‘Iolani School’s advanced theatre students gave the audience reason to laugh and cry in a single evening as they performed contrasting one act plays in a night of “Comedy & Tragedy” on October 11 in Seto Hall. 

  “The Least Offensive Play in the Whole Darn World” by Jonathan Rand was the comedy of the evening. A funny and clever one-act gem, it centers around a fictional device called the ScriptCleaner 5000 that wipes away profanity and cleanses  violence.

The second play was “The Katrina Project” by Michael Marks and Mackenzie Westmoreland. Based on actual interviews and stories, this is an emotional journey into the hearts and souls of hurricane survivors. The play was inspired by the real-life perspectives of Mississippi high school students who met victims devastated by Katrina. All royalties from the play benefit hurricane relief charities. 

The event was a fundraiser for the performing arts department tour to New York City this December. In addition to selling admission tickets, students held a pizza and bake sale before performances and during intermission. More than $1,000 was rasied.

COMING SOON TO SETO HALL

The next 'Iolani theater production will be The Prodigious Snob, translated by Miles Malleson from Moliere's Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.  A nouveau riche gentleman makes a jackass of himself by trying to impress everyone with his importance and wealth. As he attempts to climb the social ladder in 1670 Paris, he is made the butt of a practical joke, thus emphasizing the servility of those who pretend to greatness.

The Prodigious Snob will be performed November 6 to 8 at 7 p.m. in Seto Hall. Admission is free. For information, call 943-2244.

 Photos by Al Linsky