In the 1920s and 1930s, entertainment life in the small towns of Hawaii revolved around the theatre. Most had their own and some of the larger towns had grand examples. The Iao Theatre on Maui, is a grand one. Built in 1928 in Spanish Mission style, the theatre is named for the massive, verdant valley that opens up in the West Maui Mountains just above Wailuku. The pink building housed only only a thriving ceinam but also hosted top notch acst such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra before its decline in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1995 the then ramshackle theatre was partially renovated.

It now houses Maui On Stage, a popular theatre company based in the slowly reviving burb of Wailuku, which remains the county seat but pales in activity and population compared to Kahului down the hill and the resort towns of Lahain and Wailea. Aside from local productions, the theatre also shows movies and participates in various artistic festivals. Me, I'm a huge old theatre buff and I've always loved setting foot in the Iao Theatre. It takes you back in time to a simpler day, just like the movie "Cinema Paradiso." True, seats are somewhat uncomfrotable (they have yet to be renovated) and the theatre can be hot. But plans for further renovations should alleviate those shortfalls and bring the Ia'o back to nearly mint-condition. It's also close to one of my favorite shops in all of Hawaii, Sig Zane.

Maui on Stage @ the Iao Theatre
68 N Market St, / (808) 244-8680 / Map

Related Posts: Shops We Love: Sig Zane

—Alex, 01/09/07