TGIFr!day

Week of Friday, July 19, 2019 | Vol. 7, No. 29

Check da Scene

Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend

IT’S COLD INSIDE ‘Frozen, Jr.’ showing now in Lihue

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2 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019

Cast members of Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s “Summer Stars” program rehearse a scene from “Frozen, Jr.” that opens tonight. ON THE COVER: David Braman, center, emerges from a box with a smile as he and others rehearse a scene. See the story, Page 3.

Photos by Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Bill Buley | bbuley@thegardenisland.com | 245-0457 ADVERTISING: displayads@thegardenisland.com | 245-0425 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: tgiclassified@thegardenisland.com | 246-0325

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FRIDAY

LIVE MUSICAL 7 p.m., Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall The Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s Summer Stars program presents “Frozen Jr.” $10.

HANAPEPE FRIDAY NIGHT FESTIVAL AND ART WALK 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Hanapepe town Food, shops, art galleries, live music, more.

LIVE MUSIC 4 to 6 p.m., Hanalei Family Community Center A Hawaiian slack-key guitar and ukulele concert honors Keli‘i Mawae of Molokai. Tickets $10 to $25.

SATURDAY

LIVE MUSICAL 7 p.m., Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall The Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s presents “Frozen Jr.” $10.

SIERRA CLUB HIKE Kukui Trail to Waimea River to Waimea town Strenuous 11 miles one-way, down Kukui Trail to Waimea River, then tubing down the river to Waimea town. Bring inflatable tubes.

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SUNDAY

LIVE MUSICAL 4 p.m., Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s Summer Stars presents “Frozen Jr.” $10.

ARTISAN FAIR 1 to 6 p.m. Princeville Community Association clubhouse LIVE MUSIC 3 to 5 p.m., Hanalei Family Community Center A Hawaiian slack-key guitar and ukulele concert. Tickets $10 to $25.

Info: 826-1469 MONDAY

SPAY/NEUTER CAT SURGERY DAY 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Kealia Farm Lanai, 2345 Kealia Road A $50 donation pays for one surgery, and includes microchip.

TUESDAY

AARP SMART DRIVING CLASS 1 p.m. Kapaa Neighborhood Center $15 members, $20 all others. Learn the effects of aging on driving skills. Registration required. Info: Jim Jung, 822-0448 LIVE MUSIC 6 to 8 p.m., Princeville Community Association clubhouse A Hawaiian slack-key guitar and ukulele concert. Tickets $10 to $25.

WEDNESDAY

STORIES ABOUT GROWING UP IN HAWAII 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Koloa Public/School Library Storyteller Dann Seki shares stories about growing up and living on a plantation in Hawaii. Free. Info: 742-8455

TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019 | 3

JUST WARMING UP

••• WANNA GO? The Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s “Summer Stars” program presents “Frozen, Jr.” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. Proceeds go to HCT, benefiting Kauai’s youth. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Info: www.HawaiiChildrensTheatre.org

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Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY

Cast members of Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s “Summer Stars” program rehearse a scene from “Frozen, Jr.” that opens tonight.

HCT’s ‘Frozen, Jr.’ opens tonight for three-day run BILL BULEY TGIFR!DAY

D

avid Braman is 11 years old.

Olaf is a giant snowman.

Already, they’re best friends.

“I like him,” Braman said. “He’s spunky, funny, and he has a childlike innocence about him.

He’s the guy who makes you laugh a lot.”

It so happens, Braman is spunky, funny, and makes people laugh, too.

He plays Olaf in Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s “Summer Stars” program, the hour-long presentation of “Frozen, Jr.” that opens tonight and runs through Sunday.

“The way Olaf walks is really fun to do,” Braman said. “He doesn’t walk like a normal human.”

So how does a snowman walk?

Braman laughs.

“He kind of waddles,” he said.

Braman will be on stage tonight, along with Rayna Shafter, who plays Elsa.

“It’s just the magic of it,” she said when asked what’s the best part of being in the musical.

“It’s really cool that my character has magical powers and I get to pretend to be a princess for a day.”

Shafter did have one problem with her lead role: Elsa is a bit private, quiet, not all that outgoing, “which I can’t really relate to at all,” she said, laughing.

The 14-year-old did get some acting tips from her older sisters, Kenna and Mariah, both who have been through HCT. They helped her with delivering lines and studying her character.

Shafter sings two solos, including the popular “Let It Go.” She’s been practicing hard and is ready, said Dolly Kanekuni, HCT president.

“She’s going to kill it,” she said.

As one of the older students in HCT’s “Summer Stars,” Shafter sees herself as a role model, so she pours energy and passion into each performance.

She believes the show could inspire kids to SEE WARMING, PAGE 5

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4 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019

DOWN HOME COMFORT FOOD UPCOUNTRY Koke‘e Lodge Restaurant features friendly service, awesome meals

and rice plates to quiche and New England clam chowder, Greek salad, hot and cold sandwiches and plenty of cold beer and other beverages.

The Koke‘e Lodge Restaurant also has a fine selection of desserts, such as lilikoi pie and homemade cookies.

“When I was growing up, we only RYAN COLLINS had two channels, and one of the TGIFR!DAY channels on Sundays had ‘Lucky Luck’s Luau,’” General Manager Jim Ballantine said. “And Lucky Luck he Koke‘e Lodge Restaurant would do this show, and anyone in Koke‘e State Park offers who was in town would come on service 365 days a year, opening at 9 a.m. daily and closing at 4 his show and he would play music. It p.m. on weekdays and Sunday. On was really a good time. His grandson Saturday, the lodge offers live music now has a surf shop in Waimea, and and a full bar, closing at 7 p.m. to he plays really-old Hawaiian records.” offer guests a chance to enjoy themIn addition to live music from 5 to selves at the popular destination in 7 p.m. on Saturday, old-time Hawaithe mountains. ian music by Fanny Rose is played at the restaurant and lodge from noon The restaurant serves breakfast from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily, and for to 2 p.m. the last two years has had a full-ser“She plays cello, banjo and guitar,” vice coffee bar for the early birds.

Ballantine said, who has been the general manager for four years this “Our specialty is our Portuguese August. bean soup and chili along with our On Sunday afternoons, Nick cornbreads and pie,” Manager Anya Castillo takes the stage.

Kaohi-Yaris said. “Our new favorite Freshly cut blue hydrangeas and is our loco mocos, and we do a lot Himalayan ginger frequent vases of farm-to-table, and we only buy within the restaurant. locally made stuff.”

Ryan Collins / TGIFR!DAY “Everything is farm-to-table,” The restaurant provides a farmChristian Cook, right, serves up a fresh mai tai to Ryan Metzger Tuesday at the Koke‘e Lodge Restaurant.

Ballantine said. to-table presence visitors and locals ••• alike can enjoy, especially on those pie crust is made in-house. past two years. We have a full-service menu that features plates such as Ryan Collins, county reporter, hot summer days where it’s cooler “We are busy year-round. We coffee bar with lattes and cappucthe Koke‘e pancake sandwich, the up in Koke‘e. don’t have a slow season,” Kaohi-Yaris cinos.” restaurant has a packed lunch menu can be reached at 245-0424 or Beef is local, pork is local. Even the said. “We added a coffee bar this In addition to a full breakfast featuring local favorites such as chili rcollins@thegardenisland.com.

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TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019 | 5

Warming Continued from Page 3

Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY

David Braman, who plays Olaf in HCT’s production of “Frozen, Jr.”, tries on his costume Tuesday with the help of props master Kharma Stambaugh, who made it.

Props to the props master

W

hen “Frozen, Jr.” comes alive this weekend, give props to Kharma Stambaugh for the props.

“My dad does construction, so I’m kind of familiar with crafty stuff,” she said.

Stambaugh is props master for the Hawaii Children’s Theatre’s “Summer Stars” program. Tuesday, she was adjusting the costume

being worn by David Braman, who plays Olaf the snowman.

She made it with chicken wire and spray foam and a bit of ingenuity to shape it just so it fit Braman. It took a few weeks.

She created the ribbons for the dances and Elsa’s enchanted ice scepter. She makes “the weird, special costumes.” “It’s been a pro-

cess,” she said.

By that, Stambaugh means lots of experimentation to see what works best, and go from there.

Her experience helps.

She worked on HCT’s “Beauty and the Beast” last year, creating the props.

Her efforts are appreciated. “She’s super-talented,” Braman said.

— Bill Buley, TGIFRDAY

become actors and actresses.

“I have to be a leader for the other kids,” she said.

Director Rebecca Hanson is excited for this version of “Frozen, Jr.” “This show in particular, it speaks to my heart because I have a special relationship with my sister and this is a story about sisters,” she said.

“There are so many profound things these characters say to each other about love and acceptance, coming together as a community.”

Elsa, Hanson said, has powers, and she fears others will think she is a monster if they know about them. But as the story unfolds, people come together in love and support each other, “which is a great message for these

kids,” Hanson said.

The cast of 52 has been working six weeks to be ready for this weekend’s three shows. They learned choreography for 10 numbers. It involves more than 200 costumes, and an array of specialists for makeup, hair, lighting and sound.

“They’ve all come together for this one particular show for the kids,” Hanson said. “If I could say anything to the community, it’s come and watch these kids shine.

They have grown so much in their confidence. They are ready to show you what they can do and tell this story.

“Support them by coming to the show and allowing these programs to continue,” she added.

Kanekuni noted that this is HCT’s 22nd year of summer programs.

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“It doesn’t happen without the support of family and community,” she said.

“Mahalo to everybody. Come out, let us entertain you.”

She’s confident the cast will put on outstanding shows, and is looking forward to them.

“I’ll be crying,” she said.

For Braman, who was in HCT’s “Newsies,” this is his first lead role, and he’s serious about being the best Olaf he can be.

“You kind of turn into your character. It’s really cool to watch the process,” he said.

That includes getting the walk right, so Braman practices by waddling around at home.

“Hi mom, hi dad,” he says as he waddles past them.

“Are you OK?” they ask.

Just fine, their smiling son answers as he wiggles and wobbles away.

6 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019

SURF’S UP AND SO IS ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ Bethany Hamilton’s documentary is a winner

••• MOVIE REVIEW

make clear she is a believer in God. Her foundation, Friends of Bethany Hamilton, is a nonprofit whose goal is to “encourage a broken world by offering hope to overcome through Jesus Christ.”

BILL BULEY While the focus is on TGIFR!DAY Hamilton, we get to hear from her fellow pro surfers, family f you’re a Bethany Hamilmembers and friends about ton fan, if you know of her her and how she overcomes story, if you’re a surfer, if you challenges. Some express a call Hawaii home, you’ll love little skepticism about her “Unstoppable.” efforts to surf successfully at And if you’re not a Bethany the top level again, but for the Hamilton fan (hard to believe), most part everyone is rooting if you haven’t heard her story for her. (you must live a sheltered life) Hamilton, by the way, in and if you don’t live in Hawaii no way considers herself (most people don’t), you’ll disabled, and as the movie still enjoy this documentary points out, declined an ESPY for what it is: A tribute to the nomination as a top disabled strength, courage and deterathlete. mination of someone who “Unstoppable” happens to simply insists that despite the be part of the name of her loss of her left arm to a shark, book, “Be Unstoppable: The life is and will be beautiful — Art of Never Giving Up.” Her if you have faith and believe.

Bill Buley / TGIFR!DAY other books include “Soul Hamilton definitely has Kauai native Bethany Hamilton graces the poster for a new Surfer” and “Body & Soul: A faith and she definitely documentary on her life, “Unstoppable,” as seen in the lobby of Waimea Theatre recently.

Girl’s Guide to a Fit, Fun and believes.

Fabulous Life.” those not sure what this is all This documentary by happy, supportive, facing the This movie ends with about: Hamilton lost her arm same daily challenges most Aaron Lieber recently had a Bethany taking on “Jaws” and in a tiger shark attack while week-long run at the Waimea of us do. winning. No surprise. surfing with Blanchard and It also introduces amazing Theatre and pretty much If there’s one thing to come others at Tunnels Beach off packed the house each night. footage of Bethany in the out of this documentary, it’s Haena. In about four weeks, In some ways, it continues the hospital not longer after the this: Bethany Hamilton never she was back in the water shark attack, even then, as a story that was told in “Soul lost faith. She never lost hope.

Surfer.” With incredible surfing 13-year-old, displaying humor surfing. Her story garnered She persevered. She believed national attention and, since footage, it takes viewers on a and resolve far beyond the in herself and the gifts given then, she has since been a years of your typical teen. thrilling ride with Bethany as to her by God. And it’s clear celebrity of sorts, always the she goes up against the best Her parents, thankfully, were she is thankful. center of attention, somesurfers in the world (and wins even then filming much of That’s how you become two heats) and conquers the Bethany’s life, including some thing she isn’t wild about. Her comical scenes with her best private life and family time are “Unstoppable.” massive waves of “Jaws” off ••• friend, Alana Blanchard, when important to her. the coast of Maui. We also The documentary, perhaps Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, they were kids. Blanchard, by get to meet, on screen, her can be reached at 245surprisingly, only lightly husband, Adam (a cool dude the way, went on to surf on 0457 or bbuley@thetouches on Hamilton’s the pro tour. himself ) and their first son, gardenisland.com.

Quick bit of background for Christian faith. But it does Tobias. They are relaxed and

I

Hopper Stone / 20th Century Fox via AP

Dave Bautista, right, and Kumail Nanjiani, standing left, “interrogate” a man in a scene from “Stuber.”

IN ‘STUBER,’ A BUDDY COMEDY RUNS ON FUMES JAKE COYLE ASSOCIATED PRESS

I

f you’re going to see one comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani as an Uber driver, please make it the 2017 film he co-scripted, “The Big Sick.”

••• In “Stuber” (two stars MOVIE REVIEW out of four), Nanjiani is again behind the wheel of a compact ride-sharing vehicle, but this time, the comedy is running on fumes and the company (Zoe Kazan in “The Big Sick,” Dave Bautista in “Stuber”) isn’t nearly as good.

Stu is nicknamed “Stuber” by his obnoxious boss at a sporting goods store in a nod to his side gig. He’s conscripted by Bautista’s Vic, a Los Angeles police detective temporarily blinded by LASIK surgery, to drive him around town. Vic can hardly see, but he’s hell-bent on pursuing the most lethally acrobatic drug dealer you’ve ever seen (Iko Uwais of “The Raid”) who months ago killed Vic’s partner.

Stu, desperate for a five-star rating, is reluctantly sucked into a “Beverly Hills Cop”-like buddy action comedy that quickly turns violent and a little shrill.

Nanjiani and Bautista, the hulking former wrestler best known as Drax in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, make a suitably odd pair. Stu is sensitive and nerdy, and desperate for his best friend (Betty Gilpin) to take him seriously as a romantic partner. Vic is gruff and bumbling and often appears almost literally as a bull in a china shop.

Tripper Clancy’s script — a kind of comic version of SEE FUMES, PAGE 8

CHECK DA SCENE

TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019 | 7

DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY

Kaila Waipa, Kailee Waipa Kailea Caldwell-Banasihan, Samantha Caldwell-Banasihan

Sandy Duffy, Nyreelyn Laguatan

FREE AND FUN!

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Kahea Hussey, Kaiehu Ahuna, Kamalu Hussey

Aysha Hepa, Anthony Hepa, Alysha Hepa

Skylar Poole, Leroy Lagmay, Taylor Perreira

Jasmine Narciso

Ken Johnson, Rose Johnson, Molly Izard

ore than 1,800 backpacks of school supplies were distributed at the annual Back to School Bash, presented by Kukui Grove Center and a host of sponsors.

“These are supplies that are listed on most of the schools’ lists,” said Melissa McFerrin-Warrack, special events coordinator at Kukui Grove. “We also have some enhancements, including colorful pencil sharpeners and pencil cases.”

Additionally, the first 500 students to register were able to choose free books while filling out their passports through the Fun Zone of 15 vendors offering services and information people could find useful once school resumes.

Entertainment included the Rising (Summer) Stars from the Hawaii Children’s Theatre, Bandwagon and Kimberly Hope.

Gwyneth Abela, Amanda Smith, Tiffany Sagucio

8 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, July 19, 2019

‘LION KING’ RETURNS, BUT IT’S HARDER TO FEEL THE LOVE JAKE COYLE ASSOCIATED PRESS

L

ife moves in a circle, “The Lion King” tells us, and, increasingly, so does studio moviemaking.

Close on the heels of “live-action” remakes of “Aladdin” and “Dumbo” and on the ••• precipice MOVIE REVIEW of a reborn “The Little Mermaid,”‘’The Lion King” (two stars out of four), is back, too. Round and round we go. Cue Savannah sunrise. Cue “Naaaants ingonyama bagithi baba!”

The remakes have themselves been a mixed bag offering some combination of modern visual effects, fresh casting and narrative tweaks to catch up more dated material to the times. Don’t count on a new “Song of the South,” but much of the Disney library will soon have been outfitted with digital clothes for the Internet era.

It’s easy to greet these remakes both cynically and a little eagerly.

In the case of “The Lion King,” the songs are still good, the Shakespearean story still solid. And, well, Beyonce’s in it.

And yet Jon Favreau’s “The Lion King,” so abundant with realistic simulations of the natural world, is curiously lifeless. The most significant overhaul to an otherwise slavishly similar retread is the digital animation rendering of everything, turning the film’s African grasslands and its animal inhabitants into a photo-realistic menagerie. The Disney worlds of cartoon and nature

Fumes

Continued from Page 6

Michael Mann’s “Collateral,” with Tom Cruise as a contract killer and Jamie

Disney via AP

Young Simba, voiced by JD McCrary, from left, Timon, voiced by Billy Eichner, and Pumbaa, voiced by Seth Rogen, discuss more than the weather in a scene from “The Lion King.

documentary have finally merged.

It’s an impressive leap in visual effects, which included Favreau, cinematographer Caleb Descehanel and VFX chief Rob Legato making use of virtual-reality environments. Some of the computer-generated makeovers are beautiful. Mufasa, the lion king voiced again by James Earl Jones, is wondrously regal, and his mane might be the most majestic blonde locks since Robert Redford. And the grass stalks of the pride lands shimmer in the African sunlight.

But it’s a hollow victory. By

Foxx as his cabbie — crafts a hardly novel running dialogue of masculinity.

Occasionally, it hits just right, like when Nanjiani summarizes their dynamic: “You’re built for justice. I’m built for brunch.” But most

turning the elastic, dynamic handdrawn creations of Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff ’s 1994 original into realistic-looking animals, “The Lion King” has greatly narrowed its spectrum of available expressions. Largely lost are the kinds of characterization that can flow from voice actor to animation. (Think of how closely fused Tom Hanks is with Woody in the “Toy Story” movies.) Here, most of the starry voice actors (including Donald Glover as the grown-up lion prince Simba, Beyonce as the older lioness Nala and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the vil-

of the time, it flails around in a stale routine. During a fight at the sporting goods store, Stu exclaims: “Real men cry!”

The movie’s premise is one long Uber ad, but it’s a clever enough buddy

lainous Scar) feel remote from their characters. And, in many cases, so do we.

It’s worth asking: Just how real do we need our talking animals?

Do we need the feathered majordomo Zazu (voiced by John Oliver) to look enough like a red-billed hornbill to win the approval of avid birders? “The Lion King” may well be a pivotal stepping stone toward CGI splendors to come, but for now, it feels like realism has been substituted for enchantment.

That doesn’t stop an army of top craft professionals and an enviable

comedy setup, and both Nanjiani and Bautista are good comic performers. So what’s missing here? Part of the trouble is that Bautista is playing too much to type (the twist on his brilliant Drax is that he’s lovably

voice cast from doing their best to inject some vitality into “The Lion King.” The familiar songs by Elton John and Tim Rice are back, along with a new tune by Rice and Beyonce, though this time, the score

by Hans Zimmer, with Lebo M., feels more airy and buoyant.

Yet the degree to which this “Lion King” mimics the first is disappointing. (Jeff Nathanson gets a solo writing credit but sceneto-scene the film hues extremely close to the original.) There’s a sound case to be made that the tale, which has been running on Broadway for more than 20 years, needs little revision.

But the few deviations taken by the filmmakers make you want more. The role of Nala has rightfully been elevated and toughened.

The most rope for riffing has been extended to the new Timon and Pumba: Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. Taking over for Nathan Lane’s meerkat and Ernie Sabella’s warthog, Eichner and Rogen make their own shtick together and they, more than anyone else, give “The Lion King” a breath of fresh air, even as they makea plenty of fart jokes.

Yet that’s hardly enough to warrant a bland, unimaginative rehash like this, let alone merit Beyonce’s imperial presence. Instead, “The Lion King” is missing something. A purpose, maybe, and a heart. The life expectancy of Disney classics has begun to feel more like a hamster wheel than a circle of life, and it’s getting harder and harder to feel the love.

emotional), and few actors benefit from having their eyes taken from them.

That leaves most of the comedy to Nanjiani, and he does an admirable job trying to give the material a lift. But director Michael

Dowse (“Goon”) struggles to find the right tone, leaning more into slapdash action scenes than jokes.

Any chance of sustained chemistry between the two leads recedes in the rearview mirror.