Previews: SUMMER THEATRE PREVIEW ROUNDUP

Don't miss these great theatre offerings this summer!

Shows are listed by island and opening date.

HAWAI’I ISLAND

Murder on the Orient Express

Aloha Theatre

June 13-22

"A murder. A Mystery. A train full of secrets. Everyone's a suspect."

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Kahilu Theatre

June 20-22

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels follows the misadventures of two con-artists: Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jameson. Freddy is just one more hardscrabble huckster trying to make a (dis)honest living – that is, until he meets Lawrence, a high-society swindler whose polish and connections have landed him a glamorous gig on the French Riviera."

Fantastic Mister Fox

Aloha Theatre

July 25-August 3

A stage prodution based on the beloved classic by Roald Dahl, author of Matilda, The BFG, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

KAUA'I

Cabaret

Puhi Warehouse Theater

May 16-June 1

"Revisit this timeless classic set in 1930s Berlin, where the Kit Kat Klub’s dazzling performers bring you unforgettable music, dance, and drama amidst a world on the brink of change."

MAUI

Electra

Iao Theatre

June 9 

A new version of Sophocles' classic, adapted by Frank McGuinness: After Agamemnon is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra, their daughter Electra sent her twin brother Orestes to Strophius of Phocis to protect him from their mother. The play begins years later when Orestes returns as a grown man to take revenge and claim the throne.

Come From Away

Iao Theatre

July 4-27

"Come From Away tells the true story of when seven thousand people from across America and around the world landed on the doorstep of Gander, Newfoundland… and the people of Gander “put the kettle on.” When 38 planes were diverted to a small, Canadian community on September 11th, 2001, the town’s population doubled in an instant. While the world witnessed the worst acts of humankind, the stranded passengers had their faith in humanity restored by the spirited people who comforted those who had come from away."

O’AHU

Kim’s Convenience

Manoa Valley Theatre

May 15-June 8

“Join us for this hilarious and heartwarming comedy-drama about a Korean family-run store that inspired the award-winning Netflix hit. Kim’s Convenience is a feel-good ode to generations of immigrants that celebrates family, culture, and community.”

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

TAG Theater

May 16-June 1

"In 1927 Ma Rainey, “Mother of the Blues,” is recording new sides of old favorites in a rundown studio in Chicago. Fiery and determined, she fights for respect and to retain control over her music against the white power structure, while her complex, tormented trumpet player Levee is fighting to make his own name in the business with new sounds."

Man of La Mancha

Diamond Head Theatre

May 23-June 8

“Set during the Spanish Inquisition, this epic and poignant journey celebrates the perseverance of one man who refuses to relinquish his ideals and who is determined to see life is not as it is, but as it ought to be. With a rousing, Spanish-inflected score including "I, Don Quixote," "Dulcinea," and one of theatre's most beloved songs, "The Impossible Dream".”

The Golden Gays

Kumu Kahua Theatre

May 29-June 29

“What does it mean for a drag queen to be in their 70s, for a sexual player to keep up his game, for a divorced man to explore being gay for the first time, for a widower to date again? These bitches bicker, tease, and challenge each other to move on, and they do it in makeup and heels.”

The Princess and the Iso Peanut

Manoa Valley Theatre

June 19-July 6

"What can happen when a traditional fairytale princess falls in love with a local Japanese prince? Just about anything imaginable! Fun and adventure abound when Princess Alexis journeys from the kingdom of Allyria to the local Hawaiian-Japanese Yamamoto kingdom where she meets the prince of her dreams, and must pass a most unusual test. Throw in a boisterous, fun-loving band of pirates and the outrageous adventure begins! With book by Lisa Matsumoto and music and lyrics by Roslyn Catracchia, The Princess and the Iso Peanut is an adaptation of the familiar fairytale The Princess and the Pea, with a multi-cultural twist like only Lisa Matsumoto can do.​"

Comedy of Errors

The ARTS at Mark’s Garage

July 11-20

"A pair of identical twins are separated at birth, along with their identical twin servants. Quite by accident, they end up in the same city and everything gets higgledy piggledy.

If that weren’t confounding enough, in this production the lead actor has rage quit right before the performance and the rest of the cast and crew is scrambling to replace him. Extreme slapstick and clowning ensues, but the show must go on though, right? Right?"

The Transylvanian Clockworks

July 11-27

“Powerful, complex, darkly funny, the play is set in London and Transylvania in 1888, the year of Jack the Ripper. 

Jonathan Harker has returned from Transylvania so profoundly disturbed that he is confined to Dr. Seward's mental hospital and Van Helsing has been called in to help unravel the mystery of Jonathan's dementia. A complex labyrinth of fear, desire, violence, and lurking evil spirals into a horrific and surprising conclusion. An elegant, original, subtle, poetic and exhilarating piece of Gothic theatre.”

Side By Side By Sondheim

Manoa Valley Theatre

July 17-27

“Celebrate the genius of Stephen Sondheim as we pay tribute to one of the greatest composers and lyricists in musical theatre history with this dazzling revue of his most iconic songs. Nominated for five Tony Awards and the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

The SpongeBob Musical

Diamond Head Theatre

July 18-August 3

“When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and his friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up. The power of optimism really can save the world!”

Gypsy

Palikū Theatre

August 8-24

"Gypsy tells the story of famed Burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, who headlined the world-renowned Minsky’s Theatres in the 1930’s."

Hamlet

Mānoa Valley Theatre

August 8-17

"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to Elsinore following the sudden and unexpected death of their father, King Hamlet. Upon their arrival, they are confronted with the unsettling news that their mother, Queen Gertrude, has already remarried—to Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, who now sits on the throne as King of Denmark. When Hamlet encounters the spirit of their father, who reveals that he was murdered by Claudius and requires revenge, they are consumed by questions of justice, morality, and the pull of cosmic fate.

Set in a world where the veil between here and the afterlife grows thin, the stars look on as Hamlet confronts the truth no one else is willing to see."