‘Brighter Still,” a musical gala honoring the memory of director-teacher Ronald E. Bright, will be staged at
7:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at Hawaii Theatre. The benefit, involving many alumni and talent nurtured and mentored by Bright during his exemplary 50-year teaching-directing career, also will mark the formal launch of the I’m a Bright Kid Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated to the perpetuation of the inspirational theater and life lessons that were the hallmark of Bright’s legacy.
Ligaya Stice, who is
10 years into her medical practice at the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women &Children, is serving as president of the foundation and is donning the producer’s hat to get “Brighter Still” up and running. Scores of Bright’s onstage cast and offstage wizards from the past will be involved, including sons Clarke Bright, conductor-director of the Royal Hawaiian Band, and Michael Bright, who went on to star in “Miss Saigon” on Broadway.
“I personally am not an educator or a performer, but in my profession, lessons you learn in theater carry over into life — and Mr. Bright was really my first true mentor,” Stice said.
Bright died July 7 at age 81. The one-nighter at the Hawaii Theatre was deemed the best solution to get the foundation on the map and entice supporters to buy into this new endeavor. The Ronald Bright Theatre at Castle High School is under renovation and was not available for the benefit, Stice said, and Paliku Theatre, where Bright directed his post-retirement spectacles, is too small to accommodate the anticipated crowd.
He was a beacon of stage magic via the Castle Performing Arts Center he founded at the theater that now bears his name. Luminaries from Mr. B’s past shows will participate in “Brighter Still,” including Jodi Leong and John Bryan, who will emcee. Clarke Bright will helm the orchestra, and Marcelo
Pacleb (choreography) and Mary Hicks (vocals) will make it just like old times.
Moira “Mo” Bright, widow and longtime aide to the director, is providing offstage support. Jade Stice, Jade Bright, Jana Anguay, Sarah Gamiao Kekuna,
Pomai Lopez, Jackie
Holland, Lenny Villanueva and Kip Wilborn will participate as well, with more to come.
Ticket sales will begin in late May at Hawaii Theatre and hawaiitheatre.com. …
PERSONALITIES: Bryan Cranston, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning star of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” and Oscar-nominated earlier this year for “Trumbo,” will receive the Navigator Award during the Maui Film Festival, June 15-19 at the Wailea Resort. Barry Rivers, founder-director of the filmfest, is “over the moon” about landing Cranston, and, appropriately, the award will be made at the outdoor Celestial Cinema event. …
Aidan James, the island singer/ukulele-strumming youth, has relocated to Tarzana, Calif., to pursue mainland stardom. He gigged at the hot-spot launching pad, the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles (where the likes of Ed Sheeran and John Mayer have appeared) and the Bluebird Cafe Nashville. At the latter club’s Writers’ Night, a tough venue to score, eight composer-performers had to strut their stuff, and audience members who chatter are routinely booted out. “It’s so quiet, you can hear a pin drop,” said Angela Laprete, his momager (that’s mom-manager, get it?). …
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 staradvertiser.com.
