THEATER REVIEW : ‘Aloha Las Vegas’ Stays on Hawaii Time

Edward Sakamoto’s comedy “Aloha Las Vegas,” which played a limited engagement at the Japan America Theatre downtown and closed Sunday, immerses us in a veritable waterfall of Hawaiian culture. The play also points up a little-known modern-day phenomenon--the exodus of native Hawaiians to Las Vegas.

Wally (Lawrence T. Fukumoto), a recently widowed Hawaiian who has lived in Honolulu all his life, is thinking about pulling up stakes and retiring to Sin City. As his friend Harry (Dennis Ihara) points out, Wally could sell his island home for big money, buy a place in Vegas for a fraction of the cost, and spend the rest of his life gambling and having fun in the sun.

This plan horrifies Wally’s “old maid” daughter, June (Karen Yamamoto Hackler). Their family has lived in Hawaii for more than 100 years. Such a move, at least in June’s eyes, would constitute not only an abandonment of family and friends, but of their rich Hawaiian culture as well.

The desultory plot stretches thin at points, and Sakamoto lays on the local color a bit thick. Characters segue into rambling anecdotes that may get laughs but have little to do with the progression of the story.

At one point, the male characters reminisce about the home-grown baseball stars that shone in Honolulu Stadium during the 1940s and ‘50s. Extremely specific references such as these may bring ripples of recognition from the Hawaiian expatriates in the audience, but limit the comedy’s general appeal.

Despite the glossary of pidgin terms in the program, many haoles in the audience may find the language barrier difficult to bridge. Whatever your ethnic origin, Sakamoto’s ebullient, frequently scatological patois is anthropologically fascinating, even when the meaning is elusive. However, a heavy reliance on bathroom jokes does cheapen the humor somewhat. Still, the ebullient family atmosphere in the cast spills over into the audience.

James A. Nakamoto’s direction is neither subtle, nor dull. One must simply abandon Mainland expectations and relax into the leisurely rhythms. First produced at the Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu, the play remains on island time.

This production features the original Hawaiian cast. The actors mug, roll their eyes and generally ham it up, and though a few, particularly Fukumoto, could have delved deeper into their characters, their kinetic performances enliven the occasionally sluggish pace.

Nan Asuncion, who plays Wally’s housekeeper and friend, is an innocent, unspoiled, infinitely likable earth mother who epitomizes the attraction of the islands.

As June’s suitor, Dann Seki plays a consummate nerd with an unexpectedly passionate side. Marcus R. Oshiro and Meredith R. Hill appear as Wally’s bombastically macho son and his understanding wife.

Although the play sometimes seems like an exclusive club into which the uninitiated cannot penetrate, “Aloha Las Vegas” remains a tantalizing glimpse into a vanishing culture. Better a peep into paradise than no peep at all.

Editor’s Note: Playwright Edward Sakamoto is on the editorial staff of the Los Angeles Times.