scott@islenet.UUCP (Scott Allen) (11/17/85)
Yesterday, in his first show in Hawaii, Garrison Keillor cast a spell -- a
spell centered around a mythical town populated by down to earth, hard-
working and shy people, who dream and feel guilty about leaving Minnesota
winters for a respite in the paradise of Hawaii -- and around Hawaii
itself; its people, its aloha, its customs, and its music.
Today, in the show broadcast nationwide, Garrison strengthened his hold on
on Hawaii. Assuming anyone who reads net.wobegon heard that show, you know
most of what happened. You heard the Sons of Hawaii, the Kahe Leilani
Serenaders from Niihau, and the Kamehameha High School Choir. You do not
know the things that only the audience could see:
The radio show started at 1:00 PM HST, "to get it to the East Coast for
those folks' suppers," but getting everyone seated and quiet before air
time is an art. The show therefore began for the audience 15 minutes before
air time. Garrison was wildly applauded when he appeared. He noted the show
would be broadcast in Hawaii at its regular time -- 6PM -- thus giving the
audience a chance to hear again any pearls they might have missed, or
anything they might not have understood the first time through. As a matter
of fact, he said, there probably was not much point in any of them being
there.
A little more repartee, some music, a story or two, and suddenly the
engineer announced to the audience, "One minute to air time." GK's
response: (hurriedly looking through his script) "Wait a minute -- I don't
have all my papers yet ..." From the engineer: silence. From GK: "How come
you never answer me when I ask you things?" From the engineer: "30 seconds
to air time."
Then a moment of silence, the theme began, GK sang "Well, hello, love ..."
and the audience broke into applause as though the star had suddenly
appeared in a puff of smoke.
Yesterday the cast was dressed in their Minnesota standard attire: Tuxedo
with bow tie and running shoes for GK, country dungarees for the rest.
Today GK still had his tuxedo, but the formal white shirt was gone, and in
its place was a purple and blue aloha shirt. Butch Thompson and Peter
Ostroushko had more conservative blue models, but Chet Atkins and John
Gimble remained faithful to their customary stage attire -- Nashville and
western, respectively.
Just after the lights dimmed, Tom Selleck took the third seat from the
right, in the second row.
The radio audience perhaps did not know that the 68 members of the
Kamehameha Schools High School Choir represent to residents of this state
our connection with Hawaiian culture and customs -- the roots of the state,
whether we ourselves come from Minnesota, Norway, Japan, China -- or the
Society Islands. The school was endowed by the estate of Princess Bernice
Pauahi Bishop, a direct descendent of King Kamehameha, to insure that
Hawaiians would have access to education. Its students are therefore all
Hawiian -- and proud of it!
The radio audience heard the choir's salute to the islands of Hawaii, but
could not see four boys and girls in traditional dress dancing hulas at
either end of the stage.
If the audience listened carefully, they could of course have heard Chet
Atkins' guitar and Johnny Gimble's fiddle joining in the final number by
Eddie Kamai and the Sons of Hawaii. They remained lined across the stage as
Garrison said there was too much Hawaiian music they had not heard,
announced they would have to come back again next year, and asked the
Kamehameha Choir to "take us out." Perhaps he did not know what the
automatic response of any Hawaiian audience would be to the number the
Choir chose -- "Hawaii Ponoi," the Hawaii State song. There was much
rustling and creaking of seats as the all present rose in respect.
In the final bars of the anthem heard on the air, radio listeners might
have thought the Choir sounded much larger as the audience spontaneously
joined in, swaying to the music. The sound man's fingers flew across the
keyboard adjusting levels as the volume rose. The Sons of Hawaii stood
facing the audience, joined hands and sang with the Choir. Shy GK stood at
one end of the stage, perhaps surprised at this spontaneous reaction by so
many people of so many different races to a song from a high school choir.
He was certainly surprised as the Son of Hawaii nearest him reached over,
grasped his hand, and continued singing. Perhaps it's best the people of
Lake Wobegon could not see as GK removed his glasses and wiped his eye,
which had suddenly become victim of a bit of dust. Then, as the Choir's
voices died away, the audience broke into loud cheering, and repeated
yesterday's standing ovation. And shy GK stayed off stage.
--
Scott Allen {ihnp4|dual|vortex}!islenet!scott
Honolulu, Hawaii 808-941-8500 808-947-3657 808-946-1919
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