Posted on: Tuesday, June 7, 2005
SHOWBIZ
Ogilvies' talents win acknowledgments
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
THEATER TALK: There's talent aplenty in the Ogilvie household. Bill Ogilvie, who is playing the lead in Diamond Head Theatre's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (extended through Sunday), has been making audiences howl. The downside? He had to miss daughter Julia's graduation from Punahou on Saturday. Julia, who won Po'okela acting laurels for a pair of DHT shows, "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Best Christmas Pageant," is one of three Presidential Scholar in the Arts Award winners (from a field of 7,000 applicants nationwide) and heads to Washington, D.C., shortly to accept the award and perform for President George W. Bush at the Kennedy Center. ...
Craig Schulman, our favorite Jean Valjean from "Les Miserables" on Broadway and a national tour that landed here, recently completed a business visit. He did an industrial show Thursday at the Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island, but also sneaked in a relaxing dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Honolulu, along with friends like Joey Caldarone, Sally and Donald Parker and Jim Pierce. Schulman had paused in Honolulu to work on a "Three Phantoms" Broadway concert here. (He's performed it with Cris Groenendaal and Kevin Gray on the Mainland, with orchestral backing.) Schulman also worked in a dim-sum lunch with organist Don Conover at Shanghai Bistro. Hope Honolulu gets his "Phantom" show, too. ...
Whee, the people: Compadres Bar & Grill in Ward Centre has been "on fire" lately, with two 'ohana members earning their firefighter's stripes. Justin Brownfield, former bar manager, is back part-time and tending to catering; Les Harris, husband of long-time manager Kellie, is singing with partner Taz Vegas as Kalaeloa on Friday nights. Restaurant owner Rick Enos is proud of 'em all. ...
Chef James McDonald and the folks at The Feast at Lele in Lahaina hosted about 15 Maori canoe carvers for lunch last week, while they were in town for the Festival of Canoes. On their way out, they passed by McDonald's Pacific 'O restaurant, where a Japanese couple in full wedding regalia was having lunch, and the Maori guests stopped and serenaded the couple in Maori. (McDonald recognized the tune as the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.") All of the restaurant patrons stood to applaud. Talk about chicken skin! ...
Chef Tom Selman was determined to keep his Main Street Bistro (Wailuku) open while giving his employees the day off last Memorial Day, so he recruited his wife, Daryl, to handle all the front-of-the-house chores. "It was the first time she'd waited tables in 25 years," said Selman. "She'd never worked a cash register and never swiped a credit card." Eighty-two lunches were served and Daryl never missed a beat. In real life, she's the chief operating officer of Maui Youth & Family Services. ...
Hawai'i Foodbank's recent gala, outside Ruth's Chris Steak House, enabled lanai diners to enjoy country music by Dita Holifield. Ruth's Chris was a participating restaurant and its group sales manager, Alex Kirley, who was very hapai then, didn't have to journey far to absorb the action. ...
Around town: When Eileen Muraoka and Ryan Sugimoto (both work at Oceanic Time Warner) tied the knot on May 28, they hired two comedians — Cathy Tanaka and Shawn Felipe — to host their celebration dinner at the Halekulani hotel's ballroom. ...
When Kit Samson provided music at "Yesterday Once More" at the Japanese Cultural Center, his Kahala Hilton followers were in the crowd: Maria Handl, wife of the late Richard Handl, former Kahala g.m.; Alicia Antonio, manager of Bali-by-the-Sea; Toy Arre, president of the Filipino Cultural Center; cartoonist Corky (andÊwife Hana) Trinidad; radio personality Bill Baist and wife Margo; Ampy, Roger and Nicole Santiago of Ampy's Day Spa, jeweler Oscar Elias; Laura and Norman Chung, singers Augie Rey and Al Waterson with wife Nancy Bernal; comedian Jeff Kino; Emme Tomimbang; Carole Kai and husband Eddie Onouye. Rey Unosuke, a visiting Japanese singer, got a standing ovation; he earlier hired Samson for a Japan gig and is trying to finagle another soon. ...
Tommy Guerrero, the native San Franciscan artist/musician and ex-pro skateboarder, was seen dining at E & O Trading Company at Ward Centre. ...
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.
