Alice in Wonderland @ KS Maui

Kamehameha Schools Maui (KSM) High School will be debuting their interpretation of Alice in Wonderland tonight, Friday, February 28th at 7:00 pm, with two more shows tomorrow, Saturday, March 1st at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm.  Be sure to check out the production as it is free and open to the public at the Pukalani school's High School campus.

Opening scene of Kamehameha Schools Maui High School's Alice in Wonderland.

Mouse, Mad Hatter, & March Hare

As a big fan of Disney's 1951 cartoon movie of Alice in Wonderland, I was really excited to get a sneak-peek during the high school students' last "dress rehearsal" as they performed for the Elementary Students at KSM.  I loved the creativity used for the costumes, props, and set.  If you've ever seen or read any version of Alice in Wonderland, you're familiar with the extravagant fantasies that would be difficult for anyone to convey in real-life.

The cast and crew are made up of students from all grades.  The lead role of Alice is played by a sophomore.  All cast sang, with many characters performing solos.  These teens have great vocals, which is not surprising considering the fact that KS has a long history of choir and singing events.

Saltimbocca - Modern Italian Cucina

Along with a large party of about a dozen other guests, I ate dinner at new Italian restaurant Saltimbocca.  Located in the Maʻalaea Harbor Shops, the space was formerly home to Maʻalaea Grill and then Maʻalaea Waterfront Restaurant, which recently closed its doors in August 2013.

The venue itself is beautiful, and always has been, with views of Maʻalaea Harbor and Haleakalā.  There are also patio tables available, however it might be safer to sit inside since Maʻalaea is ranked the second windiest harbor in the world (Wellington Harbor of New Zealand's North Island is the windiest).  The only drawback for the restaurant's owners is that there's not much foot traffic.  So on this Tuesday night we had almost half the restaurant to ourselves.  But for some reason it still took almost half an hour after ordering before we finally got our appetizers.

Dave Chappelle Stand-Up on Maui

"The theme of the night is...hopelessness.  Now you can't have hope without hopelessness." - Dave Chappelle

Maui finally got to host Dave Chappelle and his stand-up comedy, a visit that was waayyy long overdue.  After practicing stand-up around New York's comedy circuit, a few failed TV pilots, and several silver-screen appearances, Chappelle really gained notoriety when he burst onto the entertainment scene 10+ years ago with Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" in 2003.  Known internationally for his character comedy and jokes on racism, sexuality, and pop-culture, Chappelle ranks #43 on Comedy Central's "100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time."

Tickets for Dave Chappelle's stand-up show, scheduled for February 5th at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC), went on sale January 15th.  No less than 24 hours later, a second show was arranged for those who missed out on tickets for the first show.  Chappelle's comedy was in such high demand, MACC was forced to add three more shows, giving Chappelle a total of five sold-out shows in the MACC's 1200-seat Castle Theatre.

I don't doodle, I write.

I've discovered that when I am talking on the phone, waiting for an appointment, or just plain bored with nothing else to do...I don't doodle, I write.

Scan of handwritten typography (01/2014)