Play’s Southern stereotypes meant for mocking

Members of various racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. Hawaiians, Asians, Latinos, African-Americans and Jews, among others have advocacy groups that speak out forcefully when they feel they are being portrayed in demeaning or stereotypical ways in mainstream media. If Southern whites Caucasian-Americans native to states that were once part of the Confederate States of America had a similar watchdog group, it would be loudly protesting Kumu Kahua’s production of "Cockadoodledoo."

Playwright Eric Yokomori’s characters speak with the stereotypical accents traditionally associated with Southern "rednecks," and they are without exception loud, credulous and slow-witted.

And, unlike the Clampetts and Bodines in "The Beverley Hillbillies," these characters are definitely intended to be laughed at, not viewed with sympathy.

The action begins in a diner. Maggie, the proprietor/waitress, has been getting anonymous love letters from someone who signs them as "Z." Meanwhile, a meteor has hit a local chicken farm, and a mysterious troublemaker is sneaking up behind people, yelling rude comments and then running away.

Maggie’s friends and neighbors include a loudmouth who plans to become a ninja-for-hire, a mentally unstable mailman who literally knocks himself out when anything frustrates him, and a psychotic street person whose alter ego is a hand puppet.

Shakespeare or Tennessee Williams this ain’t. On the other hand, Yokomori’s writing is better than that in the "Futrelle-ogy," that three-play series mocking small-town white Southerners that The Actors’ Group inflicted on Honolulu in 2011.

And, as usual, director Harry Wong III gets memorable performances from a talented cast.

Reb Beau Allen (Ziggy) has successfully played a wide range of characters for several theater groups. His portrayal of a dim-witted redneck with a big beer gut is a new character type for him. Allen submerges himself in the role. It is a memorable and successful stretch for him.

Jason Kanda (Templeton) gives a rich and nuanced performance as the chicken farmer. Shawn Forsythe (Burt) displays his comic talents and dramatic range playing the tightly wound would-be ninja. AJSong (Pyles) has several showcase turns as the unstable mailman.

Tiffany Rose Brown (Maggie) earns applause as the outspoken waitress seeking her anonymous beau. Brown has a show-stopping moment with Allen and a poignant scene with Forsythe in which a discussion about examining apples becomes an allegory.

Daniel A. Kelin II (Goober/Ketchup) halts the progression of the story with an extended monologue as the psycho with the hand puppet.

A quartet of "townspeople" Brandon Hagio, Kahana Ho, Teihh Malufau and Royce Okazaki provides pre-show entertainment as a heavy-metal "air band" complete with lip-sync vocals, and they’re very good. They also do an admirable job portraying chickens when the story moves to Templeton’s farm.

Okazaki is also the show’s sound designer; one of his sound cues foreshadows a key twist in the plot. Ryan Okinaga (props) provides an astonishing diversity of items, and Alvin Chan (costume and makeup design) makes important contributions as well. To be more specific would spoil the impact of their work.