Critic's Choice: Stage

Mini-reviews of current stage productions by Advertiser theater critic Joseph Rozmiarek

"Song of Singapore": "Do You Know There's a Dead Man In the Bar?" Well, the band can play it, and you'll be singing it, too, now that the Manoa Valley Theatre has been converted to Freddy's Place, a sleazy gin joint lost somewhere in the Asia-Pacific of 1941. Repeats 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 4 p.m. Sundays through March 24; $30 (discounts available). Also: Two-week extension, through April 7; $35 (discounts available). 988-6131.

"Othello": Not all of it is the Shakespeare play, but you'll hear some iambic pentameter mixed in with rap solos and a record-scratching DJ. This one-hour contemporary version by Y York pares the characters down to four, but captures the essential puzzle of the original: Why is Iago so nasty, and why does Othello fall for his lies? Honolulu Theatre for Youth hopes it will capture high school audiences as well. Repeats at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and March 23, Tenney Theatre, St. Andrew's Cathedral; recommended for age 10 and older; $5, $7.50, $10. 839-9885. On the Big Island: 7:30 p.m. today at the Aloha Theatre, Kainaliu, $5, $7.50, $10, (808) 322-2323; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Palace Theatre, Hilo, $8, $10, (808) 949-7010; and 3-3:45 p.m. Monday, Hilo Public Library, free, (808) 933-8888.