Get ready for the likes you likely haven’t seen before.
From juggling to jazz, Kahilu Theatre is offering a wide range of shows in October sure to delight.
The packed lineup begins with international juggling champion Mark Nizer, one of the world’s foremost practitioners of the unique form of entertainment, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Kahilu Theatre.
Nizer’s daring performance has opened for scores of celebrities and he’s been the featured entertainer at extravaganzas ranging from community theatre presentations to galas at the Lincoln Center in New York and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
The artist has been known to launch a handful of ping-pong balls some 20 feet into the air then juggle them with his mouth, just to name one of many tricks that always wow the crowd.
Tickets are $35 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 16, available at kahilutheatre.org, 885-6868 or at the Kahilu Theatre box office, 67-1186 Lindsey Road in Waimea.
A new series, Luce Unplugged, will offer five intimate evenings and showcase some of the best artists from Hawaii. Staged in the Mike Luce Studio black box venue of the Kahilu Theatre, the first of the series will feature charismatic guitarist Blayne Asing 7 p.m. Oct. 4.
Born and raised on the island of Oahu, self-taught singer/songwriter Asing picked up the ukulele and guitar at the age of 8. He has risen to the top of Hawaiian music charts and was awarded the 2016 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Most Promising Artist. Hawaiian and country/folk influence his original compositions. His song, “Molokai On My Mind” is popular on radio stations across the state and beyond.
Luce Unplugged is a new series in Kahilu Theatre’s 39th Presenting Season.
Tickets are $35.
The following week, Oct. 11, Christian Sands, will take the stage at 7 p.m. Currently one of the most in-demand pianists working in jazz, he will be accompanied by bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Jerome Jennings.
In the last few years Sands has toured around the world as a bandleader and recently appeared as a sideman on records by Christian McBride and Gregory Porter. His skills have cemented him a place in jazz history as an indestructible force with an unwavering allegiance to his musical artistry.
Tickets range between $25 and $50.
Three Maui Divas, a performance that packs a trio of top female talent, will take place in late October.
Napua Greig, Amy Hanaiali’i and Raiatea Helm, will perform together for two divine shows in a rare gathering of the beautiful Maui superstars. The concerts will be 7 p.m. Oct. 19 and 2 p.m. Oct. 20.
Each artist is a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winner and each has a voice and stage presence that carries showstopper wattage. Greig is a kumu hula, school teacher, and recording artist. Hanaiali’i remains Hawaii’s top selling female vocalist of all time. Her success as a recording artist is evidenced by a multitude of Grammy and Na Hoku nominations, awards and recognition. Helm, meanwhile, made history in 2006 as Hawaii’s first solo female vocalist ever to receive a Grammy nomination for her sophomore CD “Sweet and Lovely.” She is also a Grammy Award-nominee and multiple Na Hoku Award-Winner.
Tickets range from $35 to $65.
Singer, songwriter, dancer, and multi-instrumentalist Okaidja Afroso will perform with a trio of percussion and vocalists at 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
Born into a family of musicians and storytellers in the village of Kokrobite on the West Coast of Ghana, Okaidja Afroso is deeply connected to the musical traditions of the African Diaspora and devoted to bringing together diverse modes of expression in pursuit of global harmony.
“My music preserves my West African roots while embracing diverse cross-cultural influences and styles,” Afroso said in a news release. “I strive to create a rhythmic fusion of old and new that presents a fresh sound that preserves the authenticity of the traditional while embracing the rich complexity of the integrated world we inhabit today.”
Tickets range from $25 to $45.