During a recent vacation on the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Kauai, I had three exciting theatre experiences that I would like to share with you. HORIZONS - WHERE THE SEA MEETS THE SKY, the evening show at the Polynesian Cultural Center, is billed as the largest Polynesian song and dance review in the world, and it is no doubt the most spectacular. The show has over 100 performers, all of them having been recruited from the various islands by missionaries of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Most are students at the Brigham Young Campus in Honolulu, and performing is a method to defray college expenses that are absorbed by the Mormon Church.

The Cultural Center is located on a 42-acre site that houses seven separate villages, each having mini-shows presenting the history and traditions of the Pacific cultures of Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, Marquesas, Tahiti, Tonga and Easter Island. These historical presentations last approximately 20 minutes and are performed sequentially, beginning at 1:30 pm daily. Some of the presenters would make excellent stand-up comics, and the data about cooking, farming, and jewelry-making is presented in a combination of song, dance, and humorous monologues. Later in the afternoon a pageant of floats, containing dancers from each of the islands, proceeds down a stream that meanders through the villages. How the dancers maintain balance on those barges while engaged in such vigorous dancing is a feat in itself, not to mention performing the dances and throwing fire knives. While chatting with a variety of the performers, I found that most intend to return to their home islands after obtaining their degrees. The male performers tend to be majoring in political science, computer science, and business administration. The ladies plan to become teachers or nurses. At the conclusion of these individual island activities, one can attend what is considered "Hawaii's Most Authentic Luau" or dine at one of the other two restaurants on the premises.

The night time show is held in an amphitheatre with a stage backdrop that appears to be at least 100 feet high consisting of a variety of small stages inset in a faux-volcano, waterfalls, and palm trees. At the bottom is the main stage surrounded by colored water jets that provide a musical curtain veil between numbers and during intermission. Forty songs and dances are performed during a two-hour show which provides continuously colorful and vibrant tributes to the customs and natural beauty of the various islands. Particularly exciting is the Terina which is performed with illuminated Poi balls spinning in colorful rhythmic motion to form Maori patterns. In a setting of total darkness, it appears as if the Poi balls are dancing. Even more exciting are the Samoan fire knife dances in which the burning torches are spun, thrown to and from the higher stages, and give the illusion of dancing fires. A bit of comic relief is offered by the Nu'u Laiti E in which three young men attempt to conquer the fear of fire. In Three Stooges style they toss fire balls, jump flames, and eventually extinguish them by sitting on them in water soaked grass skirts.
On Friday, September 24th, I attended opening night of ANYTHING GOES at the Diamond Head Theatre (DHT). This theatre, considered the "Broadway of the Pacific," is the third oldest continuously operating theatre in the United States. The building provides a state-of-the-art venue for theatrical workshops training in dance, voice, a youth performing arts troupe, in addition to six main stage productions a year. This comedy with music and lyrics by Cole Porter encompasses a story about Reno Sweeney, an evangelist turned bar hostess, who boards a European-bound liner to curtail Billy Crocker's pursuit of Hope Harcourt who is determined to marry British nobility. Crocker has boarded without a ticket and adopts a number of disguises to conceal his lack of fare. Also aboard is a comical little man, the Reverend Dr. Moon, who the FBI considers Public Enemy 13. Moon aspires to become Number 1. Hope discovers that she has become an heiress, abandons her plans to marry Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (who then lavishes his attentions upon Reno), and consents to marry Billy. Much to his dismay Moon is proclaimed to be harmless and dropped from the FBI list.

Although I read a few articles about the financial problems that the arts are experiencing in Hawaii, very much like those we are experiencing on the Monterey Peninsula, there is no appearance of financial shortcomings at the Diamond Head Theatre either in the maintenance of the facilities or the quality of the productions. ANYTHING GOES closed October 10th and, SEUSSICAL plays December 3rd through 19th. The 2005 Season includes TWENTIETH CENTURY, THE FANTASTICKS, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

While visiting Kauai, I stayed at the Radisson Resort Hotel which boasts the Island's only dinner theatre. This year's feature presentation is SOUTH PACIFIC celebration of the 55th Anniversary of the Broadway opening. Incidentally, much of the movie was filmed in Kauai on the beaches between Hanalei and Bali Hai. While touring the North Shore, one can walk the sands of "the Nurse's Beach" which is maintained as a tourist site.

The Director's Notes call to mind that this Rogers and Hammerstein Pulitzer Prize-winning production created a new genre of musical in depicting a non-comic show incorporating the themes of interracial relationships (which were illegal at that time in United States) and racism. Supposedly Hammerstein received death threats concerning the interracial kiss and the song "You've got to Be Carefully Taught." He refused to make changes because that was the main point of the Michener's novel "Tales of the South Pacific," upon which the play was based.

Being a dinner theatre, the Radisson production had none of the advantages of a vast stage, complex scenery, or an orchestra. However, the minimal scenery was extremely attractive and the scene changes, done by stage hands with great frequency, were done so rapidly and created a beautiful backdrop for some excellent singing. Greg Sheperd, who plays Emile de Becque, is the head of the Music Department at the Kauai Community College and holds two master's degrees in music - one being operatic performance. In essence, he carries the show in that his voice is enthralling and his acting is excellent. He has also been a 3-time champion on the TV game show "Jeopardy", winning a total of $33,000.

Nellie Forbush is played by a young lady called Love and, while her singing is excellent, her acting as well as body movements were often stilted and not in keeping with the usual casting for the bubbly, bouncy nurse who portrays the cock-eyed optimist. The young lady who portrayed Liat, Joy Buccat, claims this is her acting debut. She is a professional hula dancer and a former beauty pageant winner. However, her scenes with Lt. Cable (played by Thom Newman) are so poignant and believable, no one would guess that she is not a veteran stage performer. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she looks like the model for an Aloha Airlines commercial, and numerous other ads showing tropical beauties. Her star-crossed lover Lt. Cable, played by Thom Newman, is appropriately handsome and apparently has played the lead in many local musicals such as JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, DAMN YANKEES and FOREVER PLAID. His rendition of “Younger Than Springtime” almost brings tears to one's eyes.

Dennis McGraw, who played Luther Billis, was slightly hampered by a plastic leg brace necessitated by an injury sustained during rehearsal. However, he managed to incorporate the stiffened leg into his persona and his comic antics distracted one from noticing it much of the time. Unfortunately, it hampered his movements in the “Honey Bun” number, but his pecs were in fine form to produce the sailing ship effect on his chest tattoo, and his songs were sung with resonance and robust energy. An added delight was Christobel Kealoha who played Bloody Mary. A brief chat with her after the show revealed that she also is a stage novice, but sings in a church choir, and was able to draw upon childhood memories of women she knew while growing up to project a laughable and loveable island entrepreneur.

The costumes were often more 70's than 40's, except the military outfits, and the dances was less professionally executed than often done in productions of this show. But in some respects it created a more realistic sense of being done by nurses and Seabees and the fine singing compensated for terpsichorean talent. One thing that was consistently evident was musical direction of an outstanding quality. At no time is the power of such memorable numbers as "Some Enchanted Evening," "This Nearly was Mine," "A Wonderful Guy," "Happy Talk" and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame" lost in their presentation. Some audience members walked away humming "Dites-Moi." And I am sure that a few, myself included, realized the profoundness of one line (which was extremely controversial when the show first opened) questioning the sanity of "the good war." Commander Harrison states, "Of course, we can't guarantee him a better world if we win.

Point is, we can be damned sure it'll be worse if we lose. Can't we? - no answer - Well, can't we?" SOUTH PACIFIC will be performed on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Radisson until the end of the year.