FRIDAY-SUNDAY, AUG 7 – 9

Tattoo artists show off skills at annual expo

Inspect — or show some inked skin and get artsy at the Fourth Annual Pacific Ink and Art Expo this weekend at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.

More than 250 artists and vendor booths from Hawaii, the mainland and around the world are expected for the exposition, putting their creativity on display live for visitors. Several celebrity artists will be appearing, including Tatu Baby, Mark Longenecker and Big Ceeze of the reality show “Ink Masters”; John Monk of the reality show “Outlaw Country”; and maverick 80-year-old San Francisco artist Lyle Tuttle.

Whatever style of tattoo you want, you can find at the exposition. Freddy Negrete specializes in black and gray tattoos and uses a single needle, while Liz Cook’s art degree is fully in evidence in her heavily saturated color artwork. Or you can go local with 808 Tattoo’s Megan Jones, who specializes in Polynesian-style tattoos; West Coast Ink’s Pakz Kelazk, who does modern Polynesian designs; or specialists like Keone Nunes and Keli‘i Makua, who use the ancient tapping art form of tattoo from Hawaii, Samoa, Japan and the Philippines.

Visit pacificinkandartexpo.com to see a list of artists, examples of their work and to book a session. The event is monitored and regulated by the Hawaii Department of Health, and information on aftercare will be provided.

Entertainment will include music, dancing, eating contests, modeling shows, raffles, prize drawings and a display of custom bicycles. BMX pioneer Rick Thorne, known for his performances on the X Games broadcasts, will be performing on a skate ramp, which also will be available for use by the public. Kids can play at a special keiki zone while their elders get tattoos.

Where: Blaisdell Exhibition Hall

When: 3-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $12-$20 daily; 3-day pass $51

Info: ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849; visit pacificinkandartexpo.com to sign up for a session

COURTESY BALLET HAWAII

FRIDAY- SUNDAY, AUG 7 – 9

The energetic “Alice (in Wonderland)” returns to the isles

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of “Alice in Wonderland” this weekend with Ballet Hawaii’s delightful presentation of “Alice (in Wonderland),” which returns to the Blaisdell Concert Hall this weekend for three performances.

Washington (D.C.) Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre, who collaborates frequently with Ballet Hawaii, was inspired to create the production during a trip here a few years back and brought it here in 2012, shortly after its premiere in Washington. The production thrilled local audiences with its “glam rock” costuming, lively score and virtuosic dancing.

Washington Ballet’s Maki Onuki returns as Alice, along with her colleagues Jared Nelson (Mad Hatter) and Luis Torres (Cheshire Cat) as the famous characters from Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s novel.

Principal dancers from Cincinnati, Eugene (Ore.) and Carolina ballets are coming to perform other major roles, while young local dancer Gabby Chock, pictured, will have a featured role in some group dances. Youngsters from Ballet Hawaii’s summer intensive program make up the corps de ballet.

The performance is full of fun, from slightly camp elements like a quasi-break-dancing pas de deux and a Cheshire Cat dance that’s been called “a little Bob Fosse, a little burlesque.” The outfits, created by costume designer Liz Vandal of Cirque du Soleil, range from the subtle to the outrageous, including an Elton John-inspired fish costume and a dominatrix-inspired Queen of Hearts outfit. Matthew Pierce’s string-based score keeps the energy flowing throughout.

Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $35-$99

Info: ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849

FRIDAY- SUNDAY, AUG 7 – 9

Campuses across U.S. team up for ‘Heights’

Chaminade University’s production of the Tony Award-winning “In the Heights” is truly a collaborative effort.

The presentation is the result of Chaminade’s summer theater program, which brought together student actors, designers and technicians from several mainland universities, including the University of San Diego, Gonzaga University, University of Portland, Northern Arizona University, Point Loma Nazarene University, Chapman University, Webster University, Ithaca College and Stetson University. Students from Hawaii Pacific University, the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Leeward Community College, Honolulu Community College and Chaminade also participated, and several local high school students are in the cast.

“In the Heights” is a musical based on the street culture of Washington Heights, a close-knit, predominantly Dominican community in New York whose inhabitants are full of hopes and dreams but face the obstacles of urban youth. Its infectious dance beats, featuring freestyle rap, salsa and other Latin stylings, and streetwise dialogue made it an off-Broadway hit. It took 2008 Tony Awards for best musical, best score, best choreography and best orchestrations, while the album created from its score took the Grammy for best musical show album. The story, about a young man, Usnavi, torn between his ancestral roots and his New York home, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Where: Mamiya Theatre, Chaminade University, 3140 Waialae Ave.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $15-$25

Info: showtix4u.com or 202-6360

FRIDAY,  AUG. 22

Catch ‘The Tempest’ at Mission Houses

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” blows onto Hawaiian Mission Houses’ outdoor stage for three weekends in August.

“The Tempest” runs the gamut of emotion as one of Shakespeare’s finest plays, featuring confusion, calamity and comedy, as Prospero, a duke and magician who has been stranded on an island by his brother Antonio, schemes to reclaim his power and bend others to his well. The all-star cast includes Moses Goods as Prospero, Troy Apostol as Antonio, Therese Olival as Miranda, Sienna Aczon as Ariel, Kevin Keaveny as Caliban, Dezmond Gilla as Ferdinand, Adam Lefebvre as Stephano and Kati Kuroda as Trinculo. Shakespeare veteran Will Ha‘o, who directed an abridged series of Shakespeare’s works last summer, will direct.

Hawaiian Mission Houses, which has presented a music series based on the different regions of Hawaii, is focusing on Shakespeare’s plays because they were important to the missionaries. Some reportedly walked around with the Bible under one arm and Shakespeare under the other.

The play takes place on Mission Houses’ historic outdoor stage, Kahua Ho‘okipa, which was partially constructed out of coral blocks from the old territorial courthouse built in 1852.

Where: Hawaiian Mission Houses, 553 S. King St.

When: 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, through Aug. 22

Cost: $20-$25

Info: missionhouses.org or 447-3926