STAGE REVIEW
Youth theater's 'Musubi Man' is a preschooler's treat
By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic
Everybody likes to root for the scrappy hero who overcomes obstacles to succeed.
Even when that hero is a block of rice that spontaneously comes to life and develops a personality.
And especially when you're 3 years old and invited to join in the action of a favorite story.
The occasion is the new production of "Musubi Man", adapted for the stage by Lee Cataluna from a picture book by Sandy Takayama — putting a local spin on the children's story of the Gingerbread Man.
This Honolulu Theatre for Youth production runs a fast-paced 45 minutes and does an excellent job of engaging youngsters by keeping the story action-oriented. Credit goes to director Kelly Williams and two tireless company actors, Cynthia See and Bulldog.
The pair perform great work to focus their young audience even before the play begins.
They lead an "Old MacDonald" sing-along that features — guess what — the same animals that appear in the story. They run an audience interview on favorite foods for breakfast and lunch, until some 3-year-old audience shill says the magic word, "musubi." Then, it's a bit of cooking school for a quick review of the special ingredients that go into this rice-based treat.
When the action finally begins, it's familiarity and repetition that wins over this age group.
The audience seems to be on firm footing with the story line and eagerly anticipates each unfolding scene. And when the large, triangle-shaped wedge of pressed rice gains arms and eyes, then opens its mouth to speak like some culinary hand-puppet, the kids are totally won over.
Next, repetition predominates as the Musubi Man outruns the little old man and woman who created him and a string of hungry animals that would like to eat him. The kids are invited to join in, and chanting along with the actors accounts for much of the fun.
"Run, run, as fast as you can!
"You no can catch me,
"I'm one Musubi Man!"
The hero is pursued by a string of animals special to Hawai'i. In addition to the dog and cat, there's a snail, a mongoose and a mynah bird, and a bit of pidgin flavor.
"Wat, mynah bird, I look ono to you?"
This is a restive age group, and Bulldog and See encourage them to get physically involved with wing-flapping and animal sounds. With all the chanting, squawking, and arm-pumping going on, nobody in the audience has time for much uninvolved wiggling.
Both actors are similarly active.
Bulldog and See establish each character personally, then reach for a character cut-out to hold part of the stage picture while they add in more. Eventually the playing area is filled with a cast of cut-outs while the live actors zip among them to keep the dialogue going. This overlapping of live cast and two-dimensional characters brings the story to life in a special way possible only in a live performance.
The Musubi Man manages to outrun everybody, despite his vestigial legs and Spam sandals, but finds himself trapped at the ocean's edge. Since everybody knows that wet rice is particularly untasty, he hops on a surf board and matches wits with a hungry surfer.
Naturally, the final number is a driving version of "Surfin' Musubi."
The preschool set will like this play, which uses a great deal of performance subtlety to appear disarmingly simple.
