FRIDAY — JULY 31
McNally play examines lives affected by AIDS
“Mothers and Sons,” Terrence McNally’s powerful follow-up to “Andre’s Mother,” one of his groundbreaking plays about AIDS, begins a run at TAG today.
First staged to rave reviews in 2014, the play details an encounter between Katherine, a mother of a man who died of AIDS 20 years earlier, and his former lover Cal, who is now married to another man and has a family. Katherine, played by Kati Kuroda, is feeling suicidal, “angry about almost everything,” finding solace in watching “Jeopardy,” and “even that’s started to annoy me.” Cal, played by Tim Dyke, challenges Katherine to face the past and a future.
The play “charts the gains and losses, victories and defeats for gay men … in the years since AIDS was first identified in the early 1980s,” wrote The New York Times’ Ben Brantley, who called it “a debate play with fraught emotional underpinnings.”
The cast includes Eddie Murray, with Kaleb McMillian and Kainoa Kelly sharing a role. Joyce Maltby directs.
Where: 650 Iwilei Road, Suite 101
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; through July 31
Cost: $15-$25
Info: www.taghawaii.net or 722-6941
FRIDAY — AUG. 12
‘Twelfth Night’ kicks off festival
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon’em.” — Shakespeare, “Twelfth Night”
You can enjoy the greatness of Shakespeare — for free — as the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival opens today. The festival is celebrating its 15th season and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with free admission, available on a first-come, first-served basis, to all performances, with advance tickets on sale for $10.
The season opens today with “Twelfth Night,” pictured, which is considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies. First performed in 1602, “Twelfth Night” features convoluted love triangles, cross-dressing comedy, mistaken identities and colorful characters like the drunken scoundrel Sir Toby Belch. Jason Kanda directs, with Brooke Jones, Carson Morneau and Gabriel Brading in starring roles.
The festival has fulfilled its mission of staging all of Shakespeare’s plays, so now it is presenting plays approximately contemporary to Shakespeare’s time. It continues July 22 with “The Witch of Edmonton,” a 1621 play inspired by the real-life execution of a woman accused of witchcraft. That will be followed by Shakespeare’s fanciful “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” opening Aug. 12.
Where: ARTS at Marks Garage, 1159 Nuuanu Ave.
When: 7:30 Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 3:30 p.m. Sundays. “Twelfth Night” runs Friday through July 17; “The Witch of Edmonton” runs July 22-31; and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” runs Aug. 12-21.
Cost: Standby tickets free at the door. Advance tickets, $10.
Info: brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006 for advance tickets
SUNDAY
Anna’s still rocks: The Moiliili bar offers live music and celebrates 47 years in business
Hard to believe that Anna’s, a club that’s long served Honolulu’s young adults, is now 47, the prime of middle age.
But it’s just another good reason to have a party, and Anna O’Brien’s, known as Anna Bannana’s when under previous ownership, is having a weekend-long party to celebrate its 47th anniversary. If you haven’t been there for a while, you might be pleasantly surprised.
“About two years ago, we got an entirely new sound system upstairs, new lights, all new equipment and updated our air conditioning a little bit, to make it easier to enjoy our shows,” said bartender Nikki Painter. “When we updated the sound system, we didn’t really advertise that a whole lot, so the only people that really knew about it are the people who’ve played on it and dealt with it.”
Regular patrons enjoy the benefits, as well. Enjoy the sound system and other upgrades as you enjoy a variety of musical acts this weekend, starting today with alt-rock band Mano Kane, Jamaican stylings from Sistaz Roz, and pop band Linus. Metal rockers Bone Canyon, Hammersmith and Rocket Queen take over the house Saturday, while Sunday features bluesman J.P. Smoketrain and rock band Friendly Fyre.
Come by at about 2 p.m. Sunday for a barbecue outside.
Where: Anna O’Brien’s, 2440 S. Beretania St.
When: 9 p.m. today and Saturday, barbecue 2 p.m. Sunday with music at 4 p.m.
Cost: $5 today and Saturday; no cover Sunday
Info: annaobriens.com or 946-5190
— Steven Mark
SATURDAY
San Juan makes fun of ethnicities onstage
Comedian Edwin San Juan brings his brand of ethnic humor to Hawaiian Brian’s on Saturday.
The comedian got his start performing in Los Angeles-area bars, performing “before drunk Latinos,” as he told VegasVideoNetwork.com. He pokes fun at his own Filipino heritage, giving him a foothold to makes jokes about other ethnic groups. “We gotta stick together, like rice, not like that Americanized, Uncle Ben’s separated” rice,” he says in one bit. “If you think about it, it’s the white man’s rice that’s trying to separate us!”
San Juan served as creator and executive producer of “Slanted Comedy,” (renamed the “Pacific Rim Comedy Slam” for politically correct purposes), a tour that featured Asian and Asian-American comics. He starred in a 2010 film, “I’m Not Like That No More,” with Paul Rodiguez and Felipe Esparza, and appeared on Gabriel Iglesias’ “Standup Revolution!”
Born into a military family, San Juan has entertained troops around the world for the USO. A 2013 performance at an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department luncheon raised hackles, prompting Sheriff Lee Baca to issue an apology to those offended by the racial and sexual innuendo in San Juan’s humor. But San Juan continues to push the envelope, drawing a coterie of devoted fans of many ethnicities in the process.
Where: Hawaiian Brian’s, 1680 Kapiolani Blvd.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Cost: $20-$25
Info: hawaiianbrians.com
TICKER: Go “agro” at the 54th State Farm Fair this weekend at Kuoloa Ranch. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. $5 adults, children free. hawaiistatefarmfair.org
