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Maui theater: A look at what’s ahead

The latest lot of additional shows of the season is formalized and announced annually around the holidays. The Maui Arts & Cultural Center will certainly be bustling with seven theater events alone over the next two months. In addition to monthly improv comedy nights, ProArts Inc. will return with stage plays starting this month, and the next wave of Maui youth productions is just around the corner. If January and February are any indication, Maui is in store for a jam-packed year of the performing arts in 2016.Next up, the daring acrobats, jugglers, balance artists and ...

Showstoppers

Annually I choose the Top 10 showstoppers of the year, and annually I get an email or three questioning the choices.By definition, a showstopper is a performance by an individual that wins enthusiastic and prolonged applause. Many a poorly attended performance has a fantastic moment, and perfect moments are what live performance is all about.These perfect moments are technically my choices for the best of 2015, but it is Maui crowd reactions that dictate what deserves a look back upon excellence as we move into 2016.10 The pink dragon from Baldwin Theatre Guild's "Shrek: The Musical" in ...

The multitalented William Shatner – Author, Screen Legend, Comedian, Singer

There is a sports cliche that the only thing worse than being a second choice is not being chosen. William Shatner has made a career out of being a second choice. The founder of Priceline originally wanted Bill Cosby, who passed on the spokesman gig, allowing Shatner 18 years of regular TV exposure and the opportunity to showcase his humor. He also wasn't the first pick for captain of the starship Enterprise.These days, the 84-year-old actor, writer, comic, and yes, singer tours the world performing, and on Wednesday, he'll appear at the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali, ...

Naughty or nice? It’s a cabaret Christmas at Casanova

There's a long list of Christmas shows that have been in performance and will continue through this week. From classical to pop to comedy there has been something for everyone on Maui, and that includes those seeking alternative Christmas cheer that's a little bit on the naughty side.In 2011 in a feature about Oahu's Cherry Blossom Cabaret, I suggested, "A true burlesque artist must be a dancer, singer, costumer, choreographer, producer, director, comedian and magician all in one. A true burlesque performance has more in common with Cirque du Soleil than a striptease." On Maui that is ...

‘Last Comic Standing’

In short order, NBC's Emmy-nominated comedy competition show "Last Comic Standing" has developed into a launching pad for aspiring comics.Just as Louie Anderson and Bill Maher spoke of an appearance with Johnny Carson changing their lives, "Last Comic Standing" has done the same for several comedians since its debut. Most notable is Amy Schumer, whose Comedy Central series, "Inside Amy Schumer," has been nominated for five Emmy Awards and whose film, "Trainwreck," was a runaway hit in 2015. Other noteworthy "LCS" veterans include frequent Maui Arts & Cultural Center guest Gabriel ...

Maher * Spade * Ross to bring ‘Mahermageddon’ to Maui

"I look forward to these shows more than any other, it's a treat that I give to myself," said Bill Maher regarding his annual Oahu New Year's Eve and Maui New Year's Day shows. 2016 marks his fifth annual visit, and this year he'll bring along some very funny friends, including David Spade."This just in, Pearl Harbor was bombed," said Spade, to begin our phone conversation. "Were you there?"Spade, who performed at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina in 2010, shared that he was a little nervous to perform with Maher."I don't want be the idiot on the bill," he joked, adding, "The audience will get ...