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From 'West Side Story' to Shakespeare and Aesop | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Friday, April 16, 2004

From 'West Side Story' to Shakespeare and Aesop

Advertiser Staff

The Jets — from left, Kimo Kaona, Jeremy Lota, Michael Newalu, Crystal McDonald, Kawika McPeek, Walter Aipa, Trey Roy — sing about owning the streets in "West Side Story," beginning today at the Kamehameha Schools campus.

Photos by Brad Goda
Musicals, drama, comedies. New stuff (from 'Ohi'a Productions) and very, very old (by Shakespeare). A wild card, too, from the Lizard Loft. They're all to be found this week on Island stages:

The beloved musical "West Side Story" is presented by the Kamehameha Schools' Kapalama campus Performing Arts Department. This romantic drama a la "Romeo and Juliet" — set in the gang-infused Upper West Side of New York City — offers unforgettable songs such as "Maria," "America," "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty." The 1961 movie based on the stage production won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

  • 6 p.m. today, Saturday and April 23; 2 p.m. Sunday and April 25; at Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani Auditorium, Kamehameha Schools. Tickets are $5 general, $3 children; available at the door. 842-8496.
A backstage love triangle erupts on stage as Dotty Otley (Ghislaine Sopher-Phillips) watches Frederick Fellowes (Derek Calibre) get his foot stomped on by jealous actor Roger Tramplemain (Brent Yoshikami) in "Noises Off," opening tonight at Paliku Theatre.
Oh, that wacky British humor. "Noises Off," a slapstick play-within-a-play about a British theater touring company, is directed by the not-so-retired Ron Bright. "Noises," written by Michael Frayn in 1982, exposes the off- and on-stage antics of the troupers as they stage a sex comedy titled "Nothing On."

The cast includes Patrick Torres, Ghislaine Sopher-Phillips, Brent Yoshikami, Derek Calibre, Clara Ann Chorley, Kayce Erwin, Anne Marie MacPherson, David Schaeffer and Jeff Muse.

  • Premieres at 7:30 tonight, repeating at 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through May 2 at Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College. Tickets are $21 general, $19 ages 62 and older, military and UH faculty and staff, $15 UH students and children; group rates available. 235-7433, eTicketHawaii.com.

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Revised)," offered by Chaminade University's drama department and based on the 1999 revival, has a bigger emphasis on the light-hearted joy of childhood than the original 1967 Broadway musical. But everyone's favorite Charles Schulz characters — Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Snoopy, Sally Brown and Charlie Brown — will kick it up on stage as they go through a day in their lives that brings everything from wild optimism to (sigh!) utter despair.

An eight-member student cast is joined by two faculty members. Directed by Gary E. Morris, with musical direction by Tim Carney.

  • 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at Mamiya Theatre, Saint Louis School. Tickets are $10 general, $5 seniors, students and children. 440-4246.

"Roosters," continuing at Kapi'olani Community College, is a Latino-themed family drama set against a cockfighting backdrop. Add rumba music and you have a production that's rarely offered in the Islands yet primed to transcend cultural boundaries. The story of father-and-son conflicts, it's written by Milcha Sanchez-Scott and directed by Cee/Cristian E. Ellauri.

  • 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Maile Performing Arts Theatre, KCC. Tickets are $5 at the door; not for kids under 5 years old. 734-9225.

And now for something really different, there's the Lizard Loft's "XXIV," a theatrical competition that's open for public viewing beginning tonight. Teams — a writer, a director and two or more actors — have 24 hours to write a play based on a "seed" and minimal set. Winners in the initial heat this weekend will move on to next weekend's battle based on a new "seed" and a set "kit" that they can configure as they choose. Judges and audience applause will determine the winners in each battle.

  • 8 p.m. today and Saturday, continuing at 8 p.m. April 23-24 at The ARTS at Marks Garage. Admission is $5. 536-8047.
Stephanie Sanchez as Harriet Hare in "Fun with Fables 2," beginning Saturday at the Honolulu Zoo.
"Fun with Fables 2," an 'Ohi'a Productions work by Lisa Matsumoto and Roslyn, hopes to entertain and educate youngsters and the young at heart by bringing Aesop's fables to life. Among the tales: "The Milkmaid and Her Pail" and "The Tortoise and the Hare."
  • 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and April 23-25 at the Honolulu Zoo's Meadow Stage (weather permitting); use the Monsarrat gate entrance. Tickets are $5, at the gate. ohia@ohia.com.

Happy birthday, Bard! University of Hawai'i professor emeritus Terence Knapp once again celebrates the genius of William Shakespeare at "Bard's Birthday Bash XXXIV: A Merry Miscellany of Shakespearian Great Roles." Knapp, who has directed or acted in more than two-thirds of the Bard's works, and students will perform famous Shakespeare monologues.

  • 6 p.m. Sunday at UH-Manoa's Earle Ernst Lab Theatre; doors open at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the student scholarship fund. 956-7655.

"Sweet Charity," the romantic comedy about a dancehall hostess who looks for love in all the wrong places, is a production of the Kaiser High School drama department. Film fans will recall Shirley McLaine in the title role in the 1968 feature based on the Broadway musical, with songs such as "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now."

  • 7:30 p.m. Thursday and April 23 and 29-30 and May 1 in the Kaiser Drama Room. Tickets are $6 general, $4 students. 394-1219.

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