Posted on: Tuesday, December 4, 2001

Christmas concert no holiday for The Caz

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

'A Cazimero Christmas' • 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Dec. 9 • Hawai'i Theatre • $22.50-$40 • 528-0506 • Also featuring: Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, Leina'ala Kalama Heine, the Royal Dance Company Halau Na Kamalei

The trick, said Robert Cazimero, is getting people to think it's easy to put on "A Cazimero Christmas," their annual holiday spectacle. It's not.

"But that's our job, to make it look simple," he said. "We do it easy so well, and often, that people believe it."

The hard part, said brother Roland, is "remembering lyrics. I mean, you sing Christmas songs only at Christmas ... and when you're over 50, well, you know, it's hard to remember anything. When is the concert again?"

It's a four-day stand, Thursday through Sunday at the Hawai'i Theatre.

For the Cazimeros, Christmas is akin to May Day — a time to perform — though yuletide cheer offsets the stress of rehearsals.

"It's our favorite time," said Robert. But the concert has its challenges.

"Christmas is a world holiday and a busy time, which means that you have to get a lot done around you, whether you're stressed out or filled with joy," he said. "And, in our case this year, with four consecutive shows, it's a pressure on the cast: We won't have the same dancers every night, so there are adjustments, compounding some of the problems a rotating cast presents. But fun is part of the mission."

Robert is the brain behind the concepts, the planning, the vision. Roland does the musical arrangements. They collaborate on some of the song selections.

Since The Caz this year went back to producing their own holiday package (the past few Christmases have been under the canopy of the Honolulu Symphony), there's a lot more responsibility (read: overhead) at stake.

Also, a lot more wiggle room to do the kind of festive pageantry that they used to do, at the Blaisdell Center and even at the Bishop Museum, before going symphonic.

Jon de Mello, CEO of the Mountain Apple Co. and manager of The Caz, is responsible for giving the show its look. "It's Christmasy; the show format is warm and fuzzy, something we need this year," said de Mello.

For Robert, the challenge is to dust off the brothers' tried-and-true songs, make them sound fresh and new, find a couple of lost gems in the process and create take-home memories.

"We want to make people happy, make them smile, and even make them cry," Robert said. "That's all part of the celebration, to encompass all the emotions you possibly can."

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Robert expressed optimism that folks are ready and eager to move on.

"I'm not even going there," he said, and he doesn't plan to mention the tragedy during the concert.

"I'll be singing 'Me and My Teddy Bear,'" said Roland. "I think the first half is pau; lots of medleys. It's all Robert's idea, (from) singing medleys at Chai's Island Bistro."

Some of the duo's new songs, not yet recorded, might be previewed during the holiday show, Roland noted.

"I hope we get it out before March, but I didn't want it to be just another album," Roland said. "If I put my 'okole in park on this one, it's all right; I'm not eager to rush it out for Christmas.

"If a song is not right, it should not be on the album. And Robert said he came across some really nice songs, from a hula halau in Japan, which could be excellent stuff for us."