Greg Howell, the acclaimed wig and makeup artist whose theatrical credits include numerous acting stints, is battling a rare and aggressive form of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
A hair and makeup stylist at the Paul Brown Salon & Day Spa at Ward Centre, Howell is unable to work while he combats the cancer that affects the body’s B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies to help maintain the immune system. His regimen includes chemotherapy and his bills are mounting.
Howell has had a long association with Manoa Valley Theatre, where he provides hair and makeup design, most recently for the just-closed "Spring Awakening" musical. His last onstage role was in last season’s "August: Osage County."
His MVT colleagues are planning a fundraiser in late June to help him deal with medical expenses. To kokua, an account in his name has been opened at Bank of Hawaii, where donations may be made to the "Friends of Greg Howell Fund" account. …
SIGHT ‘EMS: That was Benny Rietveld, former McKinley student and bass player with Carlos Santana, performing with Santana on last week’s "Latin Night" segment of ABC’s "Dancing with the Stars." "What a dream playing with Carlos Santana," said a gleeful Kathy Shirakawa when she recognized a former Tiger colleague. …
Hawaii Olympian Bryan Clay was on the "Today" show the other morning with fellow U.S. athletes, presenting Al Roker with a personalized USA shirt to promote the fact the London Games are now less than 100 days away. …
Two of the stars of Manoa Valley Theatre’s recent "Spring Awakening" — Elise Levin as Wendla and Jonah Ho‘okano as Melchior — got more exposure than their cast mates, thanks to brief nude scenes together. Well, after the production closed, the duo enjoyed more media exposure. Levin was the young girl discovered in a pineapple field in the opening scene of CBS’ "Hawaii Five-0," and Ho‘okana was one of the smiling faces in a Page 1 photo inthe Star-Advertiser when the Dalai Lama visited Kamehameha Schools, where the student is a choir member. …
Actress Julia Roberts was visiting, spotted in a bikini, not the stepmother-queen’s finery she donned in the current "Mirror Mirror." …
AROUND TOWN: Three generations of the noted Kanaka‘ole family of Hawaii island will perform together at this year’s Hawaii Book & Music Festival May 5 and 6 at the Civic Center grounds at Honolulu Hale. Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, with daughter Kekuhi Kanahele and grandson Kaumaka‘iwa Kanaka‘ole will be on the main stage at 11 a.m. May 5, with mom discussing her "Ka Honua Ola" book of chant and ancestral wisdom dating back to matriarch Edith Kanaka‘ole. This clan is exciting as they come, with chicken-skin performances that have resulted in Na Hoku Hanohano Awards. …
Diamond Head Theatre’s "Titanic" cast, winding up its run this afternoon, held a candlelit ceremony between shows April 14, the day the ship hit an iceberg 100 years ago. It was an emotional but somewhat stressful time, since two last-minute cast substitutions were made that evening. Montana Rizzuoto and Michael Bingham, pulled from the crew, had just an hour’s rehearsal with director John Rampage and choreographer Deanna Luster. Costumer Karen Wolfe got involved, too, adeptly refitting the newbies. "Went smooth as glass, with no one in the audience the wiser," said Deena Dray, DHT executive director. …
The Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s 2012-13 season will feature a relaunch of "Rap’s Hawaii," laden with Rap Reiplinger‘s classic lines ("Not too sweet," "Russell, you get pen?"), a return of Lee Cataluna‘s "Musubi Man" (based on the children’s book by Sandi Takayama) and a premiere of Alvin Chan‘s "Five Chinese Brothers" (inspired by the Claire Huchet Bishop book). …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
