‘Once on This Island’ extended through Oct. 10

Paliku Theatre manager Tom Holowach announced Wednesday that the production run of “Once on This Island” has been extended for an additional weekend.

Performances are now scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 10.

Click here to read Honolulu Star-Advertiser theater critic John Berger’s review of the show. Click here to purchase tickets.

Review: ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Photo by Bruce Asato / basato@staradvertiser.com

The Beast (Justin Glaser) confronts Belle (Liz Shivener) for the first time in a scene from “Beauty and the Beast,” which opened in Honolulu on Tuesday.

Review by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

Kids love stories that involve adults struggling to learn things or master social skills that are part of their own recent life experiences. That’s one reason NETworks’ production of “Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’” is such perfect children’s entertainment.

The show opened its two-week run in the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Tuesday, and when the kids in the audience were watching the Beast trying to tamp down his temper and speak politely, it was obvious they understood that he was having a hard time trying to say, “please” — and that they could relate.

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PICS: ‘The Movement’ at McKinley High School

Photos by Dennis Oda / doda@staradvertiser.com

Now in its fourth year, Island Fire Productions‘ annual “The Movement and New Dance Workshop” continues to bring together Honolulu dancers with some of the most popular crews from MTV’s “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew.” The two Saturday performances featured Poreotics (pictured above), Hype 5-0, Hypersquad, 24/7 Dance Force Studio, Honolulu Dance Studio, Studio 808, Nixpac, Iolani Dancers, Pas De Deux and Applause Dance Company.

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AUDIO: Shanghai Children’s Palace visits Honolulu

Video by Steven Mark / smark@staradvertiser.com

By Steven Mark
smark@staradvertiser.com

Imagine a Juilliard Institute, a “Fame” school and perhaps a Bela Karolyi Gymnastics Institute rolled into one, and you might have the equivalent of the Shanghai Children’s Palace.

The Children’s Palace, founded by Soong Ching Ling, wife of Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of modern China and an ‘Iolani grad, was the first arts and academic institution for children to be established in the Peoples Republic of China, and remains one of its most prestigious. A group of 45 children from the institution will be giving a performance tonight showcasing the many young artists who study at the school.

This is the fourth time that the Shanghai Children’s Palace has sent a group to Hawaii, but the first in nearly 10 years. The government-backed organization has also sent group to perform at the White House and throughout Europe and Asia.

The Olana Ai Hula Halau will be joining the visitors to make it a multicultural affair.

Shanghai Children’s Palace
featuring 45 of China’s most talented children
» When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
» Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall, 777 Ward Ave.
» Cost: $15-$35
» Call: 591-2211 or 286-0506

PICS: Society of Seven ‘homecoming’ an instant hit

Photos by Bruce Asato / basato@staradvertiser.com

The Society of Seven reopened their show at the Outrigger Waikiki with excellent music and comedic antics, but also turned patriotic with a medley of patriotic songs, ending with Tony Ruivivar, Alika Santos, Arshiel Calatrava, Bert Sagum and Hoku Low at the front of the stage singing “God Bless the USA” as Roy Venturina, Wayne Wakai and Vincent Mendoza played in the background.

Review by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

Rule Number One in show business is that if something works, you don’t mess with it.

Tony Ruivivar developed a winning formula for the Society Of Seven some 40 years ago, and the opening of the SOS’s “homecoming” show last night proved that Ruiviviar’s formula is still a winner. Old-time nightlifers who remember the SOS from their heyday in the 1970s and ‘80s can count on embracing this latest production by Waikiki’s once-and-forever super show group. Anyone seeing the SOS for the first time is certain to leave a fan.

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PICS: Keola and Raiatea at Paliku Theatre

Photos by FL Morris / fmorris@staradvertiser.com

Keola Beamer and Raiatea Helm perform at Paliku Theatre on the campus of Windward Community College in Kaneohe yesterday. The concert was the third Oahu show of the weekend for the duo in support of their album, “Keola Beamer and Raiatea.”

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Review: ‘Return to Waikiki’ a welcome addition

Photos by Cindy Ellen Russell / crussell@staradvertiser.com

Pua La’a and Kali Kekuku perform hula during Makana’s new show, “Return to Waikiki,” held at the International Market Place. Pictured in back, from left, Lono Kaumeheiwa, Makana and Keoki Lopez.

Review by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

History can be a tough sell in Waikiki. Kathy Paulo did a beautiful one-woman show about Ainahau, the long-since-demolished home of Princess Kaiulani; the show brought some visitors to tears with images of the concrete jungle now in place there — it didn’t last long.

Roy Tokujo tried twice to share the history of Waikiki in “Waikiki nei” without either whitewashing the facts or offending visitor industry power brokers; he failed both times. Makana is doing much better sharing the history of Hawaiian music in his ambitious new dinner show, “Return to Waikiki.” Read more

DHT big winner once again at Po’okela Awards

John Berger / jberger@staradvertiser.com

“Miso” cast members Elissa Dulce (winner, Featured Female in Play), left, Charlotte Dias, Allan Okubo (winner, Leading Male in a Play), Eric Nemoto (winner, Featured Male in a Play) and Jessica Y.L. Ka ‘uhane (winner, Leading Female in a Play) pose for a picture during the 2010 Po’okela Awards.

By John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

Perennial front-runner Diamond Head Theatre emerged as the biggest winner once again when the Hawaii State Theatre Council announced the recipients of the 2010 Po’okela Awards last night at the Koolau Golf Club.

DHT received 27 awards spread across 15 of the 22 categories, with its spring production of “Guys and Dolls” accounting for eight of them. Manoa Valley Theatre and The Actors Group tied for second place in the awards tally with 17 each. Productions by All The World’s A Stage, Army Community Theatre, Hawaii Pacific University, the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival, ’Ohi’a Productions and the Paliku Theatre also received awards.

Three other community theater groups — Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Kumu Kahua and the University of Hawaii at Manoa theater program — choose not to participate in the Po’okela Awards. Read more

Review: ‘Nine’ helps raise funds for Army Commmunity Theatre

Courtesy Army Community Theatre

The cast of “Nine.”

Review by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

The show was staged in a theater rather than in some neighbor’s old barn the way the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland did it in the those classic Hollywood movies, but with Larry Paxton starring as Guido Contino, and some of Hawaii’s most talented women as Paxton’s co-stars, Brett Harwood’s weekend production of “Nine” lived up to expectations as a precedent-setting two-night fund-raiser for cash-strapped Army Community Theatre.

Paxton, who starred in Diamond Head Theatre’s fully-staged version of “Nine” in 1998, was superb once again playing Guido in an “in concert” version in which he his co-stars wore formal attire and performed on a bare multi-level stage with members of musical director Melina Lillios’ orchestra on each side of them. Several scenes were enhanced with choreographed movement, but no sets or costumes were necessary to do justice to the story, the lyrics and the score.

Guido, a brilliant and unconventional film director, is dreading his 40th birthday. His last three films have been “flops,” and although he is supposed to start shooting a new film he has no idea what the story is going to be. He hasn’t even started writing the script and one of the investors is threatening legal action.

Then, on the brink of ruin, inspiration strikes — he’ll improve a movie about Casanova with a script based on his own life experiences! Read more

Review: Mead is masterful in ‘Measure for Measure’

Courtesy Hawaii Shakespeare Festival

Review by John Berger
jberger@staradvertiser.com

Stephen Mead’s brilliant performance in the title role of the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Shylock” in 2008 illuminated every facet of the character of one of Shakespeare’s most complicated villains. He returns this year again playing the villain – although a less complicated and more comical one — with the pivotal role of Angelo in director Linda Johnson’s HSF production of “Measure for Measure.” Mead’s scenes are some of the best in the show.

Duke Vincentio leaves Angelo to rule Vienna while he attends to matters of state outside the city. A law on the books makes “fornication” a capital offense and although Duke Vincentio has not enforced it Angelo decides that public morality will be best served by executing of a young nobleman named Claudio for that offense. Claudio’s guilt is obvious — his fiancée, Juliet, is pregnant and soon to give birth.

Claudio’s friend, Lucio, takes a message from death row to the condemned man’s sister, Isabella, a novice nun, begging her to go Angelo and plead for mercy.
Isabella, young and innocent, does so. Angelo, who appears to have been a pillar of moral rectitude until that moment, falls deeply in lust with her. After much hemming and hawing, false starts and innuendos, Angelo eventually informs Isabella that he will spare her brother’s life in exchange for her virginity – in other word, committing the same act with Isabella that Claudio is to die for.

The difference, of course, is that Claudio wants to marry Juliet. All Angelo wants is Isabella’s virginity. Read more

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