'Titanic' musical tops local Po'okela Awards

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Diamond Head Theatre claimed 12 trophies and Manoa Valley Theatre earned 10 in last night's Po'okela Awards, presented by the Hawai'i State Theatre Council.

DHT's "Titanic" musical took eight awards, including Overall Musical.

MVT's drama "Wit," about a literature professor battling ovarian cancer, took seven awards, including Overall Play.

Awards for leading male in a musical and female in a musical were shared by performers in Diamond Head Theatre and Army Community Theatre shows.

The award for leading male in a play was shared by Joe Abraham in Manoa Valley Theatre's "Over the River and Through the Woods" and Jim Tharp in Hawaii Pacific University's "You Can't Take It With You."

The Po'okela awards, presented last night at the Ko'olau Golf Club in Kane'ohe, are perceived as Hawai'i's version of the Tony Awards.

The winners:

Leading Male in a Play

• Joe Abraham, "Over the River and Through the Woods," Manoa Valley Theatre
• Jim Tharp, "You Can't Take It With You," Hawaii Pacific University

Leading Female in a Play

• Betty Burdick, "Wit," MVT

Leading Male in a Musical

• Laurence Paxton, "Jekyll & Hyde," Diamond Head Theatre
• Kevin Yamada, "Flower Drum Song," Army Community Theatre

Leading Female in a Musical

• Shari Lynn, "Mame," DHT
• Stefanie Okuda, "Flower Drum Song," ACT

Featured Male in a Play

• Brent Yoshikami, "Wit," MVT

Featured Female in a Play

• Christine Berwin, "Eco-Circus," University of Hawai'i
• Frankie Enos, "Rain," The Actors Group

Featured Male in a Musical

• Douglas S. Scheer, "Titanic," DHT
• Cori Vas, "Titanic," DHT

Featured Female in a Musical

• Katie Leiva, "Song of Singapore," MVT

Choreography

• Andrew Sakaguchi and Ka'ohi Yojo, "On Dragonfly Wings," 'Ohia

Director of a Play

• Roger Long, "Wit," MVT

Director of a Musical

• Karen Bumatai, "Song of Singapore," MVT
• John Rampage, "Mame," DHT

Musical Director

• Melina Lillios, "Titanic," DHT

Set Design

• Joseph D. Dodd, "Wit," MVT

Costume Design

• Sukey Dickinson, "Titanic," DHT

Lighting Design

• Ed James, "Wit," MVT

Sound Design

• Jason Taglianetti, "Wit," MVT
• Kurt Yamasaki, "Titanic," DHT

Nonresident Guest Artist

• Isabelle Decauwert, actor, "Jekyll & Hyde," DHT
• Jennifer Waldman, director and choreographer, "Titanic," DHT

Ensemble

• "Titanic," DHT

Original Script

• Lisa Matsumoto and Roslyn Catracchia, "On Dragonfly Wings," 'Ohia

Overall Musical

• "Titanic," DHT

Overall Play

• "Wit," MVT

Other awards

• "Judge Bao and the Case of Qin Xianglian," for traditional Chinese opera, UH
• Michael Furuya, for puppet design, "On Dragonfly Wings," 'Ohia

Pierre Bowman Award

• Vanita Rae Smith, ACT