By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

If you look closely at Wa'ahila Ridge, you can see him. His face is in profile, and you can make out his arm and his chest. His feet are at the bottom of the ridge near the UH-Manoa Hawaiian Studies center.

Kauhi was punished by the gods to be imprisoned on Wa'ahila, to actually become the Manoa mountain, for what he did to his beautiful wife-to-be, Kahalaopuna, daughter of the wind and rain. He killed her. Five times.

King David Kalakaua included this story of lies, jealousy, domestic violence and punishment in his book of legends and myths published in 1888.

It serves as the basis for a theatrical production that is creating a stir at Leeward Community College.

"Manoa" is the latest production from Paul Cravath's Hawaiian Style Theater class. The course has been offered at LCC since 1975, when Cravath's predecessor David Johnson staged "Hotel Street," a musical written by Leeward students.

"That thing was the sensation of the year," Cravath says.

Other sensations followed, including the widely praised Leeward trilogy, "Wai'anae" in 1991, "For 'Ewa" in 1994 and "Nanakuli" in 1998.

"Manoa" was adapted from Kalakaua's telling of the legend by playwright Tammy Haili'opua Baker. Like all Hawaiian Style Theater pieces, it blends the history and mythology of the place with contemporary political and social issues.

"This is a story that's adapted to a modern context, even though it's got goddesses and 'aumakua," Cravath says. "And it really works as a modern story. It's real violent and sexy and charming and funny. It's got everything in it."

It's not a show for children. There are intense fight scenes and adult story lines. How political is it? Put it this way: in the play, Kauhi works for Hawaiian Electric.

Before last week's opening night, Cravath took his cast of 15 actors on a tour of Manoa. They saw the places mentioned in the legend and they paid their respects to the 'aina and the spirits that live there.

"The students not only get a wonderful script to work with, they get to learn something about Hawaiian culture, which, even though they were all born here, they don't know beans about," Cravath says.

And what does the audience get? Cravath says it's a powerful thing when people see their stories, their place, depicted in art.

"When we did 'Wai'anae,' it was amazing. People came from Wai'anae by the hundreds and hundreds to see this play because, like for example, one scene in the play was Wai'anae High School cafeteria during lunch time. That was amazing!"

The show is playing at the LCC lab theater Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. A few seats are available, but the performances are almost certain to be sold out. For ticket information, call 455-0629.

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