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Laughter among ‘Worthmores’ rewards

STAGE REVIEW They say laughter can cure a multitude of ills. If that's the case, then "The Worthmores" is just what the doctor ordered. From start to finish, this delightfully fresh, funny-and at times, frisky-production serves up no shortage of laugh-out-loud moments.Written by Maui author and actor Tom Althouse and ably directed by Lisa Teichner, "The Worthmores" (or, "The Maid Unmade") is a charming comedy of errors that teems with well-executed silliness in the spirit of Monty Python and Mel Brooks. Equal parts romantic comedy and social commentary, Althouse's original script is ...

Sensational season ahead for Maui OnStage

At Saturday night's "Sneak Peek," guests were treated to multiple excerpt performances from five productions chosen for Maui OnStage's 2014-15 season. Songs included Rickey Jones' "Sparklejollytwinklyjingley," and Dale Button, Felicia Chernicki, Steven Dascoulias, Lee Garrow, Jason Wulf and Brett Wulfson sang of a needing "a taste for death" but no need for "sunshine, glee, country music and Tennessee." Alexis Dascoulias announced Casey Murphy ("Chicago," "The Wedding Singer") will be playing the role of Elle Woods in July's "Legally Blonde," and Lina Krueger and Jerry Eiting argued in ...

‘Worthmores’ are worth a visit

Nearly a decade in development, Tom Althouse's manners comedy, "The Worthmores (or the Maid Unmade)," will premiere will full pomp, plumage and pageantry next weekend at the Historic Iao Theater. Althouse intends that "The Worthmores" be perceived as a play written in the past but pleasing to audiences of the present and future. In this comedy of errors, things are not always what they seem and society is turned on its ear.Written in an 18th century style, "The Worthmores" captures the flavor of the era with its speech, poetry and turn of phrases. Years of touring internationally in ...

Action on isle stages

After a whirlwind month of productions (too many to accommodate reviews for all), I was pleasantly surprised that all eight Maui-produced shows had packed houses with upward of 200 people per night. Adding in the gigantic Maui Arts & Cultural Center crowds last month, it is fair to say that Maui residents have no problem buying tickets to a dozen shows over a few weeks.Local drama educators deserve high praise for recent youth theater productions. King Kekaulike's Chris Kepler presented an inspiring and extremely polished production of "The Tempest." The depth in which this large ...

Rythmic Circus comes to the MACC @ 7:30 p.m. Friday

Considering Maui Arts & Cultural Center's featured artists, Maui Academy of Performing Arts' Ampersand, Adaptations Dance Theater, the Alexander Academy and Seabury Hall - dance is flourishing on Maui this theatrical season.Next up is Rhythmic Circus' "Feet Don't Fail Me Now," a dynamic tap and music performance that mixes hard-hitting, percussive dance with a live rock band and a one-man beat-box phenomenon, Aaron "Heatbox" Heaton. Frequently compared to "Stomp," "Feet" is a genre-hopping hour-and-a-half of rock, blues, soul, rapid-fire tap and the big, brass sound of a seven-piece ...

Between the lines

One of the perks of writing for Maui Scene is getting the chance to chat with people you admire. Last month I actually wrote, "Call David Sedaris," on my to-do list, followed by a 32-digit French phone number. OK, so it wasn't 32 digits, but I think there was a "Q" in it.Before success came his way, Sedaris held many an odd job."I never expected to make a living as a writer," he shared. "You have to have a job that is not too taxing. You can't be a lawyer or a high school teacher. It's too difficult to devote the time required for writing."Some of those gigs included playing an elf at ...