Concert Review
Latest Cazimero holiday effort warms heart

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

•	'A Cazimero Christmas' 7:30 p.m. today and 2 p.m. tomorrow Hawai'i Theatre $22.50-$40; half-price rush tickets for students, military and seniors in person prior to showtime 528-0506

For the first time in years, The Brothers Cazimero have elected to bypass a symphony orchestra format to return to their earlier scheme of packaging and unwrapping their own Christmas present through song and dance.

This gift to the community, produced for the first time by the Hawai'i Theatre, rekindles the spirit of yesteryear amid the grace and beauty of the downtown showspace. It also logs a couple of other "firsts:"

• Robert forsakes his trademark white bass fiddle for a new red one in the first act. After intermission, he fiddles on an electric bass. The red number is an early Christmas gift to himself, because his white one was damaged in an airline transit mishap. But worry not: The newcomer will eventually get a coat of white paint.
• Perhaps because the white bass is absent, Roland sits on a larger, burgundy-colored oval podium. The signature white cube is gone.
• "Snow" falls during "Sleigh Ride," amid a montage of snow ditties. With "Slava's Snowshow" arriving in Hawai'i next week, downtown may be where all the white stuff reigns.
• Burton White, manager of the theater and production manager for the Caz Christmas endeavors, makes his Caz debut singing "Silent Night" in German. It evolves into a Hawaiian version delivered by Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom, then segues into a wordless hula from Halau Na Kamalei and Royal Dance Company.
• Leina'ala Kalama Heine, best known for her hula, makes her duet debut with Gilliom on a whimsical "Santa Baby."

There's vision and imagination at play at every turn. The Caz's "Nu 'Oli" vocal is awhirl with ballet, performed by Peter Rockford Espiritu and his Tau Dance Company ensemble.

Na Kamalei dancers prance and frolic in a good-fun montage of contemporary holiday tunes, beginning with "Need a Little Christmas," some with jingling bells festooned with tree-garland lei.

Hula keiki from Keolalaulani Halau 'Olapa O Laka, adorned with bows, accent "Me and My Teddy Bear," with the brothers engaging in kid-time memories.

With their show in a heart-of-Chinatown residency, Robert penned a tune this year called "Downtown," sharing his impressions of life among the denizens of the daily hustle and bustle, a preview of an in-the-works CD. It's not Christmasy, but it highlights the rise of downtown.

If you've savored The Caz memories from Christmases past (Blaisdell Arena to Bishop Museum, if you're diehard fans), you'll cherish this year's outing. It warms the heart. It's May Day with fewer lei but more tinsel and seasonal tidings. Happily, one thing never changes: that solemn "Go to the Light" and "The Lord's Prayer" finale, that gets to the essence of the yuletide, in message and music.