Oahu, and Hawaii in general, has an extremely vibrant theater scene with many practicing local playwrights penning works that explore Hawaii themes and issues. The plays range from side-splittingly funny (Lee Cataluna and Lisa Matsumoto are two of the funniest) to dark and brooding. My favorite theater space in the islands is the Kumu Kahua Theater. Housed in downtown Honolulu in an 19th century post office building, the theater only has 100 seats and puts on pretty much exclusively Hawaii-themed productions. Playing through most of July is "Tea" by Velina Hasu Houston. Here's a brief description.

"Tea is the story of four Japanese women, all post-World War II immigrants with American servicemen husbands. They agree to meet at the home of a fifth friend, another war bride who has committed suicide for reasons about which they are neither necessarily clear nor comfortable. Together as women, and as "friends" with a shared history, they agree, with clearly differing degrees of enthusiasm, to unite once more in order to clean Kimiko-san's house."

Don't expect Broadway-quality productions but the Kahua Crew tends to put on really strong shows. I heartily reccomend it for locals, visitors, or anyone who loves theater and wants to learn more about Hawaii and its culture.

—Alex, 07/03/06