Kumu Kahua presents Double Bill
HONOLULU, HI: Kalua`iko`olau a Noh play by Kemuel DeMoville and Waiting for a King by K. H. Ontai, will play as a DOUBLE BILL of two World Premieres, at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant Street in downtown Honolulu, from May 14th through June 14th, 2009.
Kalua`iko`olau a Noh play by Kemuel DeMoville
A stylized and poetic retelling of the true story of Kalua`iko`olau, also known as Ko`olau the Leper, this play is set in Kalalau Valley on Kauai, where two travelers learn the story of how Ko`olau resisted the provisional government forces when they were sent to take him and his son to Kalaupapa on Moloka`i. Ko`olau and his wife and son escaped, but the soldiers forced the inhabitants to leave the valley forever so that no one help Ko`olau. The family lived alone in the valley until first the son, and then Ko`olau, died from their disease.
Waiting for a King by K. H. Ontai
It is the early nineteenth century in Hawai‘i, foreigners have begun to inhabit the islands and the Hawaiian kingdom is in a state of transition that will drastically affect the future. King Kamehameha will pass the throne to his son Liholiho. Kamehameha's high priestess Kaahumanu will create for herself the new post of kuhina nui, and his nephew Kekuaokalani will become custodian of the war god Kukailimoku. As the four offer differing opinions of what the future might bring and what action should be taken, a Chorus in the present look back at the past and forward into the future, contemplating the fate of the Hawaiian people.
Thursday, Friday & Saturday 8pm: May 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30;
June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 2009
Sundays 2pm: May 17, 24, 31; June 7, *14, 2009
*American Sign Language interpretation available upon request
Kumu Kahua artistic director Harry Wong, III will direct the production, with set design by David M. Gerke; light design by Abel Dulles-Coelho, Make-Up & Hair by Mish Umipeg, Stage Manager / Assistant Director is Jason Ellinwood; Choreographer is Nara Cardenas. The cast features: William Murray; Annie Lokomaika’I Lipscomb; Moses Goods, III; and William Kahele;
Kumu Kahua Theatre is an air-conditioned, intimate 100-seat performance space; Patrons are strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance as individual performances do sell out. Performances are at 8pm Thursday through Saturday, and at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling 536-4441, or by visiting our box office between 11am and 3pm Monday through Friday. Ticket prices range from $5 to $16. Tickets are on sale now. For more information about this and other productions, or to buy tickets online, visit www.KumuKahua.org.
Kumu Kahua productions are being supported by the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, celebrating more than thirty years of culture and the arts in Hawai‘i (with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts); the Annenberg Foundation; the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, Mufi Hannemann, Mayor; paid for in part by the taxpayers of the City & County of Honolulu, the Hawai’i State Legislature, and Foundations, Businesses and Patrons.
