Fall Plays Around Honolulu

The Play's the Thing: Oahu’s theater scene heats up with a fall lineup featuring everything from American history to Gothic romance.

Hawaii Theatre for Youth starts its fall season with Anime Momotaro, an original script based on the Japanese fable about a boy who springs from a peach. According to the show’s director, Eric Johnson, the play has been in the works for several years and features martial arts, colorful costumes and a moral about bullying. It takes place in ancient Japan and visually draws on the design concepts of Japanese anime and manga. It runs through Oct 1.

Other hot tickets include Poetry Fever,  Oct. 14 to Nov. 5, and Tasi’s Gift Nov. 25 to Dec 17. htyweb.org.

Paliku Theatre has gone for a big spectacle, presenting Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece The Phantom of the Opera. According to Paliku Theatre manager Tom Holowach, the budget for the musical is double what the theater has spent on any show in the past. Paliku stays true to the original romantic drama, which centers on a disfigured musical genius and his obsession with a beautiful soprano. It runs from Sept. 9 to Oct 9. windward.hawaii.edu/paliku.

Kumu Kahua Theatre presents A Jivebomber’s Christmas, by Saachiko and Dom Magwili. The story, set during World War II, covers the Japanese-American internment camps, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The play portrays the experiences of the Japanese-American citizens during World War II. It runs from Nov. 10 to Dec 11.

The theater will also present Cane Fields Burning, by prolific young playwright Kemuel DeMoville, Sept .8 to Oct 9. kumukahua.org.

Other Hot Fall Shows

Manoa Valley Theatre: Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Sept. 8 to 25, and The Little Shop of Horrors, Oct. 27 to Nov 13. manoavalleytheatre.com.

The Hawaii Theatre: Fun with Fables Sept. 20, Huliau Oct. 22, Aida, Nov. 2, Hoike, Nov 5. hawaiitheatre.com.

Diamond Head Theatre: Sunset Boulevard Sept. 30 to Oct. 16. diamondheadtheatre.com.

Kennedy Theatre: Oklahoma! Nov. 4 to 20. hawaii.edu/kennedy.