With "Mamma Mia!" doing gangbusters on movie screens around the world, following similar buzz when "Chicago" hit the movie circuit earlier, it's no surprise that Universal Pictures is looking to Broadway for the next biggie, "In the Heights." This is the star-making vehicle of Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the musical and composed the lyrics and the music and played the lead role.

And there's a local angle: One of the producers of "In the Heights" on stage is Kevin McCollum, the former Honolulan who mounted "Rent" and will serve as an executive producer, along with his colleagues Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, for the film version. The show won four Tonys, including best musical this year; it zooms in on the Washington Heights community in upper Manhattan, where a bodega owner (Miranda) inherits his late grandmother's earnings from a lottery. The heart and core of the show's story — that family is what life is all about — embraces hip-hop and Latin-tempo beats. ...

HOLIDAZE: When The Brothers Cazimero stage "Sounds of Christmas" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12-13 and 2 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Hawai'i Theatre, one of the guest artists will be Afatia Thompson, who will sing some Robert Cazimero tunes, with Robert reciprocating with Afa's music — or that's the buzz. Of course, Roland Cazimero will be ready to be his jolly self, and the roster includes dancer Leina'ala Kalama Heine, the Royal Dance Company, Halau Na Kamalei, and Miss and Master Keiki Hula from the Lili'uokalani Keiki Hula Festival. Call 528-0506. ...

On Maui, check out "Lei of Aloha 2," an open house at the Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, which celebrates the holiday season and helps Hokulani Holt's halau, Pa'u O Hi'iaka, raise funds. Innkeepers Janice and Tom Fairbanks "invite you to take a step back into the genteel Hawai'i of the 1930s, the time of poet Don Blanding, whose beautiful words inspired the theme of our inn." Tickets: $20 advance, $25 at the door. Call 808-244-5897. ...

HOME AGAIN: Honolulu will be treated to stellar ballet names when Ballet Hawaii stages its "Nutcracker" Dec. 19-21 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Joan Boada of the San Francisco Ballet returns as the Prince, playing opposite Megan Fairchild of the New York City Ballet as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Fairchild was among the NYCB dancers at a gala that opened her company's season recently at the newly renamed David H. Koch Theater, and she was pictured in The New York Times along with Alicia Keys and Sarah Jessica Parker. In an era of financial duress, Koch gave $100 million to the theater, home of the New York City Ballet and City Opera. ...

Hawaii Ballet Theatre's "Nutcracker" will be staged Dec. 13-14, 20-21 at Leeward Community Theatre, with Hiroko Kurokawa Ota as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Eric Carvill as the Cavalier, Vernon Campbell as Drosselmeyer, Andrea Blankstein as Clara and Mark Otloski as the Prince, with Broadway vets Greg Zane and Christine Yasunaga also guesting. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: B.K. Cannon, the 18-year-old Island actress who is a Mid- Pacific Institute graduate, will be on Fox's popular "House" series at 7 p.m. Tuesday. It'll be the series' Christmas show. She was in the Island-filmed "Flight 29 Down" on the Discovery Channel, and stars in a yet-to-be-released film, "The Inner Circle." ...

Ginai, the Island singer who has performed internationally, will make her debut at Chai's Island Bistro at Aloha Tower Marketplace at 7 p.m. Dec. 27. She has been guest-singing with the Hot Club of Hulaville, and is a regular Fridays at The Dragon Upstairs in Chinatown, where she shares R&B smoothies . ...

HERE 'N' THERE: Dwight Martin, producing director at Manoa Valley Theatre, was in Washington, D.C., last weekend, where he and family members took in a "Frost/Nixon" production starring Stacy Keach and Alan Fox, which closed Saturday. "Ours was better," he e-mailed staff here. And he's probably right: We finally caught the performance at MVT last Saturday, with Ned Van Zandt and Bill Ogilvie in the leads, and they sizzled. ...

Longhi's in Lahaina was buzzing during the Maui Invitational. University of Texas and University of Notre Dame teammates dined one night — a longstanding tradition for UT coach Rick Barnes — and North Carolina coach Roy Williams broke bread with legendary hoops coach Doug Moe and their wives. ...

The Actors' Group's current play, "Ring of Fire," deals with military wives and PTSD, and features real-life military wife Jenn Harris. TAG will have a special Military Spouse Appreciation performance at 2 p.m. Sunday. ...

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.