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KUMU KAHUA

Kumu Kahua is a smallish community theater located in middle downtown Honolulu.  It features shows by local Hawaii-based playwrights featuring themes and stories of the people of the state.  Hawaiian Creole English, also known as pidgin, is liberally used.

It was founded 51 years ago by graduate students of the University of Hawaii to highlight locally-written experimental works.  The organizers were granted not-for-profit status 40 years ago and in 1994 the Hawaii State Legislature awarded the group its current 100-seat playhouse on prime commercial property at 46 Merchant Street.

Kumu Kahua Theatre also offers classes in acting and writing, sponsoring an annual playwriting contest in conjunction with the University of Hawaii Theatre Department.  Just last week paid more than $500 for seats to Beautiful at the Blaidell Concert Hall.  Two seats at Kumu cost $40, but was given to us.

So off we went Sunday afternoon to watch Who You Again?, written by Ryan Okinaka (middle), directed by Denny Hironaga (right), with assistant direction by Elexis Draine (left).

Ryan prefers to go by the name of Oki, as in Oki-naka.  Born and raised in Honolulu, he also has been in Improv comedy for  a decade.  Acted on TV in Doogie Kamealoha and Hawaii Five-O.

The primary actors were Karen Kuioka Hironaga (yes, wife of the director, on the left), Kati Kuroda (center) and Kaipo Dudoit.  They were all terrific.

As you have by now no doubt figured out, the play is about dementia.  Oki's gramdmother had this condition and did not know her grandson.  He said, you can find beauty in the great sorrows of life.  I too closely identified with the affected grandmother played by Kuroda, for I sometimes felt she was playing me.

This is an opportunity to provide another eclectic review, Photocopier, the first Indonesian film I have ever seen.  It premiered at the 2021 Busan International Film Festival, winning a record 12 awards out of 17 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.  Incredibly, Rotten Tomatoes reviewers bestowed a 100% rating.  Here is a snippet of a Busan review:

This compelling tech-thriller unpicks the inequalities of Indonesia's conservative society, both economically and sexually, to deliver a powerful commentary on the considerable cost of pursuing the truth.

I won't say much more except to indicate that you can find this film on Netflix.  I can, though, report on my research about the Cinema of Indonesia:

  • They have been producing films since 1910.
  • Released 230 films in 2019, but hit hard by the pandemic.  Photocopier was made during this period.
  • There are more than 3,000 screens in their movie theaters, and one company has plans to open 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens across 85 cities over the next decade.
  • Of course new cinemas are now equipped with Dolby Atmos, IMAX and IMAX with Laser, with mobile ticketing.
  • Theaters shave luxury facilities, with seats resembling an airplane business class sofa with blankets.
  • Rated as the top Indonesian film of all-time is the 2008 Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Troops), with a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 91.

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