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‘Annie Get Your Gun’ hits mark

At the heart of "Annie Get Your Gun" is its anthem, "There's No Business Like Show Business," and there can be no show if there is no business. Just as Buffalo Bill needed publicity stunts to keep his Wild West Show afloat, every live theater company in the world needs old-fashioned musicals and big stars if they want to stay in show business.Although I prefer shows that are less than 10 years old, a season of my personal preferences would equal bankruptcy for most theater companies. With its large, enthusiastic opening-weekend crowd, all signs point to "Annie Get Your Gun" being an ...

Husband-wife duo aim high in Maui OnStage production of ‘Annie Get Your Gun’

In the midst of the women's suffrage movement emerged a teenage girl who had a different take on women's rights. Annie Oakley didn't wait for them, she just lived it.According to 19th-century newspaper accounts, Oakley was discovered on Thanksgiving Day, 1875 in Cincinnati, Ohio. A traveling show marksman, Frank E. Butler, challenged any local shooter to beat him. A $100 bet was made by local hotel owner Jack Frost. Aware of Oakley's skill, Frost arranged the match, saying years later, "The last opponent Butler expected was a 5-foot-tall 15-year-old girl." After missing his 25th shot, ...

Shrek the musical

This year, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, the Ford Mustang and the Pillsbury Doughboy are all celebrating 50th anniversaries. On Maui, you can add Baldwin Performing Arts to the list of golden anniversaries. Founded by Sue Ann Loudon, the department's first production was "Bye Bye Birdie," which will be directed later this year by one of her former students, Chris Kepler, drama instructor at King Kekaulike High School.Ten years ago, the late Liz Janes-Brown wrote of Loudon's 40th anniversary for The Maui News. "I remember the first play Miss Sue Ann Loudon directed on Maui 40 years ...

Sentiments not ‘Lost in Yonkers’

Nearly 65 years ago, the legendary Sid Caesar assembled the greatest comedy writing staff ever. What makes that achievement so special is that in the early 1950s, all of the youthful writers were unknown. Amazingly, not only are four of them still with us, but they also remain active in comedy. Carl Reiner is about to turn 93, Mel Brooks is 88, Neil Simon is 87 and "the kid," Woody Allen, is 79.Simon was an incredibly shy 23-year-old when he got the job along with his older brother Danny Simon. The 24-year-old Brooks did not share that trait. He was so shy that he would barely speak ...

Seeing red in ‘The Crucible’

The evolution of Arthur Miller's classic drama "The Crucible" is quite astonishing. When it debuted in 1956, it was blatantly obvious to all that Miller was taking on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC ). Nearly 60 years later, most Americans younger than 50 are unaware of Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy or the Hollywood blacklist. On its other level, "The Crucible" is an accurate piece of history on the Salem, Mass., witch trials comparable to a PBS documentary. It is today required reading in most high schools and perhaps the most produced high school play in America (due ...

Laugh at layovers with The Queue’

We've all had an unpleasant airport layover. My two personal favorites were six hours in Honolulu when the pilot had a heart attack, and 10 glorious hours at LAX last year. "The Queue" is set around an hour-and-a-half period prior to an international flight. Its three main characters are the distant, disinherited heirs of a rich uncle they're trying to meet before he dies. In contrast to many dance shows, "The Queue" is a comedy with a conflict and resolution plot line.There is a jaded, Gen X quality to "The Queue," but it is also an absurdist comedy in the style of an elegant Charlie ...