Critic's Choice: Theater
Mini-reviews of current stage productions, by Advertiser theater critic Joseph Rozmiarek
"To the Last Hawaiian Soldier": The improbable premise links a contemporary Hawaiian activist with a historical revolutionary, but powerfully structures action that bridges time and space. Excellently directed and featuring a fine performance by Moses Goods III in the central roles. Repeats at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Tickets are $16 general; $13 for seniors and for those in groups of 10 or more; $10 students. 536-4441.
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Critic's Choice: Art
Mini-reviews of current art exhibits, by Advertiser art critic Virginia Wageman
Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia, and Deco (Honolulu Academy of Arts, through March 17; 532-8700). This spectacular exhibition brings to light works created in Japan in the first quarter of the 20th century that were influenced by Western art nouveau and art deco. Paintings, prints, textiles and home furnishings are mostly from the academy's outstanding collection.
Escape from the Vault: The Contemporary Museum's Collection Breaks Out (through March 24; 526-1322). With limited exhibition space, rarely does The Contemporary Museum have the opportunity to display its own superb collection. Periodically, works "escape from the vault" in shows such as this one, with selections from the permanent collection occupying the entire building. Works by 70 artists are on view.
Pen, Pencil, and Brush: American Drawings and Watercolors, 1850-1950 (Honolulu Academy of Arts, through March 17; 532-8700). Likewise, works on paper are rarely exhibited owing to their fragility. The academy is showing choice drawings and watercolors, with exquisite examples by Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer and John Marin, among others.
9-11: Response and Remembrance (Koa Gallery, Kapi'olani Community College, closes tomorrow; 734-9375). With 140 pieces by 110 artists, this rambling show continues in KCC's Lama Library. Artists' responses to the Sept. 11 attacks range from the tortured expressions of Masami Teraoka and Jodi Endicott to Linny Morris Cunningham's gorgeous photographs of the World Trade Center, which she made in 1978 and recently unearthed, and George Woollard's elegiac "Flight of the Souls," celebrating those killed in the attacks. Parking is difficult, but it is free on Saturdays, when the gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the library is open until 1 p.m.
