When Alani Apio's play "Kamau" was first staged in 1994 as part of a Kumu Kahua Theatre summer tour of the Islands, it inevitably drew standing ovations from audiences excited — sometimes incited — by the story of a Hawaiian man who finds himself in a moral and ethical dilemma as the company he works for sets its sights on the land on which his family has lived for generations.

Amid the blossoming of the so-called second Hawaiian Renaissance and the parallel proliferation of box stores and other high-power Mainland influences, the resonance of the questions the play posed about cultural fidelity and personal compromise has only intensified in the 13 years since.

What better time, then, for Kumu Kahua to ressurect the play?

"Kamau" opens tomorrow under the co-direction of Harry Wong III and Wil Kahele, and runs Thursdays through Sundays until April 14.

The play stars Elizabeth Pukaua, Nui 'o Kamehameha Sniffen Ah-Nee, James K. Bright, Dawn Gohara, Neal Milner, Gilbert Molina, Aitofele C. Simpson-Steele, Laurie Tanoura, Chloe Amos, Dusty Behner and William Murray.

"The issues are still current about Hawaiians losing land to development and the ways Hawaiians have to deal with this to survive and thrive," said Wong, the theater's artistic director. "It asks, 'What compromises can you make?' "

Wong said one of the strengths of the play is its sense of balance. The characters are complex and nuanced; good and bad are subjective.

The play was performed just six times on O'ahu during its original run, but the response it got on the Neighbor Islands was powerful if conflicted. What some saw as survival, others saw as selling out.

"Alani's intention was to get you thinking about it," Wong said. "It's the best kind of theater because it causes discussion. At the end, it's 'What do you think?' "

Given the resurgence of the Hawaiian language and the emerging educational influence of the University of Hawai'i Center for Hawaiian Studies, Wong suspects the play will be just as impactful while the discussion that follows will be a bit more sophisticated.

"I think audiences are a little more ma'a (experienced, smart)," he said.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.