Sample one or more from drama menu | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Sample one or more from drama menu | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Friday, November 7, 2003

Sample one or more from drama menu

By Debra Yuen
TGIF Editor

There's a whole lot of staging going on as community theater groups, colleges and high schools launch productions that include musicals ("Man of La Mancha"), dark comedies ("Arsenic and Old Lace") and the wildly absurd ("Possessed in the West").

And yet you might think: With no end of impersonal but accessible media (think Internet, DVD, video, TV, movies) so easily available to entertain us, why would we choose to enter the realm of live theater? Answer: Because the magic of creativity all around you will surely fire your own creative juices, too, and there's nothing like the human-to-human experience of live performance.

Go for it. There's a stage production for every taste:

'All My Sons'

The American classic by Arthur Miller, written in 1947, has resonance for these post-Iraq war times. It's a family drama about social responsibility and morality as a young man confronts his father about his munitions company.

The Hawai'i Pacific University production is directed by Joyce Maltby; the cast includes Jim Tharp, Jo Pruden, Eric C. Field and Carla Rzeszewski.

When: Premieres at 8 p.m. today, repeats at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 7 (no Thanksgiving Day show, but a 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26 performance instead).
Where: Hawai'i Pacific University Theatre, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kane'ohe.
Tickets: $18 general; $14 seniors, military, students; $3 HPU students; discounts available for Thursday shows.
Call: 375-1282.

'Man of La Mancha'

Mary Chesnut has the dual roles of Dulcinea and Aldonza in Army Community Theatre's"Man of La Mancha."

To dream the impossible dream. The Army Community Theatre makes it possible indeed with the classic tale of Don Quixote and the book's author, Cervantes, written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The imprisoned Cervantes entertains his fellow inmates with the adventures of Don Quixote of La Mancha, errant knight and righter of wrongs.

John Mount directs a cast that include Bryan Bender in the title role and Mary Chesnut in the dual roles of Dulcinea/Aldonza. Theatergoers will recognize Bender as the captain in Diamond Head Theatre's "Titanic" production; Chesnut recently had a featured role in DHT's "Ragtime."

When: Premiers at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, repeats at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, through Nov. 29.
Where: Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter.
Tickets: $14 and $17 general, $8 and $10 children.
Information: 438-4480, charge by phone; www.squareone.org/ACT to order online.

'Possessed in the West or The Gunslinger Wore Dainty Lace Gloves'

From left, Courtney Doyle, Brenda Hillebrenner and Vinnie Ward in the Lanikai Mortgage Players' production of "Possessed in the West or The Gunslinger Wore Dainty Lace Gloves."

Well, with a title like this, you just go with the comedic flow. A melodrama in two acts by Nelson Shreve and directed by Jack Morse, the Lanikai Mortgage Players' "Possessed" takes place in the wildest West of your imagination. There's a hero, a heroine, a villain, a Southern belle, a stagecoach driver and a lawman with lousy aim. The show is followed by the traditional olio, featuring acts such as The Steptaculars, Wiki Wacky Woo and The Fabulous Castaways.

When: Premieres at 8 p.m. today; repeats at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Nov. 14-16.
Where: Lanikai Park Playhouse (A'alapapa Drive at Kaiolena Drive, Lanikai).
Tickets: $5 and you get popcorn, too.
Call: 262-7549.

'Ten Million Reawakenings'

The Actors' Group's "Ten Million Reawakenings" cast includes, standing, from left, Eric Nemoto, Blossom Lam, Bill Carr; and front, from left, Dorothy Stamp, Didi Leong and Shaula Voge.

The Actors' Group offers the world premiere of "Ten Million Reawakenings," by Richard C. Goodman, and co-authored by Eric Nemoto and Brad Powell. Powell also directs. Complete with kimono and Japanese dances and music, this is a dramatization of a medieval Japanese ghost story from Lafcadio Hearn's collection: A samurai makes a promise to his dying wife, and the promise is broken.

When: Premieres at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, repeats at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 7.
Where: Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St.
Tickets: $10.
Information: 722-6941; tickets@taghawaii.org.

'Manoa: The Story of Kahalaopuna'

Vincent Gilbert, top, and Will Keanu in "Manoa: The Story of Kahalaopuna" at Leeward Community College Theatre.

Tammy Haili'opua Baker's drama is a modern telling of the rainbow goddess of Manoa Valley and her betrothal to a jealous Kailua playboy. The Leeward Community College production should be quite the spectacle as the artistic team includes director Paul Cravath, kumu kula Victoria Holt Takamine, choreographer Peter Rockford Espiritu, John Signor (formerly of " 'Ulalena") in charge of soundscape, LCC art instructor Michael Harada (set design) and Puamana Crabbe (costumes). And then there's the cast of 35 actors, dancers and musicians.

When: Premieres at 8 p.m. today; repeats at 8 p.m. Saturday and Thursday-Nov.15 and 4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Leeward Community College Theatre.
Tickets: $15 general, $12 students, seniors and military.
Call: 455-0385.

'Scapin'

Brigham Young University-Hawai'i's Fine Arts Department presents "Scapin," the tale by the French dramatist Molere about a scheming servant. The production launched last night.

When: Continuing at 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Thursday-Nov. 15.
Where: McKay Auditorium, BYUH.
Tickets: $5; not for kids under 8.
Call: 293-3926.

'Arsenic and Old Lace'

Mr. Witherspoon (Shane Ka'ahu) accepts a deadly offer from the Brewster sisters (Elsa Lindstrom and Tiare Smits) in "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Ronald E. Bright Theatre.

Maybe you've seen the 1944 comedy film starring Cary Grant. Here's the story: The Brewster sisters, two sweet old ladies, murder lonely old men and bury them in their basement, much to the dismay of their nephew. The Castle Performing Arts Center production is directed by Karen Meyer.

When: Premieres at 8 p.m. today; repeats at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 16.
Where: Ronald E. Bright Theatre at Castle High School, Kane'ohe.
Tickets: $10 general; $6 students and seniors; group rates available.
Call: 233-5626.

'Langston Who?'

T-Shirt Theatre offers an original play by Walt Dulaney, based on the works by African-American poet Langston Hughes. T-Shirt Theatre is a project of The Alliance for Drama Education.

When: Premieres at 7 p.m. today; repeats at 7 p.m. Nov. 14.
Where: Farrington High School auditorium.
Tickets: $5 or donation.
Call: 732-0153, 220-5003.

'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'

The play based on the fantasy tale by C.S. Lewis is great for firing up the imagination of youngsters. It's the tale of four kids who enter the enchanted world of Narnia, where animals speak and a witch has cast an evil spell. It's presented by the Performing Arts Department of Kamehameha Schools' Kapalama campus.

When: Premieres at 7 p.m. today; repeats at 7 p.m. Nov. 14, 21-22 and 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 16, 23.
Where: Princess Ruth Ke'eliko-lani Auditorium, Kamehameha Schools.
Tickets: $5 at the door.
Call: 842-8496.

'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and 'The Fantasticks'

Two alternating productions at Punahou School tap very different worlds of romance. Shakespeare's popular comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," is a madhouse of humans and fairies and love. "The Fantasticks," the longest-running stage production in American theater, is a musical comedy about two neighbors who scheme to set up a romance between their offspring.

When: "Midsummer" — 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 14, 2 p.m. Nov. 16. "Fantasticks" — 7:30 p.m. today and Nov. 15-16, 2 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Dillingham Hall, Punahou campus.
Tickets: $10 general, $5 students and seniors; available 2-4 p.m. today and Nov. 12-14 at the Sullivan Ticket Office or one hour before each performance.
Log on: www.punahou.edu/theatre/productions.

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