​Kumu Kahua Theatre Announces Cast For The First Play of its New Season, ALOHA LAS VEGAS

Kumu Kahua Theatre has announced the cast of Aloha Las Vegas, the first play of its upcoming 52nd Season. Reuniting many cast members from its previous productions at Kumu Kahua over the years, the play written by Edward Sakamoto will again grace the theatre's stage in downtown Honolulu, with live performances August 25-September 25, 2022. Audiences have hit the jackpot with the new season lineup-which marks the first time ever that the theatre has devoted a full season exclusively to some of its most beloved and popular presentations through the decades.

Aloha Las Vegas premiered in 1992 at Kumu Kahua Theatre, delighting the local community in Hawai'i before finding fans around the world with the story of Wally Fukuda. A retired widower in Liliha, Wally is living the quiet life until his friend Harry visits from Las Vegas with a wild proposal: sell his home and retire to Vegas, where he can live for a fraction of the cost. Wally warms to the idea, but family dynamics complicate his decision. Always an audience favorite, Aloha Las Vegas now comes back for an encore where it all began.

Kumu Kahua Theatre's Artistic Director, Harry Wong III, will not only direct the 2022 run of Aloha Las Vegas, having directed the play some 20 years prior, but will also act in the current production. "Working with a cast of this caliber makes it seamless to manage both roles, and this opportunity offers a wonderful way to reengage my acting skills after some time away from performing. I feel my craft as a director has been enriched from an understanding of the actor's experience," shares Wong. "What a treat it will be for our guests to see these familiar faces, and to introduce new generations to this unforgettable world that Edward Sakamoto has created."

The cast for Kumu Kahua Theatre's 52nd Season presentation of Aloha Las Vegas follow:

· Ly Atsumi (hometown Pearl City) as "Gracie"

· Karen Kuioka Hironaga (hometown Kailua) as "June Fukuda"

· Eric Mita (returning cast member, hometown Honolulu) as "Butch Fukuda"

· Sally Krekel (returning cast member, hometown Kaneohe) as "Deedee Fukuda"

· Allan Okubo (returning cast member, hometown Kaimuki) as "Harry"

· Dann Seki (returning cast member, hometown Aiea) as "Wally Fukuda"

· Harry Wong III (hometown Honolulu) as "Alvin Kawabata"

The production is Assisted Directed by Jason Kanda, and additionally features Set and Light Design by Brian Lee Sackett, and Props Design by Sara Ward.

Audiences will also be treated to a thematic in-theatre lucky number drawing for a Vegas getaway from Vacations Hawaii! In keeping with a favorite hotel highlighted in the play, the prize includes a 4-night stay at the California Hotel and a meal package. To win, a participant must be a Hawaii resident, 21 years of age or older.

Show dates and times are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit KumuKahua.org, call 808-536-4441, or stop by the box office at 46 Merchant Street (corner of Bethel and Merchant Streets, downtown) between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Up to 10 free tickets will also be offered to the community each weekend of the play's run, focused on those new to, or previously challenged in, experiencing theatre. Please contact 808-536-4441 to inquire about the Dennis Carroll Memorial Tickets, named in honor of the theatre's founder.

Kumu Kahua productions are supported in part by the NME Fund of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the Island Insurance Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 and the American Rescue Plan of 2021, McInerny Foundation (Bank of Hawaii, Trustee); The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, through appropriations from the Legislature of the State of Hawaiʻi, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaiian Electric Company, Alexander & Baldwin, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, Spectrum/Charter Communications, Vacations Hawaiʻi, ABC Stores, the Gloria Kosasa Gainsley Fund, Hawaiʻi Public Radio, The Kim Coco Fund for Justice of the Iwamoto Family Foundation, Edric Sakamoto, Ron and Rachel Heller, and other foundations, businesses, and loyal patrons.

Photo Credit: Kumu Kahua Theatre/BrandonBrandon Miyagi)

To post a comment, you must register and login.