A&E Wrap-Up: 3-17-17

Shows &events

County band offers free concert at Hale Halawai

The West Hawaii County band performs at 6:30 p.m. this evening at Hale Halawai.

The free performance, “Delights of March,” will include classical music such as George Frideric Handel’s “An Occasional Suite,” traditional marches including “The Diplomat” by John Philip Sousa and tunes from the Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha.”

The band is under the direction of Bernaldo Evangelista.

This performance is part of the band’s monthly Free Friday Concert Series sponsored by the Hawaii County Parks and Recreation Department and the West Hawaii County Band Friends, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The next concert is slated April 21.

Info: www.westhawaiiband.com

WCT presents ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’

Waimea Community Theatre’s production of “The Drowsy Chaperone” opens tonight at Parker Theatre in Waimea.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” is a play-within-a-play, crammed full of every cliche, gag, and gimmick from the Golden Age of Musicals. A winner of five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk awards, this play was a Broadway Hit. It is based on the book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison.

As the play opens, the audience is greeted by the narrator, “Man in Chair,” sitting on a darkened stage. Feeling somewhat depressed, he decides to waken things up a bit by playing the music, on vinyl, of his favorite (fictitious) Broadway musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” No sooner has the needle hit the record than we, together with the narrator, are transported to a 1928 Broadway Theater, and in to “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

The production, directed by Andy Kunellis, will run this weekend and next weekend (March 24-26) at Parker Theatre with Friday and Saturday shows at 7 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. It then heads to Honokaa People’s Theatre for a 7 p.m. show on April 1 and a 2 p.m. show on April 2.

Tickets, which are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students and $9 for keiki younger than age 9. They are available at Waimea General Store, Waikoloa Mailbox and Taro Patch Gifts, as well as online at www.waimeacommunitytheatre.org.

Oahu students to perform at Keauhou Shopping Center

Iliahi Elementary School’s Na Kamali’i O ‘Iliahi will perform Saturday at Keauhou Shopping Canter.

The students, who hail from Wahiawa, Oahu, will perform ukulele in the center’s courtyard at 11 a.m.

Info: www.keauhouvillageshops.com.

Average Joe’s to play free concert

Average Joe’s will offer a free concert Saturday at the Queens’ Marketplace Coronation Pavilion in Waikoloa.

Part of Queens’ Marketplace’s Monthly Mini-Concert Series, the 6 to 8 p.m. event will feature Average Joe’s performing a variety of top 100 hits.

Info: www.queensmarketplace.net.

Hawaiian Cultural Center of Hamakua fetes one-year anniversary with festival

The Hawaiian Cultural Center of Hamakua celebrates its one-year anniversary with cultural programs and classes on Saturday in Honokaa.

The E Ola Mau I Ka Pono Festival is set for 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Botehlo Building. The festival features music, hula, cultural activities, and family fun.

The event opens with the blessing of HCC’s exhibit hall and unfolds to feature performances by Sonny Lim, Hula Me Ka Honua, Hawane Rios, Halau Waika, Hualalai, and Brad Bordessa. Meet the folks behind Pohaha I Ka Lani, Lalakea Fishpond, 101 Financial, Leiola Designs, and more at vendor booths featuring crafts, informational displays, and cultural activities. There will also be a silent auction and Hawaiian plates and vegan dishes.

The Hawaiian Cultural Center of Hamakua is a multi-cultural, multi-generational community center situated in the heart of Honokaa on Hawaii Island. It is a space for residents to deepen their connection with Hawaiian culture through community classes in arts, hula, language, history, agriculture, philosophy, and more. The center hosts special events, guest speakers, community service projects, and cultural exchange programs, creating a foundation for future generations.

Info: www.hccoh.org.

St. Patrick’s Irish Fest Saturday

The Shops at Mauna Lani will host St. Patrick’s Irish Fest on Saturday in South Kohala.

The free 5 to 7 p.m. event will feature Celtic music by The Kilt Lifters and Irish dance by Hawaii Irish Dance, as well as Irish-themed food, beer and whiskey bar, bagpiper Mark Knox, magic show by Kozy, a balloon artist, Celtic face-painting and more.

Info: 885-9501

Kokua Kailua this weekend

Kokua Kailua is scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday in Kailua Village. During the event, Alii Drive becomes a pedestrian-only walkway where district merchants, artists and artisans exhibit and sell unique merchandise, gift items, original art and crafts.

Kokua Kailua has been held monthly since 2009. The program is designed to rally support for merchants and restaurants and to remind residents to shop, dine and buy local.

During the five-hour event, Dr. Tim and Friends will be performing vintage music fronting Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel.

Palace honors Prince Kuhio, Queen Kaahumanu

The late Prince Jonah Kuhio and Queen Kaahumanu will be remembered from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Hulihee Palace in Kailua Village.

The free concert event is part of a yearlong series that honors Hawaii’s past monarchs and historical figures.

Hulihee Palace is open for docent-guided and self-guided tours. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. Following the monthly Kokua Kailua Village Stroll, the palace is open 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday. There is admission for self- and docent-guided tours, which are available upon request.

Attendees of Afternoon at Hulihee should bring a beach mat or chair because seating won’t be provided. Donations will be accepted.

Info: 329-1877, 329-9555 or www.daughtersofhawaii.org.

Ecstatic Dance Sunday in Honokaa

Sea DandeLion Cafe and DJ Rajasick present Ecstatic Dance from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Honokaa People’s Theatre.

Held the third Sunday of each month, Ecstatic Dance is a place to dance “from the inside out” and connect with like-minded people of all ages in a safe and non-judgmental space. Attendees age 13 and older are welcome. A $7 donation is suggested.

In its most basic definition, Ecstatic Dance it is free-form movement/dance inspired by music, allowing our bodies to move freely without judgment or concern for the grace or beauty of the dance. No dance experience or partner is necessary.

Info: SeaDandeLionHI@gmail.com.

Comedian Graham Elwood brings shows to Big Island

Comedian and podcasters Graham Elwood will perform two Big Island shows as part of a four-show comedy tour in Hawaii. Also performing will be Jose Dynamite and other special guests.

Elwood has appeared “The Late Late Show” on CBS and “The Sarah Silverman Program” on Comedy Central and as a game show host on tier 3 cable. He was also seen in “Super High Me” and “The High Road” on G4. He is the co-creator and host of the www.comedyfilmnerds.com website and podcast.

Elwood performs Thursday at 8 p.m. at Hilo Town Tavern. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. On Friday, March 24, Elwood comes to My Bay in Kailua-Kona for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Both performances are restricted to those age 21 and older.

Tickets for the Hilo show are available at CD Wizard and Hilo Town Tavern while tickets for the Kailua-Kona show can be purchased at Matsuyama Food Mart, Oshia Surf in Kailua-Kona and Kealakekua and My Bar.

Hawaii Opera Theatre brings ‘Three Decembers’ to Big Island

Hawaii Opera Theatre, the Islands’ only major opera company, continues the 2016-17 opera season, “Opera with Passion,” with the chamber opera experience of “Three Decembers” this month.

For the first time the theater is taking a world-class opera production throughout the islands, making its company debut on the Big Island and Kauai, and returning to Maui for the first time since 2013-14.

Composed by living, American composer Jake Heggie, “Three Decembers” comes to Kahilu Theatre for a 7 p.m. show on March 29 following two performances on Oahu. The show then heads to Kauai and Maui.

Heggie and Librettist Gene Scheer will attend the on Oahu and Big Island performances.

“Three Decembers” is based on a play by Terrence McNally about Broadway star Madeline Mitchell as she enters the twilight of her career and life. The story unfolds with Mitchell, estranged from her children, sharing a secret she has kept, and over three decades hidden truths are revealed as they struggle to find their identities as part of a family and in their lives.

Madeline will be performed by Frederica von Stade, who makes her Hawaii Opera Theatre debut. A recognized performer in classical music, von Stade has appeared in opera, concert and recital performances around the world. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, was awarded France’s highest honor in the arts when she was appointed as an officer of L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and recognized for her contribution to the arts by former-President Ronald Reagan.

Tickets for the Big Island show range in price from $20 to $75 and are available through Kahilu Theatre online at www.kahilutheatre.org or by calling 885-6868

Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra presents ‘Unstoppable Youth’

The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra will conclude its 13th season with a concert featuring the three winners of the orchestra’s sixth annual Schatz-Harris Concerto Competition at Kahilu Theater in Waimea.

At 4 p.m. on March 26, Artistic Director Brian Dollinger will lead the orchestra in a program titled, “Unstoppable Youth.” Accompanied by the orchestra, competition winner Isabella Liu, 8, will play Dmitry Kabalevsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Major, Opus 50, Movement #1; Jeremy Lee, 15, will play Frederic Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Opus 11, Movement #3; and Max Arakaki, 18, will play Wolfgang Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet in A Major, K. 622, Movement #1.

Also on the program is audience favorite Ludwig Von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

Tickets for the event are available at www.kamuelaphil.org or www.kahilutheatre.org, and at the door. Admission ranges from $15 to $25 for adults, and is free for those 18 and younger accompanied by an adult.

Film screenings

‘Dr. Strange’ to be screened in Naalehu

Naalehu Public Library screens a family movie at 3 p.m. every Tuesday at the facility in Ka’u.

The library shows a different family-friendly movie each week at no cost. This Tuesday, the library will screen “Dr. Strange.”

Released in 2016, this movie is rated PG-13 for action violence and some frightening images, so parents are advised to use discretion.

Free popcorn will be served, while supplies last.

Info: 939-2442.

Calls for entry

Hawaii Nei 2017 seeks artists

The Three Mountain Alliance, Natural Area Reserves System and Wailoa Center announces a call to artists for Hawaii Nei 2017, a juried art exhibition celebrating the native flora and fauna of Hawaii Island.

Amateur and professional artists of all ages are invited to submit works celebrating the native plants, animals and habitats of our beloved island, our Hawaii Nei. Artwork will be displayed at the Wailoa Center from Nov. 3 to Dec. 15.

All Hawaii Island residents are eligible to participate. All submissions must be original, created in the past two years, and have not been previously shown in any other exhibition, gallery or website. Artwork in any medium or combination of media is welcome.

Each year, Hawaii Nei selects a featured category to highlight a special species, theme, or event. While the featured category is meant to help inspire artist, artwork is not limited strictly to the featured category. The 2017 featured category is Kumulaau, also known as trees.

This year, artists can explore the foundation of native forests on Hawaii Island. Trees are a crucial component of a healthy watershed and a helpful collector of our precious water resource. They are often referred to as our kumu and even kupuna of the forest, being the base or trunk for multitudinous life but also our teachers and grandparents.

Native species found only on other islands will not be accepted. All species found from ridge to reef on the island are acceptable. Subjects from beyond the reef, including the deep ocean, will not be accepted. Artwork made from native species is strongly discouraged.

All artwork must be registered online by Oct. 19 at www.hawaiineiartcontest.org. A photo of the artwork and entry fees are required with registration. Artwork drop-offs will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Donkey Mill Art Center in Holualoa and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 28 at Wailoa Center in Hilo.

Prizes will be awarded to top winners in categories from all divisions, with a $300 prize for Jurors Choice.

Additionally, several special field trips and workshops are planned as a prelude to the November exhibition. The first event, a Tea Party workshop, will be held on May 13 at Wailoa Center. Attendees are asked to bring their favorite tea cup and spend an afternoon sipping a variety of local tea blends while creating works of art with instructor Darcy Grace. Register online at www.hawaiineiartcontest.org.

Info: www.hawaiineiartcontest.org.

Announcements

Nguyen, O’Kiersey featured at Kohala Mountain Gallery

Thu Nguyen and Patrick O’Kiersey are having a two-person painting show in Hawi this month sponsored by Kohala Mountain Gallery.

The show is within the gallery’s Exhibition Space at 55-3435 Hawi Road. The show will be up all of March, and possibly through the middle of April. For gallery and painting show days and hours, call 937-3062 or 987-4636.

Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and spent much of her childhood hiding away upstairs painting, instead of playing with other children. Her first brush success was a Best of Show prize at the 1974 children’s exhibition in Saigon sponsored by UNICEF. In 1975, Saigon fell and in the resulting confusion she was separated from my parents, ending up in a refugee camp near Hong Kong before immigrating to the U.S. as an orphan.

After getting her art degree, Nguyen settled down to pursue her art career in Los Angeles, later Seattle and finally Hawaii. ■