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Honolulu Today
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Honolulu Today LORNA ARLEN E Entertainment-starved Honolulu had its first taste of Mainland entertainment since the war began when Capt. Maurice Evans gave his spell-binding lecture at McKinley auditorium last month. Although in Hawaii for active duty with the army, Evans generously agreed to appear before an audience of civilians. In spite of a downpour of rain, the auditorium was packed. It was an audience such has not been seen in Honolulu since darkness fell on the Islands. “Everyone” was there . . . the University crowd, the Manoa set, those familiar faces that used to be seen at the Symphony, the Academy, the Community Theater, the campus lectures.And plain Mr. and Mrs. George Spelvin who, like everyone else, were thirsting for entertainment from that remote other world, New York—the Big Time. They were not disappointed. Maurice Evans stood before them in his regulation army uniform, without the lights, costumes, and trappings that make the world of the theater glitter. But through his supreme mastery the stage seemed peopled with living actors, and the magic words of Shakespeare created an unforgettable panorama of deathless pageantry. Captain Evans’ assignment in Hawaii is with the D.S.S.O., four letters that stand for Department Special Service Office. This is an intricate organization charged with providing educational and recreational facilities for soldiers off duty. He plans to take Shakespearean plays to soldiers in remote outposts by means of a caravan theater built on a four-and-a-half-ton chassis. The famous actor helped build the theater himself, incidentally, proving that he can wield a sharp hammer as well as cast spells from the footlights. The caravan theater has a stage thirty-four feet long and thirteen feet from footlights to ceiling, with props and scenery that appear like 111 First published February 1943. magic from the depths of the truck. Such a theater is an interesting throwback to the days when Shakespeare’s plays were originally presented in open fields and courtyards, with a minimum of the trappings of modern theatricals. Capt. Evans’ plan for bringing the “flesh” theater to soldiers in Honolulu is but one of the many phases of D.S.S.O. activities. One of the biggest of its new projects is the huge recreation building now under construction just inside the main entrance to Fort De Russy in Waikiki. The new building will have two connecting wings, one of which will be a two-story structure with a terrace similar to that of the second floor of the Army-Navy Y in downtown Honolulu.There will be a large dance floor, an auditorium with stage and projection room for USO shows, hula troupes, and special movies. On the upstairs lanai there will be lounges, game rooms, and other recreational facilities. Adjacent to the new site are the present recreation facilities that have been open for nearly six months. These include a beer garden, movie, library, pool room, lounge, and complete hotel service. Army officers have to relax, too, and their recreational needs are a part of the D.S.S.O. The Willard Inn, in Waikiki, is now an officers’ club, and the Haleiwa Hotel was re-opened recently as a fun spot for army officers and their guests. In addition, they will soon have a recreation spot of their own at the former Judge Steiner home at Waikiki Beach. E Meanwhile, the navy is by no means neglecting the fun department for its personnel.Their favorite spot for the lads in white is The Breakers , the navy’s new recreation center on the beach at Waikiki, opposite Kapiolani Park bandstand. Attendance at The Breakers has exceeded even the expectations of Commander Hickey, genial head of fleet recreation in Hawaii. When he drew up the plans for this spot, which is his pet and brainchild, he figured that a capacity of three thousand would be more than generous . However, he has had daily attendance up to thirty-six hundred and now wishes the place were twice as big. The headline attraction at The Breakers these days is Artie Shaw, whose new band of navy men is strictly out of this world.Artie is proud of the fact that he enlisted in the navy as an ordinary sailor and now wears the uniform of a chief, instead of angling for a commission as Hawai‘i Chronicles 112 [54.234.136.147] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 03:37 GMT) other topnotchers of the show world have done...