Curtains rise for pair of plays about fantasy, obake tales

Advertiser Staff

Two very different realms of the fantastical will be explored on Honolulu stages in the next several days:

Stephanie Kong is the princess and Neil Waite the prince in "The Paper Bag Princess and Other Stories," taking the stage at the Kennedy Theatre at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa this weekend. Andrew Shimabuku

In the title tale, a princess manages to outwit a dragon; other stories include "Mud Puddle," "Mortimer" and "Angela's Airplane." Puppets and an ensemble cast of 12 bring the tales to life; it's a show for families with kids who are 8 years old and younger.

Theatergoers also will be the first to experience a just-renovated Kennedy (new carpets, better restroom accessibility, more stalls).

"Princess," adapted for the stage by Irene M. Watts, is directed by Tamara Hunt.

Show times are 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (the Sunday performance will be signed for the hearing-impaired).

Tickets are $12 general, $10 seniors, military, UH faculty/staff, $7 non-UHM students and children, $3 UHM students; available at the box office, charge by phone and at Ticketmaster outlets. 956-7655, 526-4400.

Tamotsu (Marcus Oshiro), left, has become so depraved that he points a gun at his friend Hitoshi (Shawn Thomson) in "Obake," a Kumu Kahua production that opens Thursday. Brad Goda

The setting is the 1920s on the Big Island, and Tamotsu (Marcus Oshiro) has been fired from his plantation job. He is not a nice guy by any means: He ridicules his picture-bride wife Kazue (Sun Min Chun) and his friend Hitoshi (Shawn Thomson) for believing in obake; he drinks, gambles, steals and abuses Kazue. Then he goes too far.

A bit of warning: Because of the nature of the play, some scenes include partial nudity and violence.

Kumu Kahua veteran James Nakamoto directs. Japanese dance and movement choreography is by Onoe Kikunobu.

"Obake" premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St., repeating at 8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 30 (no performance on Thanksgiving Day).

Tickets are $13 general, $11 seniors, $5 students and unemployed on Thursdays; $16 general, $13 seniors, students and groups of 10 or more buying at one time for Friday to Sunday shows; available at the box office or charge-by-phone. 536-4441.