Posted on: Tuesday, May 31, 2005

SHOW BIZ

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

CURTAIN CALLS: Fresh from her triumphant turn as Kim in Army Community Theatre's recent "Miss Saigon," singer-actress Shawna Masuda has been cast as Belle in Diamond Head Theatre's "Beauty and the Beast," premiering July 15. ...

Director Ron Bright has completed casting for Castle Performing Arts Center's "A Chorus Line," marking the 25th anniversary of the theater and premiering July 22 at the Bright Theatre at Castle High School. Joining Jade Stice (Cassie), Jodi Leong (Diana) and John Bryan (Ritchie) are: Patrick Torres (Zack), Cole Horibe (Larry), Yvette Ortega-Garrison (Sheila), Ashley Layfield (Val), Veronica Stevens (Judy), Nikki Passas (Kristine), Jay Jay Queja (Al), Christy Matsushige (Connie), Nataysha Echevaria (Maggie), Evan Jennings (Bebe), Tony Young (Mike), Ross Pascual (Paul), Allan Lau (Don), Zare Anguay (Mark), JP Tai (Greg), and Ernest Stevens (Bobby). For tickets, call the box office (233-5626) or Harry's Music (735-2866). ...

Bright and wife Mo are accompanying daughter-in-law Linell Bright and her Kamehameha Schools Children's Choir on a trip to New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles (the entourage left town yesterday), so rehearsals will be in the hands of choral director Bryan and choreographer Marcelo Pacleb. The Kamehameha youngsters, who provided vocals in Disney's "Lilo & Stitch" several years ago, will be performing at Ground Zero in the Big Apple, at the nation's capital, and at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. At Disney, Clarke Spencer and Chris Sanders, the creators of "Lilo & Stitch" (who also produced and directed), will give the youngsters a VIP tour of the animation studios. Mr. B will have an unusual role in the Kamehameha concerts: He'll strum 'ukulele. The group returns June 9. ...

TRADE WINDS: Actor Paul Walker, of such films as the earlier "The Fast and the Furious" and the forthcoming "Into the Blue," was spotted wearing surfing gear and catching a bite at Zippy's in Kahala. ...

At the first of three Honolulu Symphony pops concerts last week, Keali'i Reichel bared his soul before turning on that musical faucet with his incredible fluidity. First, he's quit smoking, which meant that he gained (then lost) some weight. He bought new shoes (though was shoeless after intermission). And he now needs glasses to read his charts. ...

Deniece Williams ("Let's Hear it for the Boys") replaces the earlier-announced Stephen Bishop ("On and On") at the Hilton Waikoloa Village's Great Waikoloa Food, Wine and Music Festival, which is part of the Dolphin Days Summer Fest, on June 25. Bishop bailed out, citing a tour with Moody Blues this summer. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Justin Brossier is back from Los Angeles and is eager to renew Island ties as he appears as Benjamin Braddock in Manoa Valley Theatre's "The Graduate," premiering tomorrow. The 26-year-old Punahou grad has been away for six years, studying at Chicago's Goodman School of Drama, then to UCLA, where he received a B.A. in history. Guest director Betty Burdick immediately cast him opposite Patrice Scott as the sultry Mrs. Robinson — quite a change from the last time they shared the spotlight when Brossier was 16 and appeared as nephew Jay in "Lost in Yonkers," where Scott was Aunt Bella. ...

Multiple Po'okela Award-winning Manoa Valley Theatre sound designer Jason Taglianetti is going way beyond the call for "The Graduate." The self-described sound geek brought his own recording equipment to MVT to create a radio spot, recording the voices of Allen Cole and Patrice Scott (Mr. and Mrs. Robinson), then wrote and performed the guitar music, borrowing a few chords from Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," then edited the whole shebang to a seductive 30-second spot that's airing on KSSK Radio and local TV. Another volunteer, MVT bookkeeper Rachel Funk, also has created a 30-second spot. ...

HERE 'N' THERE: Seen dining recently at Shanghai Bistro: an array of entertainment folks, ranging from songbird Sonya Mendez enjoying cocktails with promoter Yemun Chung to KUMU Radio's Tiny Tadani celebrating his birthday to New York-based opera singer Leslie Goldman eating Chinese food with her mother, Sally Parker, and sister, Meghan Goldman Buck. Even lunchtime with the new dim-sum festival attracts notables, such as Hong Kong-born Fran Kirk of Outrigger Entertainment, who raved about chef Chang's creations.

And that's Show Biz. ...

Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.