Posted on: Thursday, December 9, 2004

SHOW BIZ
Nabors' show outstanding production

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

HO-HO-HO: With a cordial "see you next year," Jim Nabors bid fans aloha and mahalo at his sold-out three-day stand of the "Merry Christmas With Friends and Nabors" spectacle at the Hawai'i Theatre last weekend. His show launches Honolulu's modest but marvelous version of Radio City Music Hall's annual Christmas pageantry in New York City.

Nabors — boomers know him as Gomer Pyle — is committed to return next Christmas, and that's good news, since a year or two ago, a continuation was iffy.

Delightful, too, to see Nabors braving potential aches and post-show pain when he joined the exuberant and endearing Diamond Head Theatre Shooting Stars in the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" line-up. That's always a crowd-pleaser, with the kids doing that toy-soldier formation and the "oldest" soldier Nabors high-kicking it for the finale. Reason Nabors was able to limber up: earlier in the week, he had medical support (a cortisone shot in the knees) from rheumatologist Dr. Ken C. Arakawa, whose daughter, Rachel, was among the dancers with Carolee Nishi's Hula Hui O Kapunahala ensemble.

There was cohesive chemistry in all departments: singers Jimmy Borges, Karen Keawehawai'i and Emma Veary dusted off expected favorites, alone and in duets with the Naborly one. The Nabors-Veary "Silent Night" in English and in Hawaiian was a solemn delight, particularly in these war-torn times.

Chuck Anctil's The Company Singers this year featured tenor Guy Merola in a rousing "Do You Hear What I Hear," and we all heard — responding with generous applause. And surely, Philip Huber & the Huber Marionettes get better and better, presenting puppetry as a front-and-center art form.

Maestro Matt Catingub is clearly the prolific one; he sang one vocal solo ("Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season") with flair and conducted the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra with just the perfect balance of brass and strings.

Nabors, of course, was the glue that kept the show together; his tireless dedication to do this without his usual fee is truly a gift that keeps on giving. His long-time director, Tom Hansen, paced the production with Las Vegas-style pizzazz, utilizing aisles in orchestra and balcony as performance space for surround-sound impact. "It's a matter of tweaking the old favorites," he said at intermission. Remember: same time, next year. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance," that Celtic dance sensation, will be staged April 29 through May 8 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Watch for an announcement on tickets. ...

You normally see her in pre-curtain, opening-night welcoming speeches at Diamond Head Theatre, but managing director Deena Dray (alternating with actress Eden Lee Murray) will read Dr. Seuss stories when DHT offers pre-matinee storytime sessions for its current show, "Seussical," at 2 p.m. Saturdays at the theater's garden lanai. Dray takes the spotlight this Saturday, Murray on Dec. 18; keiki (and adults) attending either 3 p.m. matinee can sit in. Following the performances, audience members can meet the cast, too. ...

Maria Quiban, former Isle news reporter and now a co-anchor on KCOP-13, the UPN affiliate in Los Angeles, has been in town, shooting a Crevier Enterprises video postcard. Those who know her might have seen her image on large Hollywood-area billboards — something we don't have here and something she never imagined possible for a local girl. The postcards, to be available on DVD starting in February, examine the culture and appeal of all islands. ...

When All-4-One, in town for a concert and an appearance at the launch of "Honolulu City Lights" last weekend, sang a cappella versions of "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" during a visit to Michael W. Perry and Larry Price's KSSK brunch show last Saturday at John Dominis, the audience kept shouting, "Hana hou." A member of the group wondered, "Everywhere we go, audiences are always asking for a Hana Hou ... and I don't know who she is." Now he knows. ...

FINALLY: Harry B. Soria Jr. debuts Cord International's "Andy Cummings & His Hawaiian Serenaders" CD, from 5 to 6 p.m. this Sunday, on "Territorial Airwaves," on KINE 105.1. The disc assembles 17 classics, circa 1946-'48, by the composer of "Waikiki." ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, or fax 525-8055.