Honey Bun

This is the talented singing actor Curt Olds with a lei made of North Carolina Honey Buns--a play on words with the song from the second act of SOUTH PACIFIC. Curt is Luther Billis in the show. He played Njegus at Opera Memphis a couple years ago in THE MERRY WIDOW.

At Dog's Door

After a very chic lunch at a great new restaurant called Stage we went to check out Dog the Bounty Hunter's bail bond office in downtown Honolulu. The place is staffed by his family. Around the corner there was a souvenir shop. While we were there, burly young male fans kept coming in to buy T-shirts.

Conductors Hate Spacing Rehearsals

To combat boredom and crankiness in spacing rehearsals, I have brought: computer with internet connection, thank you notes, electronic keyboard, camera, blank music staff paper, Honolulu Advertiser, bottled water...

We are in the theatre!

At last we are in the theatre. The first rehearsals in the theatre are for spacing--translating what was done in the rehearsal hall into the actual space. There are portals, levels, and scenery to be worked with now. All in all, it is a very tedious rehearsal for the conductor--hence my ability to blog from the pit while they do their work onstage.

Banyan Land

Hawaii has beautiful banyan trees. This one is on the grounds near the Iolani Palace. Banyan trees put down roots from their branches and grow to huge dimensions.

Would be Tarzans are warned not to swing from the branches of this particular tree.

Moving to the theatre

Yesterday we had the final rehearsal in Hawaii Opera's cramped and hot rehearsal space. We are ready for the theatre at the Blaisdell. This production has a remarkable touch--a drop in performance by Manutahi Tahiti which is a group of Tahitian dancers. Check out their mission at their website. I will post pictures of their very exciting work, which really amplifies the "South Pacific"ness of this production.

Dites-moi, pourquoi?

Nellie rehearsing with Ngana and Jerome. In the book, they sing Au claire de Lune, mon ami Pierrot.

Yummy Chicken Feet

Legend is a dim sum restaurant... One of the best in Honolulu. That is a chicken foot, a gelatinous and slightly chewy delicacy. The taste is great, the texture is acquired...

San Francisco? No Honolulu

This street is called Wilhelmina Rise. The picture cannot begin to describe the feeling of driving up and down this steep street. That's Diamond Head in the background.

Vog

Our dance captain, Celia Chun explained to me today that she was under the weather yesterday because of Vog. Over on Hawaii, the volcano is erupting, and when the wind blows the right way, dust and ash from the volcano blows over the islands, causing allergies and asthma attacks. They call it vog.