Actor Jo Ramsey is on a roll, moving fromGary Cooper to the Lion King.
Ramsey, of Laie, made his Honolulu theatrical debut in Kumu Kahua’s recent "My Name is Gary Cooper," earning raves. Though that gig cost him a performing slot at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Ramsey soon will expand his stage credits by playing Mufasa, the father of Simba, in a national touring company of Disney’s "The Lion King" spectacle. That means he’ll table his studies at the University of Hawaii’s Center for Pacific Island Studies. Ramsey is in Tahiti conducting research for his master’s degree and was unavailable for comment.
"Jo will take a leave of absence to spend a year touring the U.S. with ‘The Lion King’ production," said Terence Wesley-Smith, director of the center at UH. "He went to auditions when the show was here and made it through to the final few."
Ramsey expected an ensemble or understudy role and was stunned when his contract arrived in the mail with confirmation of his Mufasa casting. …
BY GEORGE, HE’S GOT IT: Hawaii actor Stan Egi is appearing, through April 12, in George Bernard Shaw’s "Pygmalion" at the Pasadena Playhouse. He’s portraying Colonel Pickering, who aids Henry Higgins in transforming Eliza Doolittle to become a lady of class, a plot beautifully reimagined in the hit musical, "My Fair Lady." Egi is awed by the history of the Pasadena, where the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and Leonard Nimoy have appeared. And he is elated by the colorblind casting. "I’m thrilled to be part of a production where actors are hired on the basis of their ability to play the role regardless of ethnicity," said Egi, who is Asian American. And there’s a former islander in the Pasadena ohana: Seema Sueko, who grew up here, is the associate artistic director. …
CORRECTION: That honu mascot figure was solely created by Jonathan Enos for his "Honu by the Sea" production, not by the imagination wizards at Disney and DreamWorks as incorrectly mentioned in this space March 8. …
DATELINE VEGAS: It was home-away-from-home when singer Marlene Sai performed at "Stew Night," a University of Hawaii alumni scholarship fundraiser, in Las Vegas. Frannie Kirk, now residing in Vegas but not an alumna, bought a table not only to catch her good pal Sai but to celebrate with her Society of Seven buddies Tony and Karen Ruivivar, Bert Sagum, Hoku Low and Wayne and Jade Wakai. Jade provided a tray of butter mochi squares as the SOS’ contribution to the dessert table. And Karen assembled a basket of treats for Goofy, a nickname of Sai’s. …
Meanwhile, Ruivivar and his SOS buddies have set summer concert dates: Catch ’em July 31 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center’s Castle Theatre and Aug. 1 and 2 at the Ala Moana Hotel’s Hibiscus Ballroom.Songstress Lhey Bella will return, along with the other SOSers. …
NAMES ‘N’ PLACES: Surfer Bethany Hamilton is six months’ pregnant, expecting a boy. Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a 2003 shark attack, made the announcement with husband Adam Dirks in a Facebook posting. USA Today quotes her: "I’ve been surfing throughout my whole pregnancy. I plan to surf as long as I can. Once the belly’s pretty big, maybe just mellow out, and spend more time swimming and just enjoying the ocean … " Sounds like her boy is getting prepped for a lifestyle like hers. …
Fashion designer Takeo Kobayashi, now living in Washington state,is recuperating from a recent heart attack. He was told by doctors at a Puyallup hospital that his heart was functioning at 29 percent. "I was so shocked," he emailed friends. Partner Eric Chandler is caregiving. …
Anne Lund, onetime owner of the original Clouds (the first gay club in town), died Feb. 26 at age 96 in Palm Springs, Calif. She also opened (with the late Betty Reilly) the Copacabana Club here. …
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.
