ECHOES OF DAT RED GUITAR
BY LEE TONOUCHI
MAY 28 – JUNE 28, 2015
ABOUT
“SO…HOW’S IT FEEL TO BE OFFICIALLY ONE STATE WORKER?”
Hawai‘i’s “Pidgin Guerilla” returns to Kumu’s stage with a darkly humorous play about a bright but unmotivated man still living at home with his parents who berate him for his lack of ambition. He gets a job in a state office populated with memorable characters, including a bully, nerdy techies, a born-again Christian sex bomb, and a haole boss who stresses “community” and “teamwork.”
When impending state furloughs threaten his employment, will he be able to summon his personal `aumakua, the Japanese superhero Kikaida? Or will the pressure drive him to go postal?
This production includes adult themes, sexuality and violence, and may not be suitable for more sensitive viewers.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursdays / Fridays / Saturdays at 8 p.m. HST
May 28, 29, 30 & June 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 2015
Sundays at 2 p.m. HST
May 31& June 7, 14, 21, 28*, 2015
*American Sign Language Interpretation upon request
KAʻIULANI
A HISTORICAL DRAMA REVIVAL BY DENNIS CARROLL, VICTORIA KNEUBUHL, ROBERT NELSON AND RYAN PAGE
MARCH 26 – APRIL 26, 2015
A poetic rendering of the short life of Hawai'i's half-Hawaiian, half-Scottish princess.
ABOUT
“THE BELLS OF THE CITY PEALED A JOYOUS WELCOME TO THE NEW HEIR TO THE HAWAIIAN THRONE”
Within the short life of Princess Kaʻiulani is contained the sad, shameful story of the downfall of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She was sent to Europe to receive an education befitting her royalty, but during her absence the monarchy was abrogated and she returned to Hawaii a figurehead rather than a queen. Kaʻiulani is a historical-musical-psychological drama complete with a Greek/Hawaiian chorus and a Hawaiian chanter. The play, which portrays the princess during three different phases of her life, originally premiered at Kumu in 1987.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursdays / Fridays / Saturdays at 7 p.m. HST
March 26, 27, 28; April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 2015
Sundays at 2 p.m. HST
March 29; April 12, 19, 26*, 2015
(No show Sunday, April 5 – Easter)
*American Sign Language Interpretation upon request
MY NAME IS GARY COOPER
A HAWAIʻI PREMIERE EARLY HOLLYWOOD DRAMA BY VICTOR RODGER
JANUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 22, 2015
A young Samoan man visits a Los Angeles family to deal with some unsettled issues.
ABOUT
“HE LEFT ONE NIGHT FULL OF LOVE AND KISSES BUT I NEVER SEE THAT BASTARD AGAIN.”
Rodger, a playwright of Samoan ancestry, deals with themes of race, racism and identity. In My Name is Gary Cooper, he combines knowledge of classic Hollywood films about the South Pacific with a determination to bring Pacific Island characters to the foreground. He says, “[In] Hollywood’s…South Pacific films…white characters entered the brown world and stirred things up. What if, I wondered, a brown character entered the white world instead, and stirred things up? What would it look like?” This play answers the question.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursdays / Fridays / Saturdays at 7 p.m. HST
January 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31; February 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 2015
Sundays at 2 p.m. HST
January 25; February 8, 15, 22*, 2015
(No show Sunday, February 1 – Super Bowl)
*American Sign Language Interpretation upon request
THE UNDERNEATH
A WORLD PREMIERE NOIR MYSTERY DRAMA BY SUSAN SOON HE STANTON
NOVEMBER 6 – DECEMBER 7, 2014
When a young man disappears under mysterious circumstances, his estranged brother tries to find him.
ABOUT
“I HAVEN’T SEEN MY BROTHER IN YEARS. I THINK HE MIGHT BE ANGRY WITH ME. I OWE HIM. IF HE’S ASKING FOR HELP, THEN HE NEEDS IT.”
In this noir mystery drama, a man returns to Hawaii after ten years, responding to an urgent summons from his brother. On arrival he learns that his brother is missing, and that many things have changed since their childhood. To uncover the mysteries, the brother encounters a girlfriend, a homeless man who may have witnessed something relevant, a crime boss and an enigmatic young private investigator. Identities shift and the past re-emerges as the search seems to reveal more questions than answers.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursdays / Fridays / Saturdays at 7 p.m. HST
November 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29, 30; December 4, 5, 6, 2014
Sundays at 2 p.m. HST
November 9, 16, 23, 30; December 7*, 2014
(No show Thursday, November 27 – Thanksgiving)
*American Sign Language Interpretation upon request
SHOYU ON RICE
A WORLD PREMIERE COMEDY BY SCOT IZUKA
AUGUST 21 – SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
Peer pressure and identity issues create comedy and drama in a private Hawai'i high school.
ABOUT
“SHE NEVER GOIN’ UNDERSTAND LOCAL STYLE ‘CAUSE SHE WASN’T RAISED IN HAWAIʻI”
In the mid-1980s, boys attending a Catholic all-boys high school deal with their use of pidgin English when a substitute teacher from Kansas takes over their classroom. Meanwhile, the substitute struggles to learn local ways in both the classroom and the home of her Japanese-American fiancé’s parents. And a student from a private girl’s school faces the scorn of the boys due to rumors about her reputation.
PERFORMANCE DATES
Thursdays / Fridays / Saturdays at 7 p.m. HST
November 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 28, 29, 30; December 4, 5, 6, 2014
Sundays at 2 p.m. HST
November 9, 16, 23, 30; December 7*, 2014
*American Sign Language Interpretation upon request