Kahilu — Attraction in Hawaii

Just went to a concert one usually dances to and felt particularly uncomfortable dancing in my seat. The juxtaposition of lecture style seating and Anuhea just wasn't for me! That was my bad, this was my first time at this location and my 5th Anuhea concert, and couldn't pass it up! I wasn't sure what to expect so I'll share my abbreviated experience. At this reggae concert, there wasn't an intermission, as I was expecting in a venue of this sort where the median age was like 60. They also didn't serve booze or snacks. (I've been to similar venues pre-covid and they at least had drinks for sale before and during.) It is a drive. If coming from Hilo, give yourself at least an hour and a half. If you're a tourist, the drive is gorgeous and you will be tempted to pull over and detour if it's daytime and your first time up that way. There are some places open for before an evening event, but as much of the island is, expect things to be closed or closing when you get out of the event. Eat/drink first! I saw people with water bottles, but that's it. Now why the 5*?! It's a beautiful drive, a gorgeous location, every seat is good as far as I can tell! There are plenty of places to eat nearby before the event. The sound was beautiful and the place was well kept. If this is your thing, go! Maybe just not to a reggae concert, unless they open up a...

In the past, I would have given four or five stars for the Kahilu theater. However, at a recent production of RENT, on a Saturday evening, they lost my support. There was an obvious problem with the sound system, you couldn't understand what anyone was saying or singing, but they did nothing about it, not even announcing that there was a problem or apologizing to the public that paid to see the performance. During intermission, dozens of people, maybe over a hundred, left the theater and drove away. I had several conversations with people who had experienced exactly what we had. I even spoke to an usher, who confided that "they were upstairs trying to figure out the problem." I had hoped that the Kahilu Theater would email an apology and offer credit for a future production, but no such thing happened. I wrote to the theater, expressing the way I felt, and never got a response. It has given me a very bad taste of how this theater is being run, when they're not taking care of...

Recently saw A Little Night Music. It was excellent, complete with a professional pit orchestra. The seats were comfortable with a full audience. They have a coffee bar with snacks. The single stall restrooms are clean and roomy if you have to use assistive devices. The staff couldn't ha ve been any better. We really enjoyed the show, it would have been nice if the AC was just a little cooler. Otherwise...