Ruthie Ann Miles, playing Lady Thiang in Lincoln Center’s "The King & I," isn’t the lone Hawaii nominee in the Tony Awards on June 7.
Turns out former resident and veteran Broadway producer Kevin McCollum, who has already won Tonys as a producer for "Rent," "In the Heights" and "Avenue Q," has two nominated shows this season: "Something Rotten!"a musical about two brothers mounting the first-ever musical in the shadow of Shakespeare, and "Hand to God," a provocative comedy involving an iconic puppet with its own personality. Sting‘s "The Ship," produced by McCollum, is among the nominees in the musical category, along with the "Hand to God" director and two of its actors. McCollum would collect a producer’s trophy only if his plays hit the jackpot. …
Miles, a first-time nominee for featured actress in a musical, was not expecting the nomination, but assured hometowners "this is huge, huge, huge, and I’m so thrilled and so flattered. It didn’t cross my mind that I would be considered, since it’s always been work for me, finding the depths of everything and everyone I play. Lady Thiang and I have become good friends; she’s teaching me things about myself, the kind of woman I want to be, the woman I am. I’m learning a lot, for sure."
But win or lose, there’s more at stake here than personal honors. "Not only is this about Hawaii pride, with all the people rooting for me, but one for Asian people (actors) who don’t have this kind of platform very often." She was searching for a gown to wear to the Tonys when she spoke to me via phone several days ago. "This mother doesn’t have much time to go shopping, and I’ve been looking at clothes and I have no clue," she sighed.Her Kaimuki High drama teacher Peggy Anne Siegmund took in "The King and I" recently, so there was that overdue reunion. "I just lost it, I crumbled in her arms," Miles said. "She showed me this career path." …
ELVIS REVISITED: "Burn’n Love," an Elvis Presley tribute show collating the tunes and his connections to Hawaii (the film "Blue Hawaii" andTV special "Aloha From Hawaii"), will join the summer array of Waikiki shows hoping to lure both visitors and residents alike. Darren Lee, an award-winning impersonator of the king of rock ‘n’ roll, has been headlining the Elvis show at the Maui Theatre in Lahaina. Now a Honolulu edition is set to open June 17, following the "Magic of Polynesia" show, at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel’s showroom, though no word on who will be in the E.P. jumpsuit. One certainty: There will be competition for the resident Presley at the "Legends in Concert Rock-a-Hula" show across the street at the Royal Hawaiian Center showroom. …
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: Three showbiz icons are celebrating milestone birthdays in the weeks ahead, so it’s worth a shout-out to Jack "Tihati" Thompson, markinghis 70th with a private dinner at the Waialae Country Club on Sunday; Jimmy Borges, the beloved jazz jewel, will be 80 on June 1; and neighborly Jim Nabors turns 85 on June 12. …
HAWAII FIVE-OH-OH: CBS’ decision to extend the island-filmed "Hawaii Five-0" certainly was an underwhelming one. The show’s two-part, two-hour finale May 8 was jammed with so many character and plot elements left hanging in the air that it seemed like a desperate attempt to keep the series going. In the adjusted Nielsen ratings tally, both hours had 1.10 ratings in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic that determines advertising rates. Viewership was 8.57 million for the first hour and 8.27 million for the second. The demo numbers mean that only 1.1 percent of TV viewers ages 18 to 49 were tuned in to the broadcasts.
With jobs fortified for cast and crew and new opportunities in the upcoming Season 6 to share Hawaii’s beauty and elevate and restore the excitement of earlier seasons, writers should consider eliminating marginal characters (i.e. the recurring, the long forgotten). Think Mama McGarrett, or a governor who hasn’t governed for far too many episodes, or ex-wives and future grooms that emerge and then vanish. If the reboot is honoring the legacy of the original, "diligence" and "prudence" should be the operative words to restore the respect and dignity of yesteryear. After all, the series is not solely for fangirls of Alex O’Loughlin, but for everyone. …
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.
