10-11-2012, 12:49 PM
Go see this show. I have never wanted to see this show because I was uninterested in the theme and because it is generally difficult to drag me into a theatre for 2 hours, period. But I am glad I saw this production. It is the finest production I have seen since I have been on island. The talented associated with it is tremendous.
Thematically, you have the spectacle of a person who is larger than life and who gains a following through his words and soon is known by all and beloved by many. And the process of deification begins. We all know what happens next. I think Joni Mitchell put it best:
Oh the power and the glory
Just when you're getting a taste for worship
They start bringing out the hammers
And the boards
And the nails
And the "King" gets a crown of thorns, hangs naked, or nearly so, from a cross in agony and abject humiliation and then perishes just like an ordinary man to the surprise of some, including himself ("My God, why hast though forsaken me?"). Now the good news is that you won't have to go to hell because, like any holy martyr or unholy artist, he has done it for you!
No one can convey the agony of the martyr as beautifully as Pedro Ka'awaloa. He truly is a superstar. And you can hang him on a cross, but he comes bounding out on stage for a bow just a few moments after that! His talent nearly lifts the roof.
But he has competition this time. Kau'ilani Trainer as Mary Magdelene is a wonderful actress with a beautiful and expressive voice. She does the "hit" from the production better than the person that sang the hit. But the guy that steals the show is Phill Russell as Judas. He stole my heart from the moment he opened his mouth. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Not even for a second. He rocks. And he really makes you love hating him for his chilling and duplicitous kiss and for the utter treachery of his betrayal of a man he worshipped at first (His version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is agonized, heartfelt and poignant).
But what sets this production apart is the extraordinary musicianship of the small rock orchestra known as the "Band of Angels". They are directed by the incomparable Quack Moore who apparently settles for nothing less than perfection and knows how to bring that out in others and who has that in them. The band is composed of uncommonly talented musicians who happen to live on our island.
We needn't be modest anymore. This island, and in particular, this area of our island attracts truly extraordinary people. This production proves that. We need to quit saying that something is good "for Hilo" and just recognize that what we have is as good as it gets anywhere. You can't top this and you can't touch it.
And our palm fronds are fresh.
Thematically, you have the spectacle of a person who is larger than life and who gains a following through his words and soon is known by all and beloved by many. And the process of deification begins. We all know what happens next. I think Joni Mitchell put it best:
Oh the power and the glory
Just when you're getting a taste for worship
They start bringing out the hammers
And the boards
And the nails
And the "King" gets a crown of thorns, hangs naked, or nearly so, from a cross in agony and abject humiliation and then perishes just like an ordinary man to the surprise of some, including himself ("My God, why hast though forsaken me?"). Now the good news is that you won't have to go to hell because, like any holy martyr or unholy artist, he has done it for you!
No one can convey the agony of the martyr as beautifully as Pedro Ka'awaloa. He truly is a superstar. And you can hang him on a cross, but he comes bounding out on stage for a bow just a few moments after that! His talent nearly lifts the roof.
But he has competition this time. Kau'ilani Trainer as Mary Magdelene is a wonderful actress with a beautiful and expressive voice. She does the "hit" from the production better than the person that sang the hit. But the guy that steals the show is Phill Russell as Judas. He stole my heart from the moment he opened his mouth. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Not even for a second. He rocks. And he really makes you love hating him for his chilling and duplicitous kiss and for the utter treachery of his betrayal of a man he worshipped at first (His version of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" is agonized, heartfelt and poignant).
But what sets this production apart is the extraordinary musicianship of the small rock orchestra known as the "Band of Angels". They are directed by the incomparable Quack Moore who apparently settles for nothing less than perfection and knows how to bring that out in others and who has that in them. The band is composed of uncommonly talented musicians who happen to live on our island.
We needn't be modest anymore. This island, and in particular, this area of our island attracts truly extraordinary people. This production proves that. We need to quit saying that something is good "for Hilo" and just recognize that what we have is as good as it gets anywhere. You can't top this and you can't touch it.
And our palm fronds are fresh.