Say aloha to two characters with Hawaii ties: one a mascot of an ever-evolving family musical, the other a comic book figure destined to become one of the next masters of the filmic superhero universe.
Honu will be the face and focus of "Honu by the Sea," the environmental and educational show created by Hawaii’s Johnson Enos. He’s a Disneyesque mascot of a green sea turtle standing about 5 feet 6, with a plumeria flower imprint on his turtle shell plates to give him an island identity. Honu’s roll-out will be Saturday and March 15 at the International Children’s Day event at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, Calif. "We tested Honu with kids in Los Angeles and they went crazy," said Enos. The mascot (yes, with an actor inside, a la Mickey Mouse) will appear wherever and whenever the show plays, and it’s received the endorsement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Such pedigree!
The character, created by a team of Disney and DreamWorks imagination wizards in Burbank, has been two years in the making. And Honu will be featured in an ad in Variety, the show-biz trade publication, on Tuesday. Further, expect a Hawaii Theatre residency this year for "Honu by the Sea," details to be announced. …
Then there’s Jason Momoa, the island actor cast as the anticipated Aquaman DC Comics character. His mounting credits range from "Baywatch" to "Game of Thrones," "Conan the Barbarian" and "The Red Road" series on Sundance TV. We’ll see a bit of him — call it a teaser — in Zack Snyder‘s "Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice," due March 25, 2016. But the real excitement won’t start till 2017, when Aquaman is pegged to appear in three features through 2018, including astand-alone film sandwiched between the other two movies about Justice League heroes. Momoa told EW.com: "The whole mythology of Aquaman is pretty amazing. There’s so many things to tell and there’s a whole backstory that’s amazing." Unless plans change, his Aquaman film is due July 27, 2018. …
As for Aquaman, he can communicate with fish and he carries a trident. Director Snyder tweeted the first poster/image of Momoa as the watery wonderman, and judging from the first peek, Aquaman seems groomed for a Poseidon adventure, complete with long hair and scalelike body armor and tattoos with Polynesian implications. …
CALENDAR CUES: Diamond Head Theatre’s "South Pacific," opening March 27, already has been extended through April 19, heading for a total sellout. This is the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, with local celeb Loretta Ables Sayre co-directing and reprising her Tony-nominated role of Bloody Mary, the Tonkinese trinket seller on a mythical Pacific island with World War IIera politics and racial discrimination.
The cast also features Erin Fasone as Ensign Nellie Forbush, Laurence Paxton as Emile de Becque, Cody Garner as Lt. Joseph Cable, Zack Oldman as Luther Billis, and Olivia Manayan as Liat. The score is rich and robust, with such classic tunes as "Some Enchanted Evening," "I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "Bali Ha’i,""Happy Talk," "I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy" and "There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame." For ticket availability, call 733-0274. …
Meanwhile, rehearsals are underway for that off-Broadway musical, "Comfort Women," featuring island actor Garett Taketa in his New York debut. But the opening has been delayed till July 31. Two others in the company have Hawaii ties: Megan Lee Hobson and Gary Sugai.A preview of the show’s music was staged Friday at 54 Below in New York; a performance also is planned in May in Washington D.C., with ranking officials from South Korea and Japan expected to attend. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
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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.
