Gilliom revives White Hawaiian one-man show | News, Sports, Jobs

Local entertainer Eric Gilliom shares a bit of grandmother Napua Wood’s show business story while performing a preview of his one-man show “White Hawaiian” at Mulligan’s on the Blue in Wailea Tuesday. Gilliom and co-creator Brian Kohne have revived the show at Mulligan’s, with Gilliom donning outlandish wigs and costumes to portray his famous family and winding career path. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Exploring universal themes of love, family loyalty and personal ambition, Eric Gilliom’s “White Hawaiian” show captures the success and failures of an island boy who sought fame and fortune on the Mainland.

The hilarious and smart one-man show, which debuted at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in late 2019, has been revived and dramatically revamped for a Wednesday night run at Mulligan’s on the Blue in Wailea.

Co-created by Brian Kohne, the updated production has been designed to appeal to both residents and visitors. Based on the foundation of a multigenerational family tribute, it embraces a dizzying array of comedic caricatures, Chaplinesque slapstick, moving drama, multiple hit musical highlights and many laugh-out-loud moments, along with some Hawaiian cultural history, all wrapped up with a knockout performance by its star.

Donning outlandish wigs and gaudy costumes, supported by assorted props, Gilliom portrays a kaleidoscope of more than two dozen roles and characters from an over-the-top Romeo in a Baldwin High School production to a young Annie belting out “Tomorrow” from the smash musical.

Gilliom has some of the most fun portraying notable female family members, including his acclaimed grandmother Napua Wood, who performed at New York’s famed Cotton Club and showed Groucho Marx how to hula; his matriarch mother; and Hawaiian music star, sister Amy Hanaiali’i.

Eric Gilliom vamps during a disco ball number. His recently revived show, “White Hawaiian,” will take place on Wednesday evenings at Mulligan’s on the Blue. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Laughter erupted when he stepped onstage as a stylized Amy performing in a bustling Chinese restaurant. Decked out in a shocking pink dress, he attempted to mime her song “Manu O Ku,” while almost drowned out by the dining din (with orders shouted out by Kathy Collins), with his sister cracking up in the audience.

Gilliom’s jagged journey reaches an apex as he brilliantly recreates his disastrous moment in the Broadway spotlight, starring in the epic flop “Carrie: The Musical.”

Sporting a semi-mohawk wig and menacing leather jacket, with a protruding animatronic pig, he delivers a torturous song which hinted at why the infamous stage production elicited such scathing reviews.

Enhancing the show’s appeal, “White Hawaiian” makes ample use of vintage video offering a snapshot history of social and political events in Hawaii. With classic scenes of surfing and hula, and the arrival of ocean liners, later images range from Pearl Harbor, the bravery of the “Go For Broke” 442nd Regiment and the establishment of statehood, to island TV shows like “Magnum, P.I.,” and clips of Elvis on Oahu and Jimi Hendrix on Maui.

The show reaches a crescendo with an absolutely hilarious cruise ship segment, where merrily singing and occasionally miming and tap dancing, he surreally conjures a rapid assortment of memorable musical characters, all performed on roller skates.

“White Hawaiian” producer and co-writer Brian Kohne (right) pays tribute to Eric Gilliom following his entertaining, high-energy performance at Mulligan’s on the Blue in Wailea Tuesday. — The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

It would be hard to imagine any other actor in the islands able to so successfully carry off such a triumphant feat as Gilliom, a consummate showman. Often bringing the audience to tears of laughter, he furiously dons costume after costume as “The Phantom of the Opera,” Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” an “Oklahoma” cowboy, the Afro-wigged scarecrow in “The Wiz” and a zany disco dancer from “Xanadu.”

If they ever invented a Hoku for musical theater, Gilliom would win it hands down.

A Na Hoku Hanohano-winning artist, Gilliom’s career has included performing with Willie K in the Barefoot Natives, staring in Kohne’s film “Get a Job,” singing with Mick Fleetwood’s Island Rumours Band and teaming with Hapa’s Barry Flanagan.

Attaining success with music, his love for theater stretches back to his student days at Baldwin High School.

“From an early age I was exposed to my grandmother and our family environment was full of singing and dancing,” Gilliom recalled. “Once I discovered performing arts in high school, that was my destiny. I knew I had found my calling.”

After studying at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, he gravitated to Broadway and a leading role in “Carrie,” which he described as “the biggest flop in the history of Broadway, I’m proud to say.”

Back on Maui, “music became pretty much the only thing I could do to stay in the entertainment business,” he said. “Now I’ve been able to circle back to my roots.”

Following the sold-out MACC run, Gilliom and Kohne explored the possibility of presenting the show on the west side in Kaanapali.

“Then the pandemic hit and everything evaporated,” Gilliom said. “Then the idea of Mulligan’s came up and owner Mike O’Dwyer expressed interest. Brian and I needed to go back and do a rewrite, and we had a bunch of changes and improvements. It kind of happened organically. Mike was excited to have the show and offered me the baton of the Willie K Wednesday nights.”

Kohne said they rewrote the show to make it more accessible to visitors.

“And we’ve redone all of the video segments for a stronger story about Hawaii’s history in parallel with Eric’s family history,” he said. “The theme of family is very strong.”

Adding to the updated show’s appeal, Mulligan’s has been remodeled with a new stage, new lighting and sound and the addition of air conditioning. The intimacy of the new setting, with limited seating, enhances the immersive experience.

“It’s even more intoxicating than the more passive experience in a theater setting,” Kohne said. “The lunacy really takes over.”

For Kohne the show is about “trying to bring joy back into the world,” while Gilliom hopes “to make people laugh and to make people feel happy and alive, and at the end of the day, entertained. I want everyone to come out and have a good time.”

“White Hawaiian” is presented on Wednesday evenings with seating beginning at 5 p.m. Pre-show entertainment is presented at 5:30, with Hoku-winner Joel Katz on Hawaiian steel guitar. Tickets are $25 for bar and patio seating, and $35 for the showroom. Kamaaina-priced dinner and drinks are available for purchase. Capacity is limited. Call (808) 874-1131 to make reservations.

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