Garett Taketa of Kaneohe is the latest Hawaii actor signed to an off-Broadway musical prepping for a July 3 opening.
Taketa, most recently seen as Gomez in Manoa Valley Theatre’s "The Addams Family," has landed the male lead role of Minsik Lee in "Comfort Women: A New Musical." One other islander, Haley Sakamoto, also of Kaneohe, is an ensemble member in an expansive cast of 60.
For now, only a two-week run is anticipated at the Off-Broadway Theatre at St. Clements on West 46th Street in Manhattan, according to the show’s website.
Taketa was not immediately available for comment.
Minsik Lee is a Korean soldier fighting with the Japanese during World War II. The show’s title refers to the "comfort women" who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese army — a dark and shadowy element of wartime history.
Minsik meets Goeun, whose husband went to war and died in action, and a relationship ensues. The female lead will be double-cast, with plot complications —cultural, sexual, emotional —stretching from Japan to Korea to Indonesia.
Directed by Dimo Hyun Jun Kim, a native of Seoul, the show features music by Bryan Michaels and TaeHo Park, with lyrics by Michaels,and is based on a script by Oscar David Aguirre and Joann Malory Mieses. …
RIO IN VEGAS: Bruno Mars will join Taylor Swift, Metallica, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran — all hard hitters in the pop music galaxy — as headliners of the first Rock in Rio USA Festival, set for two weekends in May.
It’ll be staged at a new site, the City of Rock, spanning 40 acres on the Las Vegas Strip, with more than 100 acts split over the May 8-9 and May 15-16 weekends.
The event will be an American version ofa 30-year Brazilian concert tradition. MGM Resorts International and Cirque du Soleil are partnering in the immersive venture, which will include a 600-foot zipline, a Ferris wheel and scores of performance stages. …
SIGHT ‘EMS: That was Maori singer John Rowles and his charming sons, Dane, 15, and Blake, 11, lunching at the Royal Hawaiian’s Surf Room the other day. The "Cheryl Moana Marie" star is seeking future work options here so that Honolulu can become the third point of his performance triangle, which already includes New Zealand and Australia.
That "Rufus" pendant TV vet Emme Tomimbang wears is a tribute to her beloved dog, who died last fall. When Willie K performed at a pre-Christmas event, he dedicated a song to Rufus, jokingly identifying him as Emme’s "son." Well, the pooch indeed was a member of Emme and hubby Jim Burns‘ family. Tomimbang shared the tale over lunch at Baci Bistro in Kailua.
HERE ‘N’ THERE: Former islander Julie Honda, who lives with spouse Fred Honda (a former G.M. of the Halekulani Hotel) with their daughter Patti in Loveland, Colo., survived a series of scary health issues during the holidays. She’s now recuperating at a rehab facility but weathered two E.R. visits for acute bronchitis that arose while monitoring a heart condition, and fought off a flulike cough and body sores linked to a staph infection. Water in her lungs had to be pumped out to prevent pneumonia.
Son Kyle of Honolulu visited with Mom, providing 24/7 support. For Julie’s birthday Jan. 9, the rehab center pastor paused in her room, prompting Julie to utter, "Am I going to die?" No, the pastor simply wanted to welcome her and extend birthday wishes. Patti preparedlocal-style grinds like poi, kalua pig, laulau, lomi salmon, kalbi, mac salad and pumpkin pie, with Kyle and grandson Kealii performing "Happy Birthday" on ukulele.
"Julie will recover but it will be a long and slow process," Fred said.And typical Julie: Her hairdresser made a hospital visit. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
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Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
