The Buzz

On island stages

• In "Crimes of the Heart," three offbeat and somewhat dysfunctional sisters are reunited after the youngest shoots her husband in the stomach. Surprise! Hilarity ensues as sisterly jealousies come to a boiling point and long-buried secrets are revealed. Written by Beth Henley ("The Miss Firecracker Contest"), the Tony-nominated "Crimes" won 1981 awards for best new American play from the New York Drama Critics Circle and the Pulitzer Prize for drama. This University of Hawai'i-Manoa Department of Theatre and Dance production is being directed by Glenn Cannon at Kennedy Theatre. Show times are 8 p.m. today, Saturday and Thursday and March 22-23; and at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 general, $12 seniors, military, UH faculty staff, $9 non-UHM students; $4 UH-Manoa students with ID. 956-7655.

• Kick off your Sunday shoes! After a benefit premiere last night, "Footloose: The Musical" makes its public bow this week with four performances at St. Louis School's Mamiya Theatre. Based on the pre-Lambada, pre-Macarena 1984 movie about a klatch of smalltown teenage kids and the newcomer who inspires them to overturn a silly town law banning all manner of dance, "Footloose: The Musical" will feature a student cast from St. Louis, Punahou, La Pietra, Roosevelt, Kamehameha and Sacred Hearts Academy high schools. Ooohwee ... Marie! Tickets are $15 general, $10 for students. Show times are 7:30 p.m. today and Thursday and March 22-23, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and March24. 739-4896.

• Local writer Gary Pak's novel "A Ricepaper Airplane" is made up of the stories and recollections of one man's life, woven throughout a narrative spanning decades and locales. As a seemingly ordinary elderly Korean man awaits death in a hospital, he recounts the stories of his extraordinary life as a laborer, patriot, revolutionary and failed aviator for a young family member. Directed by Mid-Pacific School's theater instructor John Wat, who also brought Nora Okja Keller's "Comfort Woman" and Lois Ann Yamanaka's "Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers" to the Kumu Kahua stage. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through April 14. Tickets are $5-$16. 536-4441.

The Cad's outta the bag

This spanking new 2003 Cadillac CTI is among the luxurious wheels on view at the 2002 First Hawaiian International Auto Show, which opened last night at the Hawai'i Convention Center, where it continues noon-10:30 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. Dozens of vehicles — convertibles, sportsters, SUVs, minivans and more, from the pages of Motor Trend magazine — are on view; Saturday is Chevron Day, with the first 500 box office ticket holders receiving a free Chevron toy car, and Sunday is Kids Day, with the first 500 box office ticket holders receiving a free Lego "Life on Mars" gift. Tickets are $6 general, $4 seniors over 62 and military, $3 children 7-12, free for keiki 6 and under; discounts available at First Hawaiian branches, participating new car dealers, or online at autoshowusa.com. 593-0031. The Advertiser is a sponsor.

Life after 9-11

Megan Patton is a clergywoman who searches for the right response to pain in David Mamet's "The Sermon," one of five plays commenting on a beleaguered world after an event such as Sept. 11's attacks. Sammie Choy is directing the show, part of the Late Night Theatre series, playing at 11 p.m. Saturday and March 22-23, and 8 p.m. Sunday at Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, University of Hawai'i-Manoa. The other vignettes are "What Keeps Me Here" (which also is the overall title of the show) by Rebecca Brown, Michael Pelfry's "Drive Angry," Jose Rivera's "Gas" and Sheri Wilner's "Labor Day." Tickets are $7 general, $6 students, seniors, military and UH faculty and staff, $3 UH-Manoa students. 956-7655.

Artistry in motion

To get a glimpse of how arts and culture are nurtured in Hawai'i schools, check out the Artists Showcase 2002, noon-5 p.m. Sunday at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Pictured: youngsters at Waiau Elementary School, participating in a Playful Percussion arts residency, typical of the kind of programs staged for youngsters in a variety of disciplines, from dance to literary arts, from music to poetry, from storytelling to theater, from visual artists to multidisciplinary arts. The sessions are intended to acquaint teachers and administrators in schools and libraries with the riches in art resources available through the Artists in the Schools program. Admission is free. 586-0768, www.state.hi.us/sfca.

Sunsets in Wai'anae

Sunset on the Beach takes a break from Waikiki and heads for Ma'ili Beach Park in Wai'anae this weekend. The events, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will include an open market of the community's products, arts and crafts and demonstrations; entertainment by Simplisity, Solana and Country Side Band, Hawaiian music and hula (and the bands Believe and Pipeline from 5 p.m. Saturday, Koa'uka and Kapena from 5 p.m. Sunday); contests; and a movie each day from 7 p.m. on a 30-foot screen. Saturday's film is "Indiana Jones and Last Crusade"; Sunday's is "Remember the Titans." Food stations will be operated by Makaha Resort Restaurant, Papa John's Wai'anae, SeaSide CafŽ & Restaurant, Sistah's Ono Fried Ice Cream Co., Uncle Lani's Snack Shop, Wai'anae Store Deli, Naupaka Restaurant-Ihilani Spa & Resort Hotel, Uncle Herb's Hot Malasadas, Chili's Bar & Grill, Hoohuli's Ohana Services, Komike Makua Catering, Simply Ono Food & Popcorn and Good Humor Ice Cream. Admission is free. Call 523-CITY (2489), 696-1217, 271-1281.

Violin recital

Japanese violinist Yuko Nishino gives a recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawai'i-Manoa. She has appeared with the London and Tokyo Symphony orchestras, among others, and was the youngest winner of the Japan International League of Artists' Award in 1991. Midori Tamura will accompany her on piano. Tickets are $12 general, $8 students and seniors. 956-8742.

Waking up to new experiences

Kapi'olani Community College's 14th annual International Festival carries the theme "Awakening." So naturally, this year's four-day selection of educational presentations and panel discussions is all about introducing participants to new experiences in art, entertainment and literature. Included on the festival schedule: taiko drumming by Kenny Endo, the slack-key stylings of Ledward Ka'apana, flamenco dance demonstrations, international films and readings from local writers such as Gary Pak, Cathy Song and Cedric Yamanaka. Most events are free. Hours are 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Kapi'olani Community College. For a complete schedule and event locations, call Carl Hefner at 734-9715.

Volcano Party on- and offshore

Billed as a Volcano Party, a series of weekend events catering to gay people will unfold in Waikiki.

The party, which includes a land component and an inter-island cruise aboard the Norwegian Star, is a benefit for the Maui AIDS Foundation.

A $95 weekend pass is available and good for all the weekend events, which include:

• A Mai Tai Party kickoff event, from 8 p.m. today (to 4 a.m. tomorrow), at Fusion Waikiki; $20 at the door.
• A Volcano Party, from 8 p.m. today (to 3 a.m. tomorrow), at the Hawai'i Convention Center; $65 at the door.
• An After-hours Party, from 3-9 a.m. tomorrow, at Maze Waikiki; $25 at the door.

Weekend passes may be bought at the door of any event. For those 21 and older.

Information: (877) 242-4900.

Masks and more

An Indonesian batik technique was used to create this mask, one of the artifacts up for bids in the silent auction at the East-West Center Foundation's "An International Affair 2002," a fund-raising dinner featuring the cuisine and culture of India, from 6 p.m. today at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Industries Ltd., will speak; five chefs from a top Indian hotel will prepare the dinner (from 7 p.m.). Tickets are $100. 944-7196.

On screen:'Ke Kulana He Mahu'

Honolulu filmmakers Kathryn Xian and Brent Anbe's 2001 documentary film "Ke Kulana He Mahu: Remembering a Sense of Place" looks at the effects of colonization and homophobia on Hawai'i's transgendered community. First screened at last October's Asian Pacific American Film Festival at the Smithsonian Institution, "Ke Kulana" has since been selected for film fests in Seattle, San Francisco, Australia and Hawai'i. A screening and panel discussion featuring some of the film's participants will be held at 6 p.m. today at Leeward Community College's Business Tech Building (BE Room 103). Admission is free. Call Donna Matsumoto at 455-0200.