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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
 Posted - 03/15/2010 : 09:18:38 AM
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Here is Wayne Harada's review of Saturday evening's show. Sounds like it was somethng swell to see.
Review: The Brothers Cazimero's 'Favorites' is one for all seasons
March 13th, 2010 by Wayne Harada
With apologies to James Bond, nobody does it better than The Brothers Cazimero, whose “Favorites”-themed one-nighter last night (Saturday, March 13) at the Hawai’i Theatre demonstrated that Robert and Roland are mightier than ever.
In a two-hour-plus production high on vocal dynamics, sizzling with male and female hula, ingenious in the use of stellar guest artists, and bursting with enthusiasm and inspiration, The Caz put on a career-best spectacle laced with nostalgia and seasoned with savvy and artistry to spare. They made it all look easy and sound breezy but Robert, the brain and focus of this momentous mounting, said it best: “We have history,” meaning that a four-decade run that included gigs at local spots as diverse as Chuck’s Cellar and the Royal Hawaiian hotel’s Monarch Room and distant as Carnegie Hall and Washington D.C., had prepared them and their cast to deliver such solid showmanship.
Roland’s pre-holiday bout with pneumonia sent him to the hospital and canceled a multi-show Christmas run at the Hawai’i Theatre last December. Yes, it was a disappointment, but health care prevailed.
Fit as Robert’s stand-up fiddle and looking and sounding fully in control like his amplified bass, Roland appeared rested and restless to get back into action, sitting on a high stool instead of his trademark white cube, and was matched by Robert’s zest and zip caused by the unexpected down period.
Further, the time off must have stirred the creative juices and got Robert, in particular, thinking; a show with crowd favorites would have been a simple formula to deliver, but the kumu hula-singer was generous and genuine in his praise of his cast, which included 24 gents from his Halau Na Kamalei o Lililehua, five wahine from the Royal Dance Company, hula soloist and “third brother” Leina’ala Kalama Heine, Lehua Kalima of Na Leo, and three exquisite hula queens from the duo’s past, Nani Dudoit, Jackie Boothe and Moea Defries.
The trio of hula maidens, who joined The Caz at the Monarch Room over a dozen years, took turns doing signature solos — Dudoit on “Moon of Manakoora,” Boothe on “Love Song of ‘Kalua’” and Defries on “Hawaiian Vamp” — that sent both Roland and Robert to orchestra seats to finally witness what audiences had seen and applauded tirelessly over time. You see, when you’re the voices and musicians of a Cazimero concert, you only see the dancers from your stage perch, which usually mean their backs; you could feel and hear the enthusiasm and energy as the brothers turned spectators, cheering, clapping and commending like ordinary folks, as the women danced to recordings. And, in the case of Robert, providing stereo vocal dynamics, involuntarily singing along to his own voice, from the row behind me.
Chicken skin time, for sure.
The “Favorites” format was a boon; haul out the best and reboot with new vision and version. There was a pre-intermission Christmas acknowledgment (mahalo, guys) with Robert on keyboard singing with Roland on his trusty guitar the inspirational “Go to the Light,” a natural emotion-raiser to bring down the first-half curtain and, yes, to recognize the health-related disruption. And just before the final curtain, a reprise of “May Day Is Lei Day” — a reminiscence of the three decades of Waikiki Shell May 1 triumphs —made it a show for all seasons.
Before Lehua Kalima started her planned segment, she surprised Robert — whose birthday is on March 20 — with a song she penned about “Awapuhi,” or yellow ginger — as he was hastily directed to sit on a stool on stage. Heine did a sit-down hula, hoisting fragile yellow ginger lei — as Robert reacted like a kid, eyes slightly moistening with glee.
Then he hit the keyboards again to provide, with Roland, a male chorus version of her “Local Boys” hit from yesteryear, as well as on another Na Leo hit, “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” Such give-and-take validated their friendship, trust and aloha for each other.
There were several other moments of sheer rhapsody.
Robert and Roland’s succinct montage of “Pua Lilia,” “Ku’uipo,” “Hawaiian Paradise,” “Follow Me” and “Kawika” — with succulent, soaring high notes and iconic bass-and-guitar orchestrations from the combo of two — was among the evening’s best evidence that these self-proclaimed dinosaurs are not extinct.
And oh, you couldn’t help but sing along or move your lips on another riveting and rousing revival of a vintage gem, “One Small Favor,” with dancer-singer Sky Perkins providing the buoyant lead voice and the glamor with the Bros taking alternate turns revving up the huge audience fave.
And the “Pua Hone” finale corralled the women solo dancers again, along with ‘Ala, who danced the Dennis Kamakahi compositions dozens of times separately before — but moved as one; they were briefly interrupted by Robert, who explained that dedication and wisdom thrived within the ranks with intuitive skills, giving deserved credit to the commitment and caring of crew.
Yes, the show was taped — mostly for documentation and personal use by its creators, namely executive producer Burton White and director-choreographer Robert Cazimero — and would be a DVD keepsake for anyone in attendance. Alas, it’s not for public release — and unless there’s a “Favorites 2,” which Robert could be urged to launch, we all have to let the memories live in our hearts. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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Robert Cazimero on KHNL
