The ARTS at Marks Garage — Attraction in Honolulu

I've walked by this place many times but it was always closed. Luck would have it we were in Chinatown for something else and as we walked by we saw it would be open shortly! So we waited for it to open. The lady who opened up was actually the lady working the friends of the library bookstore inside... which I didn't know was there. It's not big but it's worth stopping in to see. You can't beat FotL book prices. I scored a Dr. Andrew Weil book for $2! Great condition. The gallery is small, we enjoyed the few exhibited artists work that were there. I think one of the big draws is that it's an event spot. When we walked in there was an event already in full swing. Might be an actors studio class? It was curtained off with thick heavy curtains. If that area is closed off just plan on keeping your voices down a tad... not that you usually go to an art gallery to romp and scream (well most galleries you don't lol). At any rate we kept our voices down, walked thru the gallery quickly, less than 5 min I would guess. Walked through the bookstore area in the back in the same amount of time. Tiny but quite a variety! (Manga for a dollar! A few collector books were on site, in this case I believe out was Queens of history... something of the sort. Health, comics, fiction, cooking, little of everything truly! I enjoyed the exhibited artists thoughtfully created pieces. Nice quick place to walk thru when your already in that area. If you're visiting from somewhere else I do want to warn you. While the area has amazing, fun little shops tucked everywhere we do have a homeless problem. You will walk in areas that smell like urine, you might come across someone homeless sleeping in the doorstep of a closed business. It's a problem, it's embarrassing and I apologize for that. Sadly a lot of the beautiful places this island has to offer is tainted by the very big, very real issue of homelessness. So there is your warning, but, while you should note the issue, I do encourage you to explore the gems of shops and see the beauty that is...

MacBeth

I’ve read this play. I’ve help direct this play. I seen a movie of this play. I’ve done the Shakespeare Recitation of the Porter of this play. I’ve done a mockery of this play. Despite that, what I saw this evening was an amazing production.

First, I will pull the theater superstition about saying the name of the play. From here on it is “M.” I will reiterate my last review about the beauty of the smaller performance space. Now, I MUST say as loudly as I can, the awesomeness that is this production.

This was a very large cast for such a small stage but, every character deserved their audience time. Victims, villains, manipulators, and heroes... every single character added to this performance. What I loved the most about this performance was this is the first time I felt sympathetic to the main character, whose fate I knew before walking in. Great characters, excellent delivery of dialogue, and stage combats sequences that keeps you on the edge and all the way back...

Local art gallery that's been around forever. They do shows featuring local artists of all kinds (painters, sculptors, etc.) and a small stage area for performances. They also rent out the space for events. I recently went here for a fundraiser and it was a cool vibe. They're very helpful in getting tables and chairs set up for events. As of 4/4/18 they're also letting the Friends of the Library of Hawaii do a pop-up shop selling used books to benefit the libraries, which is cool. Directly connected to Mark's Garage so parking is super simple or there's metered parking in all the nearby blocks. The facility is staring to look a little dated on the inside, but it's a longtime establishment so that's to be expected. Looked like the bathrooms were renovated recently though -- nice and definitely one of the cleanest places I've peed...