending summers soaking up Broadway shows five decades ago, I have a new traveling companion: a walking cane.
It enables me to walk and navigate with a measure of stability. Because of chronic lower back pain, along with bouts of sciatica due to a pinched nerve in my spine years ago, I developed walking issues. A friend gifted me with a cane last year after I returned from NYC, where I tripped and fell one rainy night, suffering minor injuries.
I named my cane Able. With it, my new ally provides confidence. While my back still hurts, my footing has improved. The cane is a godsend.
It introduced me to perks I never knew existed: quick entrance into a Broadway theater without having to wait in long queues around the block; use of lobby-level restrooms before curtain, during intermission and apres show. This means no more traipsing into the basement or up endless stairs to mezzanine or third-level facilities for relief.
Further, I’ve learned about the generosity and kindness of folks who offer seats on the moving buses and subways for souls with canes. Folks step aside in crowded Times Square traffic.
My cane is metallic and collapsible into three sections when not in use, but it swiftly springs back into one vertical piece, standing tall and ready for duty.
It takes getting used to, however. I hold mine in my right hand (resulting in an aching wrist), and I’ve clumsily stepped into its path on several occasions. It has to be guided to avoid uneven sidewalks or cobblestoned brick pavements in zones such as Soho.
It’s easy to forget the cane at a restaurant or on the bus. A wrist loop prevents leaving it in a cab or on a subway.
Best of all, the cane allows me to continue to take in Broadway shows. If you too use one, be bold and confront the Great White Way, one cautious step at a time. …
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
>> Home again: Martin Nievera, Hawaii-reared superstar in the Philippines for decades, will perform at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Blue Note Hawaii club at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. Sure, he’s done political, cultural and Filipino-targeted shows since his last Waikiki gig eons ago, but this engagement should re-establish his celebrity in the Waikiki mainstream. Tickets: $35, $25, $15 at 777-4890, bluenotehawaii.com. …
>> Final curtain: Entrepreneur Jack Cione says his current “Follies” show, which opened Friday at the Arcadia, is his finale as director-choreographer-producer. “It’s my 12th,” he said of the annual extravaganza that has boosted the spirits of seniors and given them showbiz spotlight thrills. “My doctor advises that I do less and bring down my stress level,” he said. But he’s not giving up one-night gigs. He’s assisting Joy Abbott, the Na Hoku Hanohano-winning jazz stylist who is home for her summer residency, mount a show Aug. 31 at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace. …
And that’s “Show Biz.” …
Wayne Harada is a veteran Honolulu entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or email wayneharada@gmail.com.
