Peter Lawrence, former drama critic for The Honolulu Advertiser and one-time instructor at the University of Hawaii, will receive a special Tony Award this weekend in The Big Apple. Lawrence, who has been back to Honolulu several times to conduct auditions for "Les Misérables," "Miss Saigon" and other shows he’s exec-produced, will receive the Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre on Saturday, a day before the June 9 Tony Awards telecast on CBS.
"It’s a big, happy surprise," Lawrence said in a Facebook message. "I’m the first stage manager ever to get one (a Tony) — it must be because of my year with the Advertiser,"he quipped.
Lawrence has had a distinguished career as a production stage manager spanning 20 Broadway shows, the latest being the revival of "Annie." He’s already left that show to begin work on a new musical, "Bull Durham." His work as associate director for Broadway revivals of "Man of La Mancha," "Gypsy" and "Annie Get Your Gun," plus original launches of"Spamalot" and "Shrek the Musical," are among his other triumphs. He also arranged backstage visits for me to meet Bernadette Peters in "Gypsy" and "Annie Get Your Gun" and offered a peek at the "Spamalot" stage. Truly, he’s been one of the unsung heroes of the Broadway stage.
I knew him when he was an M.F.A. candidate and drama teacher at UH, moonlighting as a newspaper drama critic. He still has a lot of aloha for the islands. …
ENCHANTED EVENING: Loretta Ables Sayre is returning to her role as Bloody Mary in a revival of"South Pacific" this summer at The Muny in St. Louis. It’s the oldest and largest outdoor venue in the U.S. (www.muny.org). And she dons her jazz cap again from 7 to 9:30 p.m. June 13 at Mezz 127 at 745 Fort Street Mall, where pianist Jim Howard and bassist Steve Jones join her; the first such gig was SRO, so a hana hou was inevitable. Admission is $10, plus a one-drink minimum. …
NEW AUDY-ENCE: Hy’s Steak House singer-composer-guitarist Audy Kimura‘s vintage music will be reintroduced to Japanese audiences this week. His debut album, "Looking for ‘the Good Life,’" which included his No. 1 hit, "Lovers & Friends," bows as a reissue Monday, three decades after it was released on Epic/Sony. Thedisc, which won five Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, is considered a classic and will be made available on CD and digital download by P-Vine Records, an indie Japan label.
Kimura’s second album, "A Gift of Song," follows next, on July 3; three tunes from the album were featured in Japanese TV commercials for Toyota Homes, Haseko and Nishikawa Futon in the 1980s. …
Kimura’s third album, and the first two, will be rereleased here later this summer, and there will be an updated acoustic version of "Lovers& Friends" as a bonus track. "It’s a real thrill to know that something you created 30 years ago is still valid and listened to," said Kimura. Part of the royalties will support organizations that care for animals. …
WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Paris Hilton and boyfriend River Viiperi arrived on Maui a few days back after flight delays in London threatened their connecting flights here. She tweeted about the dilemma, but her later posts mentioned a swell time, with lunch, swimming, shopping, spa visits. …
Windward Readers Theatre resumes 7 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at Pohai Nani’s Bacon Auditorium. Vanita Rae Smith directs "Having Our Say," featuring Jo Pruden and Sylvia Horman-Alper. Call 254-4885 to reserve space. …
DATEBOOK:The 24th annual Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival is set from Tuesday through June 9 at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. …
This year’s Ukulele Festival Hawaii will be July 21 at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand. …
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.
