CPAC Revives Foot-stomper Hillbilly Show

Linda Dela Cruz
Wednesday - March 27, 2006
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Lil’ Abner (Will Giles) and Daisy Mae (Christie Brooke) welcome y’all to Dogpatch for a rollicking good time. CPAC’s spring musical opens Friday at Ron Bright Theatre with dozens of young Windward actors. Photo from Karen Meyer.
Lil’ Abner (Will Giles) and Daisy Mae
(Christie Brooke) welcome y’all to
Dogpatch for a rollicking good time.
CPAC’s spring musical opens Friday at
Ron Bright Theatre with dozens of young
Windward actors.

The legendary comic strip Lil Abner comes to life in Castle Performing Arts Center’s musical revival Friday through April 9 in Ron Bright Theatre.

Directed by Karen Meyer, 49 of the 62 cast members are from Windward schools. “Over 100 students auditioned for the parts,” Meyer said, “and most of them were boys!”

The shows are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, repeating next weekend. Tickets are $15 and $10 and can be purchased at 233-5626. Group rates are also available.

Kaiser High School senior Will Giles plays Abner Yokum, and Castle junior Christie Brooke is his heartthrob, Daisy Mae - a couple caught up in a scheme to save their little town of Dogpatch. Key to it all is a miracle “Yokumberry” brew that Mammy Yokum feeds to her strapping son, and the wicked ways of Gen. Bullmoose who covets the recipe.


General Jubilation T. Cornpone is a foot-stomping song to showcase the talented chorus, the inventive dance movements by choreographer Marcelo Pacleb, the vocal range of Castle’s Jonathan Miller (Marryin’ Sam) - and the carpentry skills of the tech students who recreated Gen. Cornpone on stage. Namely You and Love in a Home are other favorites in store from Emmett Yoshioka’s 15-piece orchestra.

Casey Cameron designed the colorful hillbilly costumes, and Sandy Riford handled lights and sets.

Al Capp’s original comic strip ran in syndication from 1934 to 1977, touching on politics and other issues of the day. As a Broadway show, it saw nearly 700 performances and earned two Tony Awards.


In lead roles are Castle’s Andrew Johnson (Pappy Yokum) and Sky Okimoto (Earthquake McGoon), along with Devin Elting (Gen. Bullmoose), Daniel Kamalu-Grupen (Evil Eye Fleagle), Rebecca Nguyen (Mammy Yokum), Manda Emery (Appassionata Von Climax) and Deanna Mutch (Moonbeam McSwine).

Also from Castle: Falcon DeCosta, Zare Anguay, Matt Malufau, Issac Evans, Curtis Dean, Austin Figueroa, Taylor Rohrbacher, Beau Ortiz, Matt Shutt, Scott Argue, Jimmy Liberato, J.P. LaFortune, J.D. Hooper, Kalani Rios, Joseph Maae, Micah Clores, Patience Kanda, Katrina Johnson, Tiare Smits, Lauren Companion, Akemi McColm, Sara Catalano, Angelena Stokes-Wickersham, Jaime Rodriguez, Gino Titus Luciano, Shareen Billaber, Leslee Pulliam, Liana Pagaduan, Marra Uehara, Tippe Morlan, Kat Souza, Camila Harris and Janine Nagle.

Windward actors also include Trinity Christian School’s Erik Norseth, Ahuimanu Elementary’s Rebekah Johnson and Isaac Johnson, homeschooled Sabrena Coulson, King Intermediate’s Brock Pulliam, and Kapunahala Elementary students Kami Wakabayashi and Connor Meers.

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