STAGE SCENE
In the footsteps of Ka'ahumanu

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Nyla Fujii-Babb will play the title character in Kumu Kahua Theatre's production of "The Conversion of Ka'ahumanu." Brad Goda . . . The Conversion of Ka'ahumanu' • A drama by Victoria Kalani Kneubuhl • Premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday; repeats at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 8 • Kumu Kahua Theatre • $16 general, $13 seniors, $10 students ($5 students on Thursdays) • 536-4441

As a fourth-grader at Waikiki Elementary School, Nyla Ching Fujii-Babb had a particular fascination with Queen Ka'ahumanu in her Hawaiian studies.

"I thought she was cool," said Fujii-Babb, now the children's librarian at Salt Lake-Moanalua Library. "Everybody talked about Kamehameha; here she was, an equivalent to him. Outstanding. A fabulous woman. One with insight."

So when Kumu Kahua held auditions for "The Conversion of Ka'ahumanu," a historical work by playwright-scholar Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Fujii-Babb leaped at the opportunity.

"I had done a reading earlier, and it's really a thrill to get to play Ka'ahumanu," she said.

It's her first time in a Kneubuhl play, one that explores Ka'ahumanu "from just prior to the arrival of the missionaries, to her conversion" to Christianity.

Historians have said Ka'ahumanu was the most powerful political figure to emerge in the Islands after the 1819 death of the king. In fleshing out the role, Fujii-Babb, a master storyteller when she's not working as a librarian, said she has discovered fascinating new knowledge about the wife of Kamehameha the Great.

"She was brilliant, a woman caught in a time that was so chaotic," said Fujii-Babb. "She had much foresight; she had vision for her people and a kind of wisdom, and a somewhat modern sense. She was the key to giving her people the tools to adjust to the onslaught of the foreigners."

The play presents Ka'ahumanu as a skillful leader of her people, a kuhina nui who persuaded the new king to abolish the kapus and forbid the worship of the gods.

The more Fujii-Babb rehearses and gets to know Ka'ahumanu, the more fascination she feels.

"The more I fall in love with her, the more I feel I can't play the role," said Fujii-Babb about a sense of inadequacy. "She had a wonderful sense of humor; she was so very earthy, yet regal at the same time."

She said she was happy to see a host of Hawaiian actresses also trying for the role.

"... I've never seen so many Hawaiians in the theater as I do now," said Fujii-Babb. "I think (the attraction here) is the quality of the writing, the powerful script, the amount of research that went into the play."

She has not found resistance from the Hawaiian community for tackling the role. "I think it's partly because of my family — we speak the language, I am a blooded Hawaiian person. And I have nothing but warm affection for anyone who wants to tell her (Ka'ahumanu's) story."

She finds more comfort and confidence, walking through the Hawaiiana stacks at the library now, though her husband Jeff tells her at home: "Rehearsals are over, you can stop being regal now." She's been enjoying the queenly perch.

"It's great to find a role when you're the right age," said Fujii-Babb. "Hey, I'm not young and cute, and I'm past 50, so there aren't that many good parts for me. This one was meant for me."