Comic survivor keeps busy

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

•	'Lolo No Ka Oi' 7:30 p.m. Friday Hawaii Ballroom, Sheraton Waikiki $35-$18 526-4400

"We had this show to do," said Ka'ahea of "Lolo No Ka Oi," an evening of comedy, Friday night at the Sheraton Waikiki. "And it's so typical of James to cut out at a key time."

Ka'ahea was joking, of course, but since Benton died of an apparent heart attack, Ka'ahea has been on the go.

The untimely death was typical of the up-and-down challenges that have faced Booga Booga, arguably the most popular and ground-breaking trio in island comedy. With the late Rap Reiplinger, Benton and Ka'ahea defined a comic language of their own about life in Hawai'i — honest, telling, but never cruel at the expense of its targets.

Ka'ahue is in no rush to fill Benton's rubbah slippahs. "He's irreplaceable; when they made him, they threw away the model," said Ka'ahea from his Kaua'i base. "Him and Rap. How can you find another?"

He's been huddling with advisors about how best "to pick up the pieces and proceed."

Old members? He's been "talking with alumni" (former stand-ups who have had stints with Booga).

New members? "Too early to decide."

Solo act? Ka'ahea has done some solo work but "still loves" the notion of a Booga group.

Retiring Booga Booga for good? "There are some people who think I should have a statewide casting call for new members. Can you imagine the lolo who might turn up?"

In memory of Benton, and as a means of creating a bridge for island comics of the future, Ka'ahea is in initial discussions to plan a possible scholarship for comic wannabes. Maybe even schedule periodic comedy festivals, based on similar events in Aspen and Montreal. "It's something that feels right; it's something James, or even Rap, would like."

On the horizon is a book, "Stuck in Poi: Memories of a Hawaiian Nationalist," based on a solo comedy show he intends to mount and, on a comic note, "on the condition of the new Millennium Hawaiian, based on compilations of ideas over the past 20 years."

For now, Ka'ahea, who works a shift at KONG Radio where he programs Hawaiian music, said he is consulting with close friends of his and Benton's, including Arnold Hiura, Eloise Nakama and Mokihana Calizar, with whom Benton and Ka'ahea had partnered in "Humor and Heart in the Work Place," a service for local businesses in which they presented skits and talks on how humor could find a spot in the everyday jobs of local people.

On Moloka'i last week, Ka'ahea presented such a program for the Moloka'i Chamber of Commerce outside of the Hotel Moloka'i. "As I approached the podium, the people gasped, so I looked over and they were all looking at this shooting star in the sky, not a quick one but one that was slowly descending," said Ka'ahea. "I tell you, it really got the Moloka'i kanaka going; their eyes and jaws dropped to the ground. So I told them: 'Don't worry. James has been upstaging me for 30 years. My goodness, James, you can't even let me talk business!'"