The Hawaiians of old shared their world with the great gods Kane, Lono, Kanaloa and Kukailimoku, a host of demigods and demigoddesses, and powerful reptilian beings known as mo’o.

Whether benevolent or evil, mo’o were fierce guardians of the places that were dear to them. Then, in the 1820s, the alii faction that embraced Christianity prevailed over the alii who remained loyal to the indigenous gods and spirits of Hawaii. As years passed the shape-shifting mo’o were no longer revered and honored as they had been. Mo’o became creatures of myth.

What would happen if a mo’o revealed itself to a lonely outcast girl today? That is the premise of Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s new production of "Ku A Mo’o."

Bishop Museum Education Program Manager Anne Lipscomb stars as Waioleka Kua, "Wai" for short, an introverted middle-school student who is being raised by her grandfather and who has a stress-induced skin condition that attracts unwanted attention from a group of mean girls at school.

Wai finds refuge in her grandfather’s overgrown backyard. A classroom lesson about the dangers of invasive species, and stories about the great mo’o of old, inspire Wai to become the protector of her beloved escape.

"There are stories within the story," Lipscomb says. "There’s the fictional story of the main character, a young Hawaiian girl, into whose world these ancient stories of mo’o come in various ways.

"She’s dealing with a lot of things that I think relate to young people and to people of any age:feeling misunderstood or not fitting or a little bit unsure of what you’re supposed to be doing in any given situation."

As with most recent HTY shows, "Ku A Mo’o" conveys several messages: the harm caused by bullying, the importance of having empathy for outsiders, the threat posed by invasive species. HTY Artistic Director Eric Johnson said plays with an authentic Hawaiian sense of place are an important part of the group’s mission.

"We did ‘Lono’s Journey’ (with Bishop Museum cultural educator Moses Goods) last year, and we want to do more Hawaiian work that digs a little deeper into Hawaiian culture," Johnson said. "Moses had come from HTY, so that was the connection (last year). I kept trying to get Anne to come in, so she helped a lot with ‘Lono’ but wasn’t a performer in it. This time she’s one of the co-writers and the star. I’m really excited.

"We went into it asking, If mo’o were the protectors of space, land and water, traditionally, what would that mean to a young girl today?" he continued. "I think a contemporary understanding of Hawaiian culture mixes science and the best thinking of today with the best thinking of the ancestors."

Veteran actress Lelea’a "Buffy" Wong jumped at the opportunity to do "Ku A Mo’o."

"I saw ‘mo’o’ and I was in," Wong said.

Honolulu saw Wong earlier this year in Manoa Valley Theatre’s productions of "Rent" and "Smokey Joe’s Cafe." Her show-stopping rendition of "Fools Fall In Love" as a torch song rather than the original upbeat arrangement was one of the brightest moments in "Smokey Joe’s Cafe." Now she has a chance to speak and chant in Hawaiian.

"I feel proud that I can actually do a show where it’s about my culture. You don’t get to do that often in musical theater," she said. "Hawaiian is technically my first language, but since I got out of Hawaiian immersion (school), I lost my ability to speak fluently. Being around people who do speak it, it comes back to you naturally."

Wong portrays a teacher who influences the young girl to embody the spirit of the mo’o and become the protector of her backyard. Wong says her character teaches the middle schooler what she needs to do to maintain a thriving natural Hawaiian ecosystem.

In other scenes, Wong takes on smaller roles as a mean girl and a member of the chorus who tells mythical stories about mo’o.

"The script is written beautifully," Wong said. "The mo’o legends that are intertwined with the story are breathtaking. Anybody who appreciates myths and legends will enjoy this."

A free study guide with cultural information and suggestions for story-related activities is available at www.htyweb.org.