ISLAND SOUNDS
Pidgin soundtracks inspirational, fun

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Playwright Lisa Matsumoto and her song-writing partner, Roslyn, have made a career on the island stage with their collaborative, local-style musicals.

With Paul Palmore as a musical contributor, Matsumoto and Roslyn have been both prolific and persistent in sharing their wisdom and wit in four major shows jammed with original songs that are now available on soundtrack CDs.

The albums, released on Matsumoto's 'Ohia Productions label, prolong the life of the original shows and serve as an accurate mirror of the substance and style in the Matsumoto brand of storytelling, with a comic and largely pidgin stance.

While it may help to have seen the shows, the discs stand alone as alternately entertaining, inspiring, creative and good-fun times at the theater.

The titles:

• "Once Upon One Kapakahi Time."
• "Once Upon One Time."
• "On Dragonfly Wings."
• "The Princess and the Iso Peanut."

Genre: Soundtrack recordings of popular stage musicals.

Distinguishing notes: The fractured fairy tales, localized with island slang and sentiments, have touched a nerve and carved a niche for 'Ohia Productions.

"Kapakahi" is a montage from a trilogy of pidgin musicals, plus a fourth show based on "The Princess and the Pea," that introduced a storybook-full of beloved characters, like Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, the Three Pigs and plenty more, all with a local spin and unveiled this past summer to sell-out houses at the Hawai'i Theatre.

"One Time" is the original pidgin show, in which Matsumoto made her imprint as Da Wicked Queen and Patrick Fujioka was introduced as Da Mean Mongoose, spawning two follow-ups.

"Dragonfly" was a fable with the flair of a Broadway attraction, staged earlier at Leeward Community College Theatre, with songs that developed character, a book and inspirational storyline linked to the real-life journey of the late Alana Dung, and a vision that pushed the envelope on Big Time Musical.

"Princess" retold a popular tale with local lingo, local laughs, and lots of loco-commotion.

The outlook: More of an archival document than a chart blockbuster, each CD represents a particular triumph for the ensemble of friends and extended family that 'Ohia has nurtured over the past decade. All but one (the exception is "Kapakahi") come with elaborate liner books, laden with lyrics, dandy with cast lists — just the thing to recall a favorite memory or a special moment. Production values are high; so must be the investment in recording and producing the soundtracks.

Our take: Future generations will likely discover what this generation of play-goers and CD-listeners already know: Matsumoto and Roslyn are visionaries who know a good thing, enjoy having fun, and have made it their calling.

Audio excerpt of The Princess and the Iso Peanut available in mp3 and RealAudio formats.

Reach Wayne Harada by e-mailing wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, phoning 525-8067 or faxing 525-8055.