Week of Friday, November 15, 2019 | Vol. 7, No. 46
Check da Scene
Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend
‘LEGEND OF KO‘OLAU’ COMING TO KAUAI
Native Hawaiian actor Moronai Kanekoa will take stage as cowboy MELINDA ANNE GOHN SPECIAL TO TGIFR!DAY
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or Native Hawaiian actor Moronai Kanekoa, getting roles as an actor has been a struggle in Los Angeles, and even more so in finding roles as a Native Hawaiian in film or theatre. That’s why acting as a Native Hawaiian in the national touring play “Legend Of Ko‘olau” has been very special, he said. “Before I acted in the ‘Legend of Ko‘olau,’ I’d done a number of roles mainly in Mexican TV soap operas,” said Kanekoa, born and raised on Maui and a former University of Hawaii Regent Scholar. Since then, Kanekoa has gone on to do a number of films, including a starring
Kamea Bosnia / Special to TGIFR!DAY
Actor Moronai Kanekoa will reprise his role as the legendary cowboy Kaluaiko‘olau in the national touring play “Legend Of Ko’olau.”
HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY!
Winner of 7 Scovie Awards!
SATURDAYS 9:30am –1pm
On the Kauai Community College Campus
SALTY WAHINE’S award winning salt blends for your fresh vegetables and locally sourced meats!
From Farmers Market to Farm Fair The Kauai County Farm Bureau Supports Agriculture
SEE LEGEND, PAGE 2
2 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, November 15, 2019
Legend Continued from Page 1
role in Brian Kohne’s independent, award-winning film “Kuleana.” Kohne selected Kanekoa to act in his film after seeing his performance in “Legend of Ko‘olau” and beKanekoa ing impressed with his acting abilities. “He’s brilliant in every role he takes on and, certainly, in this wonderful show,” Kohne said. “Legend of Ko‘olau” playwright Gary T. Kubota said many applied for the part, but only Kanekoa was able to memorize half the play in three weeks. “We went to stage in six weeks at the Hawaii Theatre,” Kubota said. “I mean my play has more words in it than Hamlet’s speech by William Shakespeare. His memory and performances have been extraordinary. People have laughed and cried and laughed again during performances,” Kubota said. Kubota said the most gratifying thing for him is that the play goes deep into Hawaii history and that visitors as well as local audiences have enjoyed the story, including descendants of relatives of Kaluaiko‘olau and his wife Pi‘ilani.
‘KO‘OLAU’ COMES TO KILAUEA
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ctor Moronai Kanekoa returns to Hawaii Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at Anaina Hou Community Park’s Porter Pavilion in Kilauea to reprise his role as the legendary cowboy Kaluaiko‘olau in the national touring play “Legend Of Ko‘olau.” Kanekoa, a star in the independent, award-winning film “Kuleana,” has received praise from critics and audiences in Los Angeles, Berkeley and Sacramento for his performances as Kaluaiko‘olau. The play, written by Hawaii
“Some of them have told me they plan to see the play again on Kauai, where the story takes place,” Kubota said. Kubota said the story has been told by authors Kahikina Sheldon and Jack London, the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.S. Merwin, but never in live theatre from the point of view of Kaluaiko‘olau himself. The story takes place around the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893 and efforts by the new provisional government to consolidate control of the Hawaiian Islands and step up support for particular laws, including the forced exile of Hansen’s Disease patients to the remote peninsula at Kalau-
journalist Gary T. Kubota, received a grant for its production from the National Performance Network of New Orleans, with support from the Maui Arts and Cultural Center and Historic Waimea Theatre. Doors open at 6 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $20. VIP tickets are $50. Tickets are available at legendofkoolau.com, anainahou. org, or by calling Anaina Hou Community Park, 828-2118. ••• TGIFR!DAY
papa, Molokai. The laws would have broken up the family and forced Ko‘olau and his 9-year-old son Kaleimanu to leave Kauai, even though the family resided in the remote Kalalau Valley, where there was a Hansen’s Disease colony. “Basically, he just wanted to be left alone to die on his home island of Kauai,” Kubota said. “But the government that had overthrown the monarchy wanted to use him as an example of their new power and found out what one sharp-shooting Hawaiian cowboy could do when pushed into a corner. He has become a legend because of that battle.”
THIS IS ONE ‘STRANGER’ YOU SHOULD KNOW ••• BOOK REVIEW
publisher, unfortunately, it was not easily available for us to get — at first. A couple days later, into the store walks a guy, asking if we would consider carrying his ED JUSTUS book in the store. He SPECIAL TO TGIFR!DAY introduced himself: Beau Flemister. Yep! The very ometimes, amazsame author of “In the ing and surprising Seat of a Stranger’s Car: things happen in A Tale About Parking in our bookstore. Paradise.” About a week ago, a We agreed to stock his few customers came in books, and without us looking for the book “In even trying, “In the Seat of the Seat of a Stranger’s a Stranger’s Car” is literally Car,” by Beau Flemister. selling itself — and fast! Being unfamiliar with Beyond the cover, what the title and author, we discovered it was actually customers find inside inHawaii fiction, written by trigues them even more. This is truly a unique someone who had grown up in Hawaii. Immediate- tale, seasoned with all the mixed cultural flavors of ly, we were impressed everyday reality in modwith the book’s quality ern Hawaii. cover art — already a Revolving around a mix good sign. Designing of quirky characters who an eye-catching cover work as valets at a hotel, is important, because unfortunately books truly the group discovers a young boy in the trunk of are first judged by their an abandoned vehicle at covers by customers. their workplace. UncerBut, since the book tain what is the best thing was printed by a smaller
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to do, somehow they convince themselves to raise the child together instead of surrendering him to a foster situation. The zaniness of the tale quickly begins to unfold. With flavors of Paul Theroux’s “Hotel Honolulu,” Lois-Ann Yamanaka and dashes of Chris McKinney, this is one of the most unusual, genuine and unforgettable Hawaii novels out there. ••• Ed Justus is the owner of Talk Story Bookstore in Hanapepe. Yuriko and Ed Justus are Kalaheo residents. Talk Story Bookstore is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Fridays.
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TGIFR!DAY | Friday, November 15, 2019 | 3
KISS cabaret set for Nov. 23 at Trees
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et ready for “Love Finds Trouble,” the next chapter of the Kauai Island Singers Showcase The Mating Game, a sultry, sassy, original cabaret set in a 1920s speakeasy, at 6 p.m. Nov. 23, at Trees Lounge in Waipouli.
The two-act musical theater features post-modern jazz, blues and pop songs, which tell a story of the game of love and romance with lots of fun and laughter. Organizers suggest arriving in roaring Twenties attire. Doors open at 5 p.m. The cover charge is $15, or $20 for limited, VIP seating.
Shops, Restaurants & Services at Ching Young Village: Jessica Else / TGIFR!DAY
From left, Trishana Star, Mary Ellen Kopitzke, Melissa Mojo, Siri Shabad, Alison Miller, Dhyana Dunville and Phil Zeidner get in costume for the Kauai Island Singers Showcase cabaret show “Love Finds Trouble.”
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CHECK DA SCENE Krystl Apeles, Jilly Wenderlich
TGIFR!DAY | Friday, November 15, 2019 | 4
DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY
Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama, Roberta Texeira, Dana Landeza-Oliver
Alicia Hoelzer, Cynthia Chiang
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS
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Anne Sachs, Erin Keller
Betsy Akama, Remy Chinen, Eddie Chinen
William Baron, Blanca Baron
Keala Contrades, Bree Martin, Tanya Dosono
Brooklyn Samn, Miles Hicks, Leigh Hicks, Jaden Swigart, Jennifer Swigart, Caden Swigart
Steve Kim, Jonathan Kim, Lisa Kim, Kelly Kim - California
he Kauai Community Market, a partnership between the Kauai County Farm Bureau and Kauai Community College, celebrated 10 years of meeting each Saturday — rain or shine — at the KCC front parking lot adjacent to Kaumualii Highway. Some of the original dozen vendors rolled back the clock to offer special anniversary pricing for the occasion that followed the market’s regular hours of 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and attracted a variety of shoppers. Special guest performers included the Joyful Noise taiko ensemble and Kimberly Hope. Today, the Kauai Community Market features more than 60 vendors offering everything from fresh produce and fruits to value-added food products.
Amber McClure, Daphne McClure