"Waikiki Nei," Honolulu's much-anticipated show and ultra lounge space undergoing renovations in the Royal Hawaiian Center, will hold open casting for bar staff, nightclub dancers and aerialists this month, in anticipation of a July launch.

The $22 million, 750-seat showroom will host an innovative Hawaiian theatrical production, with vocal, dance and visual elements to reflect Hawai'i's colorful past, from the overthrow of the Hawaiian government to the present time. A cast is rehearsing for a mid-July premiere.

But the showroom, with seating that is retractable, will also become a mammoth nightclub and bar, with an ultra lounge also on the premises, expected to be a popular destination among the club set. The Las Vegas-calibre space will feature VIP service, specialty cocktails and interactive tables.

Thus, the call is out for wait staff, including bartenders, bar backs, cocktail servers, door hosts and security personnel.

Because the apres-show environment will feature aerialistsand acrobats, "Waikiki Nei" is seeking specialty acts that will provide mid-air entertainment — trapeze artists, aerial ballerinas and bungee acts are especially needed.

Auditions will be from 1 to 3 p.m. May 23, for cocktail servers, and from 3 to 5 p.m. May 23 for nightclub dancers and aerialists, at the Maui Room of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

Callbacks are slated for May 28.

Roy Tokujo, developer of the "'Ulalena" production on Maui who with nearly 50 years of show biz experience here, is producing "Waikiki Nei," with Todd Dougall, a 30-year titan of entertainment at the MGM Grand, overseeing production of the new space.

Information: 931-6200.