Weekend action all on stage

Advertiser Staff

From left, Stefanie Smart as Reno Sweeney, Randl Ask as Moonface Martin, and bottom, Andrew Sakaguchi as Billy Crocker in Diamond Head Theatre's classic musical "Anything Goes," which opens tonight. Brad Goda

Don't forget the many other productions around the island, too, including "The Cyclops" at Earle Ernst Lab Theatre, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and "How da B-52 Cockroach Learned to Fly" at UHM's Kennedy Theatre; "West Side Story" (sold out!) and "Lillian" at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter; "My Way" at Manoa Valley Theatre; "Woyzeck" and the trio of one-acts "Cane Fire," "Reunion" and "In the Alley" at Kumu Kahua; and "The Kona-Town Musicians" at Leeward Community College Theatre.

Here are the new shows:

Classic musical

If you loved the recent Kevin Kline/Ashley Judd movie "De-Lovely," you'll delight in the classic musical "Anything Goes," Diamond Head Theatre's season opener, which showcases several Cole Porter hits.

The setting is a cruise liner, where criminals, cabaret singers and the wealthy folk of New York are swept up in romance and comedy. Among the Porter standards are "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "Easy to Love" and, of course, "It's De-Lovely."

"Anything Goes" is directed and choreographed by John Rampage; music and lyrics by Cole Porter; original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman.

The show premieres at 8 p.m. today and repeats at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 10. Tickets are $12-$42; discounts for students, seniors 62 and older and military. 733-0274.

Live competition

In the Lizard Loft's play competition "24 on 24," teams are challenged to write, direct and perform a short play in 24 hours. They'll have an initial "seed" (a script requirement) and a minimal set. Winners will be decided by a panel of judges and audience applause; prizes will be awarded.

Show times are 8 p.m. today and Saturday at The ARTS at Marks Garage. Tickets, available half an hour before each show, are $5. 536-8047.

Play reading

Kumu Kahua's first play-reading event of the 2004 season takes place Tuesday night at the theater (46 Merchant St., downtown). It's "The Last Outpost: A Play About Iraq," by Nancy Moss, winner of the resident prize in the Kumu Kahua/UHM Theatre Department play contest last year. A discussion and free refreshments follow the reading.

Show time is 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. 536-4441.