Of war, 'The Children's Hour' and a demigod
Advertiser Staff
Three dramas are in the spotlight at community theaters this week, one that has resonance in these times of war, the others about wars of emotions.
Brad Goda
• "Gunfighter," written by Tony-Award-winning Mark Medoff, is a timely tale about a soldier whose career and life crumble after a friendly-fire incident that kills two American soldiers during the Gulf War in 1991.
Col. Wayland Patterson (Allen Cole) derides Lt. Col. Jack Hackett (Alan Sutterfield) for his arrogance in the Manoa Valley Theatre production of "Gunfighter," which makes its premiere Wednesday night.
It's based on the true story of Lt. Col. Ralph Hayles, the first soldier in Army history to be named publicly by the military and the media as the shooter in a friendly-fire incident.
"Gunfighter" unfolds through the eyes of a TV reporter assigned to Col. Jack Hackett's battalion. When Hackett is involved in a friendly-fire tragedy, the reporter gets the scoop, but there's more to the incident than she's been led to believe.
Medoff, who has written, directed and acted for Manoa Valley Theatre before, is also co-directing the play with Joyce Maltby. The cast includes Tara Ziegler as journalist Erin Seidman; Alan Sutterfield as Lt. Col. Jack Hackett; and Allen Cole as Col. Wayland Patterson.
Premieres at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, repeating at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, through June 6 at Manoa Valley
Theatre. Tickets are $25 general ($5 discount for seniors and military); $15 for those 25 years old and younger. Pre-show dinner service available Wednesdays through Saturdays. 988-6131.
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| Counter-clockwise from top, Richard Pellett, Sylvia Hormann-Alper, Jo Pruden, Mary Frances Kabel Gwin and Electra Fair are featured in "The Children's Hour," beginning Sunday at Richardson Theatre.
Gene Allen |
The setting is a girls' school, where a malicious youngster starts a scandalous rumor about the two headmistresses. "The Children's Hour" was first staged in 1934 on Broadway with great success and was revived in the 1950s. It was also filmed twice — in 1936 as "These Three" and in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine and James Garner.
The Army production features Sylvia Hormann-Alper, Electra Fair, Mary Frances Kabel Gwin, Richard Pellett and Jo Pruden. It is adapted and directed by Vanita Rae Smith.
Showtimes are 2 p.m. Sunday and May 23 and 30. Tickets are $6 at the door. www.squareone.org/ACT, 438-4480.
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• "Kamapua'a" is the story of the pig demigod, child of Hina and Kahiki'ula, and his sometimes violent search for his identity, told entirely in the Hawaiian language. It's presented by Ka Halau Hanakeaka, the Hawaiian-language theater group at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. The play contains adult subjects and sexual situations.
7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College. Tickets are $15; the shows are virtually sold out, but tickets might be available at the door an hour before showtime. 956-3555.
