Review of the Honolulu Theatre for the Youth LOST Fundraiser.

[spicedogs]

Ryan Ozawa (a former LOST podcaster--"The Transmission"), whose wife Jen is in the picture with Elizabeth Mitchell, wrote a fabulous review of the Honolulu Theatre for the Youth fundraiser with the cast of LOST. Notably, Ryan said that Michael Emerson stole the show, which didn't surprise me, as he always stole or shone in everything that I saw him in, so far. I am in total awe of this man's talent. What I wouldn't give to be his pupil. Anyway, here's Ryan's review:

IMR: Extras: HawaiiBlog

March 05, 2007 HTY Got "LOST" Jen and I had a rare night out yesterday to attend a benefit reading for the Honolulu Theatre for Youth featuring several cast members from ABC's filmed-in-Hawaii series "LOST": Matthew Fox (Jack), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Michael Emerson (Ben) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet). I dare say it was the highlight of my year so far. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, mixing the stage, primetime television, and a great cause. The reading was organized by Annie Wood — accomplished children's theatre director, HTY board member, and Cusick's wife. She'd directed a play for HTY in 2005 when Cusick signed on for a handful of "LOST" episodes. When they found themselves back in Hawaii for a longer term, she threw herself into the local arts community with gusto. And the actors similarly let loose last night on the stage. Sometimes flawless, sometimes halting and awkward, it was all real. There were no props, there was no pretense, just a bunch of actors and friends having fun together... ably assisted by several HTY players, of course. Jorge Garcia and Elizabeth Mitchell opened the evening with a reading from an adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" that Wood had brought with her from London. Mitchell sparkled as the wide-eyed mermaid yearning to discover the world above (even as her young son stomped and squealed backstage), and Garcia unsuprisingly charmed everyone as her clumsy, mooning admirer. The second reading was, perhaps, the highlight of the evening. First of all, it was a scene from "Maui vs. Hercules," a new, original play commissioned by HTY from local playwright Yokanaan Kerns. So new, in fact, that the scene is the only piece of "Maui vs. Hercules" so far written, and Kerns — in the audience — sheepishly vowed to complete it before the new season began. Michael Emerson played Maui, and Matthew Fox played Hercules. Fox played it straight, much like the character of Jack, and gets credit for mostly keeping a straight face. But Emerson stole the show as Maui. He didn't hold back, despite the singular challenge of performing a character who speaks pure pidgin. "Das' one mountain, and das' one big mountain," Maui asserts to a disbelieving Hercules. "Knolls are tiny like pimples, rising from da face of da 'aina!" HTY's "BullDog" was his dialect coach, and did a fantastic job. Emerson's pidgin occasionally strayed into a Mexican accent, even New Jersey, but he immediately connected with the audience and kept them in stitches. And Emerson never broke character, even when Fox briefly lost his place in the script. "Aue!" he groaned, struggling under the weight of an imaginary giant fishing hook, as Fox found his place. He staggered as pages flipped. "Aue!" Next up was an obake tale, a Japanese ghost story by renown kabuki scholar David Furamoto. Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn played Yaji and Kita, two hapless travelers lured into a mysterious forest inn by the eminently creepy Emerson. Kim relished the playful role as O'Quinn's sidekick, and O'Quinn's character's dedication to their mission was reminiscent of his island incarnation. Emerson, again, had everyone rolling, this time as a "cute" country maid that turns out to be something quite different. "Please let me show you to another room, where I promise nothing has happened..." Beat. "...up to tonight." The "LOST" cast got a break with a special reading by BullDog. He performed another Kerns work, "Hannachriskwanzabon," telling the story of a Christmas made special by Hawaii's distinct, multicultural mix. "Suck da air! Suck da air!" Finally, Cusick, Kim, Emerson, and Garcia together read from an adaptation of "Ferdinand the Bull" by Karen Zacharias. Here, Cusick transformed himself into a snooty British duke with a lisp, hoping to make a man out of his dance-obsessed son, played by Kim. "Bullfighting is what you should do," lectures the duke. "You get to dress up, have an audience just like dancing, but it's better than dancing, because you get to kill a bull in the end!" Garcia played the gentle Ferdinand ("Cha cha cha!"), and his starstruck porcine companion was played by Emerson ("Can the pork ask ¿Por qué?"). The pig puns flew fast and furious, and the audience needed no prodding to get into the story. "Ole!" It was a wonderful experience, made even better by the opportunity to meet with the cast after the show. They milled about with the audience backstage and in the Tenney Theater courtyard, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. We got to meet O'Quinn and Cusick, trade parenting stories with Mitchell (and shake hands with her son), catch up with Garcia, and join Kim in congratulating Wood for an incredible evening.

Source: http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/extras/weblog/archives/004598.html

Comments

[skinny-bacon.livejournal.com]

This sounds like it was so much fun. Please let us know if you ever find any video of the event!

[spicedogs.livejournal.com]

Here are copies of comments from another site that housed photos (and because I am prejudiced, I highlighted all the ones that have glowing remarks about Michael Emerson's performance):



Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus) smiles with a happy fan.

Cast members from ABC's series LOST lent their talents to reading of the Honolulu Theatre for Youth's plays for next season as a fundraiser for HTY. at a reception following the reading, the LOST cast kindly did a meet and greet with fans.

gtj-45 says:
This fan does look really happy...what a great time you must have had, all these famous faces WOW!!!!...


Watari Goro 渡五郎 says:
>gtj,
I don't usually like crowds, but it was a fun event. Jessica got some autographs, but didn't want to take pix with anyone. But, yeah, the fans of the show were having a great time...as you noted, this fan's face!


hawaii says:
Michael Emerson totally stole the show. Kudos to him for tackling pidgin (Hawaii creole) with such gusto!


Watari Goro 渡五郎 says:
Hehehe....too true!!
I especially loved the way he said, "K'den!"
Classic!


esbaker13 says:
I run the Michael Emerson fan site:

www.michaelemerson.net

Any way that I could get a copy of that picture up on his photo gallery?

Thanks.


crispyteriyaki says:
I love how his lei is made out of those jade flowers I posted photos of a few weeks ago. It's very nicely done, and very unusual! Michael Emerson rocks.


Watari Goro 渡五郎 says:
>esbaker13,
Hi!
Send me a Flickr mail with an address I can use to send you one.

>crispyteriyaki,
Yeah, that's a cool lei! I've seen them before, but you're very right. They are quite rare. (must be $$$).
Being as I have never seen "Lost", I don't know what he's like on the show, but in live theater, he's great!!!


esbaker13 says:
Is this what you mean?

* www.flickr.com/photos/esbaker/
* www.flickr.com/people/esbaker/

May I be so bold to ask for anything with Michael Emerson?

Isn't he a tremendous actor? He is the same in LOST. He practically steals the show. He can make a minor scene into a major event.

Thanks.


kitchen mama says:
what neat photos of Lost...i am a big fan of that show too. hey henry gale actually looks friendly ...haha!


Watari Goro 渡五郎 says:
>esbaker13,
Actually, I needed your email address, but that's okay. I got it from your Flickr profile. I'll send over some shots.

>kitchen mama,
Thanks!
I gotta figure out why the light from my flash varied so wildly, though.
He really made the show!

Other photos:

[twisk.livejournal.com]

Oh so much good words about Michael, I would love to see some clip from the whole party so much! I would like to see how everyone acted actually, but most of all Michael's performence of course!