FRIDAY-SATURDAY

>> ‘The Search’ is ‘relevant’ in today’s political climate

“The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe,” one of the most popular and endearing one-person shows in contemporary theater, heads to Earle Ernst Lab Theatre this weekend, with University of Hawaii-Manoa graduate theater student Anna Klein Hamaguchi in the role immortalized by Lily Tomlin.

“It speaks to the need for connection in our society and culture right now,” said Hamaguchi, who during the show will portray 12 people ranging from a bag lady to an actress wannabe to streetwalkers.

Debuting in 1985, “The Search,” written by Jane Wagner, was seen as an insightful yet humorous portrayal of the fractures in American society, which appeared to be widening under the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Today’s political climate makes it “even more relevant,” Hamaguchi said. “But even if we weren’t in this kind of political climate, it would still speak to our culture, just with people always feeling disconnected because they’re always on their phones or in their own little world and not reaching out to the people right in front of them.”

Her favorite characters in the show are Trudy, the bag lady who serves as the “tour guide” of the show — “she’s lots of fun because she interacts with the audience” — and Agnes Angst, “who fancies herself a performance artist, and a very serious performance artist, but she’s also a teenager, so she still has a lot to learn about performance art.”

Unlike the often colorful costuming that Tomlin wore in the film based on the show, there will be no costume changes in this show. Hamaguchi will wear a simple black outfit, which is how it was originally staged. But she’ll wear Trudy’s familiar umbrella hat.

Hamaguchi create the different characters through pantomime and changing her voice. “It’s a huge challenge to portray 12 different characters, just finding them vocally and physically,” she said.

SATURDAY

>> Celebration retells captain’s tale of war

Celebrate the history of the USS Missouri, where Japan signed the surrender documents ending World War II, on Saturday at “Living History Day.”

The day includes visits to the Captain’s Cabin, where starting at noon actor Bill Sage will portray Gen. Douglas MacArthur in all of his imperious manner.

“He is definitely playing the general’s part, especially in the prestigious Captain’s Cabin, which is the nicest area on board,” said Jaclyn Hawse, a spokeswoman for the Battleship Missouri Memorial. MacArthur was aboard the Missouri, also known as Mighty Mo, for the surrender. Sign-ups are required for tours of the Captain’s Cabin, which will be given every half-hour.

In the ship’s Ward Room, historians, former crew members and survivors of the USS Arizona will give presentations, Hawse said. Musical entertainment will be provided by the ‘Iolani High School Jazz Band at 10:30 a.m., the Castle High School Jazz Band at 11:30 a.m. and the U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division Tropic Knights Band at 1 p.m.

The event is held in commemoration of the Jan. 29, 1944, launch of the Missouri during World War II, and its opening as a memorial and museum 55 years later.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

>> Symphony to perform for Bernstein centennial

Leonard Bernstein was without question the most influential American in classical music. Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, host of the popular “Young People’s Concerts” television series from the late 1950s to the early 1970s and composer of a diverse range of music, from Broadway’s “West Side Story” and the opera “Candide” to symphonies and choral works, Bernstein was able to portray classical music as an exciting, exhilarating and ultimately emotional form of artistic expression.

This weekend the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra joins organizations nationwide in celebrating Bernstein’s centennial year with a performance of “Serenade After Plato’s Symposium,” considered one of Bernstein’s most personal works. The piece is derived from a text by the Greek philosopher Plato, in which various characters, at a banquet, discourse on the meaning of love. Bernstein provided brief descriptions of each movement, such as”a lyrical oration in praise of Eros” for the opening movement, “Phaedrus: Pausanias.” He called the lovely fourth movement “Agathon,” as a piece that “embraces all aspects of love’s powers, charms and functions.”

Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie joins the orchestra to perform the work. Keith Lockhart, music director for the Boston Pops and principal conductor of the prestigious BBC Concert Orchestra, conducts.

>> Modern dance reflects modern life

The ups and downs of modern life will be presented in dance this weekend in Convergence Dance Theatre’s new show, “ComMotion.”

“It’s a team effort — lots of different pieces in different styles, united by this idea of working together and working through difficult things,” said Jenny Butler, artistic director of Convergence Dance Theatre, a modern dance collaborative. “Some are really funny, character-driven pieces, with some acting in them. We have dance film, and then we have some that are more serious and thought-provoking.”

The idea for the show started after the 2016 presidential election, when her group was pondering “all the hubbub from social media and everybody’s response to all the information that was being thrown at us,” she said. “That started a discussion about how much commotion we have in our lives and how do we find balance with that: How do we find true north?”

One of the works, “Natural,” by choreographer Camile Monson, was inspired by sexist advertisements from the 1950s and ’60s. It calls into question things that were considered “natural” in those days.

All of the works are based on the idea of commotion, said Butler, who titled her own work “Commotion” and aimed to portray the harried rush of daily life.