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2013 banner year; 2014 more ambitious!

Last year was quite banner for performing arts on Maui. Armed with success, the Maui theater schedule is only growing in productions for 2014. All this is good news for the producers, but is Maui beginning to overbook itself? I will begin to face this dilemma in February. There will simply be too many shows running on the same weekends for me to be able to attend and review them all. The only fair option is to squeeze a paragraph or two in for all of them, but just as with restaurants and nightclub concerts, there is now too much stage entertainment on Maui to cover in one weekly ...

Backstage top 10 in 2013

"One singular sensation" - it's a theater cliche, but that is the intention in choosing the finest stage moments of 2013. Some shows had small crowds, some were less than perfect, but these were the moments that made me sit up a little straighter, transfixed on that extra special action that suddenly dazzles on opening nights.10. One letter: "Q." Quarrat Kadwani's "They Call Me Q!" was a Fringe Festival masterpiece. All the proof needed is that she has won multiple awards and has gone on to perform in New York, Washington, D.C., Montreal and London. Her one-woman show (in which she ...

The King returns to the Rock

When you think about cottage industry and the logo embossed schwag that goes with it, no other entertainment icon can touch Elvis-biz. Not only has Elvis remained popular more than 35 years after his death, but all-things-Elvisy have made more money than the King did in his lifetime. From countless rereleases of his recordings, movies, the Graceland tours and even commemorative ceramic Jim Beam bottles with a music box inside that plays "Are You Lonesome Tonight," Elvis is alive and well.Then there's the "Elvis-A-Rama" museum in Las Vegas and its massive collection of sparkly jumpsuits, ...

‘Spelling Bee’ a win for ProArts, Maui Theater

Stage ReviewIn the past, I have talked about those once-a-year productions with an extra something that you can't quite put your finger on. Perhaps it's the right show, right time, a great cast or a passionate vision. Whatever it is, some shows are just special - and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is one of those shows. It may not be your grandmother's musical, but it is outstanding. "Spelling Bee" is not only one of the best shows ProArts Playhouse has ever produced, but it's also the best Maui production I have seen since "Les Misrables."Director Jonathan Lehman chose a ...

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

This weekend's premiere of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is the type of hipster show rarely produced on Maui. Created through a series of partially improvised workshops, "Spelling Bee" is a musical-comedy about teen outcasts and deeply flawed adults as they navigate through the cut-throat spelling bee world.ProArts Playhouse Managing Director Jonathan Lehman, who directs "Spelling Bee," has presented two bold, adult-themed productions in the last three months. He shared his thoughts on why ProArts chose the show: "I saw it in San Francisco in 2006 - twice - loved it both ...

Bill Maher ready to ring in the New Year on Maui 01/01/14

Love him or hate him, Bill Maher has a devoted following, a long-running hit TV show and regularly sold-out concert halls around the country.Next stop for the political comedian and television host who's sweeping the U.S. by storm? Hawaii, of course.I spoke with him by phone and asked if he was going to make Hawaii an annual tradition. His Jan. 1 show is Maher's third New Year's event on Maui."It's my life's dream, just try to stop me," Maher said. "It is such a wonderful way to conclude the year and ring in a new one. I have many friends in Oahu and Maui, but I'm always amazed at how ...