Enter Offstage

I arrived super last-minute to see Thursday night’s preview of Hawaii Shakesfest’s second show of the season, Two Noble Kinsmen , and so I actually did take the worst seat in the house, as far as I could tell—way in the corner of a semicircle stage configuration. But I very quickly realized that it didn't matter. I was engaged, and in such an intimate theatre, you don’t miss much from any point of view. There were even moments when I wanted to look away (from two nearly naked, sweaty noble kinsmen chained and touching… tenderly? ) but it was impossible to avoid the platformed spectacle, even from my straining corner chair.  This play, one of the lesser performed “late plays” co-written by Shakespeare and Fletcher, kind of has a bad rep among most Bard aficionados. Well here’s what I say: It’s funny, ridiculous, and also pretty relevant. So what’s this play all about? Basically, two “bros” both fall for the same girl and go from sworn BFFs to sworn enemies in a matter of s

I need for pay bettah attention next time I go Longs, cuz I been missing out on all kine characters , for realz! Wednesday night time, I wen see da preview for dis supah funny play, written by none oddah den Lee Cataluna, called Folks You Meet In Longs . Ho, sistah get skills. She know how for capture one living portrait of local people wit both humor and irony (an more den little bit humanity) all wit just one three-minute monologue each. And not just her. The actors dat go play all da different local “Folks”—dey know how for do em real good too. Get da voice, da Pidgin kine talk all different depend on the character, and da physicality whether is mahu, tita, one sass teen, or whatevahs. You know wat, I tink you gon like em even bettah den my mainland haole (but been here eight years already) attempt at one authentic local kine write-up for da buggah. Charlotte Dias and Blossom Lam Hoffman So, yah, pardon my alter ego, but that’s what happens when I’m overexposed to the sound

Has the summer heat got you feeling a little lax? Are bursts of creativity hard to come by this July? No sweat. M.I.A. has the cure for summertime slackin, and it's happening on Thursday, July 21, at Fresh Cafe. The summer hiatus artist sessions started last month on the third Thursday of June and repeat in July and August before M.I.A.'s regularly scheduled programming returns in the fall. Here's the deal: Show up at Fresh Cafe with whatever tools you use in your creative process (some example tools suggested by M.I.A:   paint, pens, paper, chalk, blood, sweat, tears, guitars ) . Bring a buck (yes, just one dollar) to get in the door. Prepare to be inspired by guest artists who will give you a prompt of some sort. Create something (anything). Share with the group—it's not a workshop, it's not about criticism—so just let it out. Repeat. Jaimie Gusman, founder of M.I.A., calls the summer sessions a work in progress—basically what all art should be. She hopes that

Last night I had the pleasure to preview The Tempest , the first production of the 2011 season of the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival. The story of daughter and deposed Duke of Milan’s magical tempest–induced encounter with the wise guys from back home on their nearly deserted island (four residents in all, including a monster son-of-a-witch and a magic spirit) counts as one of Shakespeare's final (if not last) plays, and falls in the category of partly stormy with a happy ending, otherwise known as tragicomedy or romance. There is only one place to begin when talking about this particular production, and that is with the puppets. It’s a puppet’s world on “an island” in “the sea”—labels scribed across the maplike floor that is the stage. The puppets are gorgeous and detailed, each one a truly unique creation (by Sandra Finney) from head to strapped foot (unless they have no feet). A big part of the excitement watching the show comes in waiting for the next new character (all puppets

I am eager to kick off this new blog project, writing about theatre and the arts in Honolulu. As a sometimes performer friendly with a number of people in the arts community, I know it will be both gratifying and difficult to write about shows in an honest, insightful way. I certainly don't want to offend anyone or lose friends, but I also don't want to go around patting people on the back with fluffy commentary all smiles and glitter. My mission with this blog is to write with integrity, respecting what the artists and performers have aspired to create while commenting on the effect of the production from my point of view : one audience member. A certain director I've worked with a few times had the habit during pre-opening runs of sitting in the worst seat in the house to watch the show from that penalized vantage point. “Be your own worst critic”—a useful position to take when honing and refining just about anything: a play you've directed, a short story, a chocola