Hawaii’s theater season begins Friday
By John Berger
July 16, 2023
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A new year of island theater begins Friday with the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival’s nontraditional production of “Measure for Measure” opening at The Arts at Marks Garage, and KOA presenting “Collective Rage,” the conflicts of five women named Betty, at its theater on South Beretania Street. KOA has expanded its season to a full calendar year; shows by female playwrights will continue through December, while a year of plays by Asian American and Pacific Islander playwrights begins in January.
Kumu Kahua Theatre is presenting five plays during its 2023-2024 season, ending with an ambitious revival staging of “The Kamau Trilogy,” Native Hawaiian playwright Alani Apio’s multigenerational tale of family conflicts, land rights and kuleana (responsibility). The plays will be performed one per night, on Thursdays through Saturdays; all three plays will be presented back-to-back on Sundays.
Diamond Head Theatre celebrates its first full season in its new theater with a schedule of Broadway hits that begins with “Mamma Mia!” in September. Elsewhere around Oahu, the theater community is offering everything from classic dramas to newly written works by local playwrights.
Schedules are subject to change; check theater websites for showtimes and ticket information. Theater groups are listed in order of their season openers.
HAWAII SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
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>> “Measure for Measure”: Director Alex Monti Fox’s reworking of Shakespeare’s challenging “problem play” changes the genders of the actors in a few key roles. Sharon Garcia Doyle stars as Duke Vincentio, and Eden Lee Murray plays Pompey Bum. Male actor Shane Chung takes on the roles of Mistress Overdone and Mariana. For mature audiences. July 21-30; The Arts at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.
>> “One Uddah Mid’summah”: Shakespeare’s perennially popular romantic comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” is “translated” into pidgin and presented in an open-air performance area. Aug. 18-26; Hawaiian Mission Houses, 553 S. King St.
KOA THEATER
780 S. Beretania St.; 808-388-0319, koatheater.com Opens in a new tab
>> “Collective Rage”: Five women named Betty, each one a different type of contemporary American woman, confront various issues — anger, sex, relationship problems, sexual identity — and each other. The New York Times called the play “‘The Vagina Monologues’ Times 5.” July 21-Aug. 6
>> “The Willard Suitcases”: A musical inspired by the photos of 400 suitcases that were discovered after the closure of a mental hospital. Each suitcase belonged to someone who had died there. The musical imagines the life experiences of some of the patients. Aug. 25-Sept. 10
>> “What the Constitution Means to Me”: Playwright Heidi Schreck explores women’s rights, sexual assault, abortion, immigration and domestic abuse in addressing things she sees as problems with the Constitution. Sept. 29-Oct. 15
>> “Dance Nation”: Middle school girls take on the challenges of friendship, competition and their changing bodies as they prepare for the Boogie Down Grand Prix. Oct. 19-Nov. 5
>> “Lasso of Truth”: The cultural significance of Wonder Woman is explored with the stories of the man who created her, his relationship with his wife and the woman who lived with them; a young woman seeking information about Wonder Woman; and a young man trying to hold onto his collector’s edition comic book. Dec. 8-24
>> “Charles Francis Chan Jr.’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery”: Playwright Lloyd Suh offers a devastating look at age-old Asian stereotypes in American culture, and the Hollywood tradition where Caucasian actors played Asian detectives Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto, Chinese warlords and Genghis Khan. Jan. 12-28
>> “Teenage Dick”: Is it better to be loved or feared? That is the question in this reworking of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” as the story of a high school outsider who is determined to take revenge on those who’ve tormented him and become president of the senior class. Feb. 16-March 3
>> “Revenge Porn”: An Asian American woman in her 40s has difficult choices to make when her ex-husband posts nude photos of her online and forwards them to everyone she knows. March 22-April 7
>> “Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them”: Edith, her brother and her brother’s best friend are doing OK pretty much on their own — until something happens that brings adults into the picture. May 31-June 16
HONOLULU THEATRE FOR YOUTH
>> “The Carp Who Would Not Quit”: Traditional fables from Japan and Okinawa teach important lessons of persistence, respect and kindness. For ages 3 and up. Aug. 12 and 20, also Sept. 2
>> “The Royal School”: The Royal School was created in 1840 at the request of Kamehameha III to educate the highest ranking alii children in Hawaii. All subsequent rulers of Hawaii — from Kamehameha IV to Lili‘uokalani — were graduates of the school. For ages 8 and up. Sept. 8 and 16, Oct. 1 and 7
>> “Under the Blue”: The HYT cast invites keiki to visualize life beneath the waves with music, puppetry and lots of imagination. Ages 3 and up. Nov. 4, 11 and 19
>> “Christmas Talk Story”: HTY celebrates the holidays — from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day — with stories, music and audience participation. For all ages. Dec. 1, 9 and 17
>> “Super Aunty”: What is a superhero? Four friends in a Hawaii schoolyard decide that the women who are raising them are the strongest, fastest, bravest superheroes they know. For ages 6 and up. Jan. 19 and 28, also Feb. 4
>> “Nothing Micro About Micronesia”: A new celebration of the diversity and complexity of the Micronesian experience in Honolulu and elsewhere. For ages 8 and up. March 22 and 30, and April 7
>> “The Great Race”: A celebration of Lunar New Year reveals how 12 animals earned their places in the Chinese zodiac. A classic piece of Chinese folklore told with traditional music, opera and martial arts. Ages 3 and up. April 27, May 4 and 12
KUMU KAHUA THEATRE
46 Merchant St.; 808-536-4441, kumukahua.org Opens in a new tab
>> “Mendokusai”: After the death of his mother during the 2018 volcanic eruptions, a Native Hawaiian man stepped away from his community. He is forced to reengage when his daughter gets involved in the TMT protests. Aug. 17-Sept. 17
>> “Haoleland”: A Native Hawaiian developer’s plans for a theme park exploring the influences of Caucasians in Hawaii challenges the perceptions of a multiethnic Board of Commissioners. Nov. 2-Dec. 3
>> “Aitu Fafine”: Relationships evolve, and life-changing confrontations result, when Robert Louis Stevenson and his family welcome two visitors to their home in Samoa. Jan. 25-Feb. 25
>> “Beretania Snapshots”: An imaginary dragon helps Connie handle the challenges that come with young love, family issues and the loss of people close to her. March 28-April 28
>> “Kamau Trilogy”: Native Hawaiian playwright Alani Apio explores the concepts of ohana (family), aina (land) and kuleana (responsibility) with “Kamau” (1994), “Kamau A‘e” (1997) and “Ua Pau” (2019). All three skillfully address hot-button issues including family conflicts, land use, changing perceptions of Native Hawaiian culture and political infighting among Hawaiians. Apio also challenges the selective outrage of people who attack “haole culture” while actively perpetuating it, and skewers political activists whose main agenda is self-promotion. Each play stands on its own. “Kamau” will be presented on Thursdays, “Kamau A‘e” on Fridays and “Ua Pau” on Saturdays. All three will be presented back-to-back on Sundays. May 30-June 30
MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
2833 E. Manoa Road; 808-988-6131, manoavalleytheatre.com Opens in a new tab
>> “Sweeney Todd”: A wronged man’s quest for revenge drives the action in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s perennially popular musical about the “demon barber of Fleet Street.” Sept. 14-Oct. 1
>> “Clue”: The classic board game mystery is brought to life through the screenplay of the 1985 film. Nov. 16-26
>> “The Lifespan of a Fact”: The editor of a literary magazine is caught in the middle when the high-profile writer of a sensationalist article about a teenager’s public suicide in Las Vegas is challenged by a young fact-checker. Jan. 11-21
>> “Dear Evan Hansen”: The Tony-awarding winning musical follows a bullied high school senior who writes letters to himself as a form of therapy. He is forced to improvise after one of his letters is found with the body of a classmate who died by suicide. March 7-24
>> “Death of a Salesman”: Arthur Miller’s classic American tragedy won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for best play in 1949. May 23-June 2
>> “Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical”: Clooney’s songs are the soundtrack for this story of her successes on film, radio and TV in the 1950s, her struggles with addiction and depression, and her return to stardom as a jazz vocalist. July 11-21
>> “Happily Eva Afta”: Lisa Matsumoto’s retelling of familiar American fairy tales, scrambled together in the tradition of Mad magazine and Rocky and Bullwinkle’s “Fractured Fairy Tales.” Performed in 1990s-style pidgin. Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center, 2705 Kaimuki Ave. June 27-July 14
THE ACTORS’ GROUP
Brad Powell Theatre, The Shops at Dole Cannery, 650 Iwilei Road; 808-722-6941, taghawaii.net Opens in a new tab
>> “Building Permit”: TAG co-founder Eric Nemoto combines fact and fiction, along with comedy and drama, in telling the story of TAG’s six-year struggle to get the permits needed to renovate its theater. “This play is a must for anyone who has ever experienced frustrations in obtaining a building permit in Honolulu.” Sept. 15-Oct. 1
>> “Mynx & Savage”: A comic book writer coasting on his past successes is confronted with new challenges when his editor assigns him a new illustrator who will ensure that he makes his deadlines. Nov. 17-Dec. 3
>> “The Autobiography of an Ex Colored Man”: A modern adaptation of the 1912 James Weldon Johnson novel about the experiences of a mixed-race man who finally decides to “pass” as white. Jan. 19-Feb. 4
>> “Perfect Arrangement”: Two U.S. State Department employees, who are gay and in the closet, struggle to maintain their cover in this TV sitcom-style drama about life in 1950s America. “The ’50s were only fabulous when no one was looking.” March 22-April 7
>> “Jake: The Yellow Bench”: An older man invites a homeless student to live in his apartment. All goes well at first, then each begins to suspect that the other has a secret agenda. May 24-June 9
>> “Olive’s Lover”: A socially awkward young woman in her late 20s entertains her family with letters she receives from her fiance, whom her family has not yet met. July 26-Aug. 11
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
Kennedy Theatre, 1770 East-West Road; 808-956-7655, 808ne.ws/kennedytheatre
Mainstage Season and Prime Time Series
>> “Kaisara”: In 1896, James N. K. Keola translated four scenes from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” into Hawaiian. Keola’s translations were published in the Hawaiian newspaper, “Ka Nupepa Kuokoa,” but what would have happened if he had invited some friends to join him in reading them aloud? MFA candidate Iasona Kaper explores “the intersection between Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ancient Rome and the political landscape of Hawai‘i in the 1890s.” Performed predominantly in Hawaiian. Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Sept. 21-22 and 24
>> “Are We There Yet, Baby?”: Pei-Ling Kao directs “a newly devised, innovative, and design-driven dance and theatrical performance that questions traditional binary assumptions in society and education, and celebrates individual queerness in an imagined nonbinary world.” Kennedy Theatre. Oct. 20-22, 27 and 29
>> “The Water Station”: A tap of running water becomes a way station for travelers as they journey in silence. Presented with no dialogue. Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Nov. 15-19
>> “Glitter in the Pa‘akai”: A Native Hawaiian man reluctantly returns to Hawaii for his nephew’s first birthday luau and finds himself examining his fragile relationship with family members who are struggling with personal issues of their own. Performed in Hawaiian, with some standard English and pidgin. Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Feb. 7-11
>> “BFA/MFA Dance Concert”: The UH-Manoa Department of Theatre and Dance presents the choreography of undergraduate and MFA candidate dancers. Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. March 6-10
>> “The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves”: Project Director Julie A. Iezzi celebrates the 100th anniversary of English-language kabuki at UH-Manoa with this kabuki classic. It follows five thieves, all of them masters of language and disguise, whose story shows that karma is inescapable. Kennedy Theatre. April 19-20 and 26-28
Late Night Series
>> “Haku Wale”: Director Joshua Tavares presents the original music of UH-Manoa songwriters. “If music be the food of love, jam ’em!” Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. Oct. 21-22, 27 and 29
>> “Eva Hamok (Haunting Eva)”: Mail-order brides and human trafficking in the Philippines inspired this story of a woman whose traumas cause her to have a split identity. Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. April 20-21 and 26-27.
DIAMOND HEAD THEATRE
520 Makapuu Ave.; 808-733-0274, diamondheadtheatre.com Opens in a new tab
>> “Mamma Mia!”: As a young woman on a sunny Greek island is preparing for her marriage, she secretly invites the three men who could be her biological father to attend the ceremony. Inspired by the hit songs of Swedish supergroup ABBA. Sept. 22-Oct. 8
>> “My Fair Lady”: Wealthy professor Henry Higgins bets Colonel Pickering that he can take a woman off the street, teach her how to walk, talk and act like royalty — and then pass her off as a princess at the Embassy Ball. Considered by many to be Lerner and Loewe’s best Broadway musical. Dec. 1-17
>> “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940”: Old-time Hollywood thrillers and “show biz” stereotypes are the fuel for this fast-moving tale of Broadway performers and producers trapped in an isolated mansion and stalked by a serial killer. Feb. 2-18
>> “Kiss Me, Kate”: Art imitates life in this 1948 Broadway musical about the explosive relationship between divorced actors playing opposite each other as Petruchio and Katherine in a production of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” Secondary romances, two gangsters on a mission to collect a $10,000 gambling debt and Cole Porter songs add zest to the story. April 5-21
>> “Tootsie”: Out-of-work actor Michael Dorsey successfully reinvents himself as female actor Dorothy Michaels but finds himself falling in love with one of his female colleagues — who thinks he is a woman. Broadway’s musical treatment of the 1982 film starring Dustin Hoffman. May 31-June 16
>> “Frozen”: Disney’s Broadway musical adaptation of its animated fantasy about Princess Anna’s search for her sister, Princess Elsa, who disappeared after accidentally trapping their kingdom in permanent winter. July 26-Aug. 11
LANIKAI MORTGAGE PLAYERS
The Nelson and Lucille Shreve Theater, Lanikai Community Center, 126 Kaiolena Drive, lanikaimortgageplayers.org
>> “Disorder in the Court”: It’s old-time melodrama: The bad guy wants the heroine, the good guy wants to save her. The $10 ticket includes post-show musical entertainment, free popcorn and free parking. Oct. 27-Nov. 11.
