Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 2, 1 February 2015 — Kumu Kahua play [ARTICLE]

Kumu Kahua play

The Hawai'i premiere of the play My Name is Gary Cooper wraps up this month with a matinee showing on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Kumu Kahua Theatre in Honolulu. The play, by Victor Rodger, who is of Samoan ancestry, tells the story of a young man whose life has been shaped by the effects of a Holly wood film crew on his home in Samoa. Dealing with themes of race, racism and identity, "It is a political eommentary wrapped in a bitter revenge story with such humor, heart and heat, that it will leave your head spinning," promoters say. The show deals with adult themes and may not be suitable for all audiences. Victor, the playwright, says, "In Hollywood's . . . South Pacific films ...white characters entered the brown world and stirred things up. What if, I wondered, a brown character entered the white world instead, and stirred things up? What would it look like?" The play premiered in the islands on Jan. 22 and continues to run 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range from $5 to $20 and ean be ordered online. For information and tickets, visit kumukahua.org, or visit or eall the box office at 46 Merchant St., 534-4441 on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ■