Augie Tulba — Augie T to fans and arguably the most active of Hawaii’s stand-up comics — is the ringleader of a new family-friendly comedy show heading your way in March. The comedian has staged $10 laughfests in gyms and nontraditional venues, and for more than a year had invited Frank De Lima to join him. Now he’s expanding the vision with the ambitious launch of Na Ali‘i of Hawaii, a five-member comedy ensemble featuring himself, De Lima and three other stand-up veterans: Andy Bumatai, Ed Kaahea and Mel Cabang.
"These are guys I’ve admired, learning from them when I was growing up," said Tulba. "These guys are masters, so we’re going to have a lot of fun."
DeLima, Bumatai and Cabang have had Waikiki shows over the past four decades; Kaahea is the surviving member of the iconic Booga Booga trio.
Play dates: March 2, Palace Theatre, Hilo; March 3, King Kamehameha Hotel, Kona; March 26, Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue; March 30, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, Kahului; and March 31, Blaisdell Concert Hall, Honolulu. The shows will be taped for cable and/or DVD release.
Tickets: $22.50 and $30 (with commemorative gift). Purchase: Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. …
TUBE NOTES: The Food Network’s first filmed-in-Hawaii "Iron Chef Tailgating Showdown," which premiered Jan. 29 as a prelude to the Pro Bowl, featured Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Symon, with wild boar as the secret ingredient. Tapedoutdoors at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe, it showcased the University of Hawaii marching band and the Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band.The Chairman (Mark Dacascos) and host Alton Brown also were aboard, the latter utilizing a minicam the size of a pocket camera to provide terrific close-ups of the food.
Morimoto, whose namesake restaurant is at The Modern, concocted his "Loco Moto," a take on the Loco Moco. Brandie Cazimero, Miss Hawaii USA, was a judge, and there were gorgeous second-unit shots of Oahu’s scenic treasures. …
ON STAGE: "Spring Awakening," the 2007 Tony-winning Broadway musical making its isle debut March 8 at Manoa Valley Theatre, has a local a connection of sorts. While featuring mostly teens who discover the vagaries of sexuality during puberty, there are two adults in the cast, including Craig Howes, who plays Man. Howes was in graduate school (Princeton, 1977-80) with Steven Sater, who wrote the music and book that earned Tonys. "Even then he was a remarkable combination of scholarly smarts and sheer enthusiasm — a very over-the-top, memorable person," said Howes. Opening night is sold out, but for seats for other performances call 988-6131. …
Meanwhile, Kyle Funasaki of KHON is a good friend of Duncan Sheik, Sater’s creative collaborator. They met through Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist church. …
Over at Honolulu Theatre for Youth, preparation is under way for the "Actors & Artists Fund, Act 11" at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at Tenney Theatre. A preview of the 2012-13 season, with miniperformances, is scheduled. The buzz is that Daniel Dae Kim, Chin Ho Kelly on "Hawaii Five-0," will be among the celebs on hand. Kim performed at last year’s event. For an invite, call Carolyn at 839-8995, ext. 711, or email outreach@htyweb.org. …
Douglas Nettel, portraying the Cowardly Lion in the Performing Arts Center of Kapolei’s "Wizard of Oz" (opening Feb. 10), met Larry Bialock, who played the same role at Diamond Head Theatre in 2008. They shared costume horror stories. Celia Kenney, Reina in "The Descendants," plays Dorothy. Tickets: www.pac kapolei.org. …
ABOUT PEOPLE: Actor-singer Sean Jones, mentioned here last week, is 21, not 17. …
Dancer-choreographer Derek Daniels is back from Shinjiku, Tokyo, where he performed ancient and modern hula for Eiko Tabata‘s halau conference. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
———
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
