Let laughter flow at 'Gridiron'

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The organizers of this year's Gridiron Show were faced with a problem: Keeping up the tradition of the irreverent, pointed, no-holds-barred satire of current events in light of, well, current events.

The annual show is put together by members of the Honolulu media as a fund-raiser for the Society of Professional Journalists' Hawai'i chapter. In past years, it's been savagely funny, brutally honest, written and performed with the kind of insight that only reporters on the front line could possess.

Put it this way: one year, there was a Rene Mansho parody that actually starred Rene Mansho. It's wild, campy stuff.

This year, the organizers weren't sure they felt up to making fun of anything. They also weren't sure they'd find an audience ready to let themselves laugh.

And then, something happened. The cast got together for pre-production meetings and rehearsals. The reporters would gather after putting in long hours monitoring sobering video feeds, interviewing people who were scared and hurt, and writing stories of tragedy, fear and loss

As they practiced skits and learned songs, they found they felt better. For some, the Gridiron material provided a creative escape during a stressful time. For others, it was an affirmation of the healing power of laughter and the comfort in community. The hope is that the comic relief will extend from the performers onstage to the people in the audience.

KITV reporter Keoki Kerr, one of the organizers of the event, says "the bottom line is people have been asking if it's OK to laugh again and we're saying yes, it's time. It's healthy."

The only reference to the terrorist attacks comes in the beginning of the show. Actor Billy Sage takes the stage to remind the audience that nothing and no one can rob Americans of the joy of living and the freedom to laugh. It's a soft opening to an otherwise edgy show; a gentle beckoning through an open door to a place where the humor is anything but subtle. Newsmakers from Scott Waddle to Nobu Yonamine get their comeuppance from the reporters who have to listen to them talk but never really get a chance to say anything back.

A highly anticipated skit this year is a takeoff on "The Weakest Link" with contestants Jon Yoshimura, Clayton Hee, Mazie Hirono and John Henry Felix. There's also a musical number about the Honolulu Police Department cellblock food scandal and a dance piece featuring KHNL's Jodi Leong inspired by the alleged attack by feral cats in Mo'ili'ili.

The Gridiron Show runs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Diamond Head Theatre. For tickets to the performance and for details on the pre-show party to benefit the Asian American Journalists Association-Hawai'i Chapter, call 524-6441 ext. 10.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com