From 'Forum' to farce, there's new stuff on stage

Advertiser Staff

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," opens tonight at Diamond Head Theatre and plays through June 5. Photos by Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Bill Ogilvie plays the crafty slave Pseudolus and Brent Yoshikami is his young master, Hero. The play won a Tony Award in its Broadway production and was made into a feature film.

The cast of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" includes Roxanne Fray and Gerald Altwies as Hero's parents.

'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'

This Tony Award-winning musical follows a crafty slave as he tries to win his freedom by wooing a courtesan for his master. Whimsical characters and clever songs take center stage in this timeless comedy. John Rampage directs.

• Opens 8 p.m. today, with additional shows at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays through June 5 at Diamond Head Theatre. Tickets are $12-$42, with discounts for students, ages 62 and older, and military. 733-0274.

'Wild Bill and Calamity Jane or How the West Was Almost Lost'

Presented by the Lanikai Mortgage Players, this old-fashioned melodrama encourages booing, hissing and audience participation. Lucille Shreve directs.

• Showtimes are 8 p.m. today-Sunday and May 27-29 at Lanikai Community Park Pavilion. Tickets are $5 and include popcorn. 349-5552.

'Blood Wedding'

Federico Garcia Lorca's drama comes to the stage via 15 O'ahu teens taking part in the Honolulu Theatre for Youth's Teen Acting Company, or TACo. The current TACo group includes students ages 13 to 18 and is wrapping up its inaugural year while taking applications for next season.

• Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Sunday-Monday at Kumu Kahua Theatre. Admission is free. 839-9885, ext. 14.

'I Ka Wa Kahiko'

'Aheleakala, a new Hawaiian performing arts group from Maui, presents a Hawaiian children's production that translates into "Once Upon a Time." The magical performance uses Hawaiian chant, hula and storytelling to share Hawaiian myths and legends, with an aerialist, lifelike forest and audience participation.

• Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Monday at Hawai'i Theatre. Tickets: $10. 528-0506.