“Ha‘upu” is Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii’s largest, most intensive Hawaiian opera to date. Nearly three hours of music and libretto tells the legend of Kana and Niheu and their daring rescue of their mother, Hina, from a Molokai chief who kidnapped her in an attempt to barter peace and preserve the way of life for his people.
During the past few months, the kumu and students have worked on streamlining and scaling the production from an all-school epic to a traveling cast of 19 that will take the stage this week at the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The students embarked on their journey July 29, with performances scheduled for Aug. 5, 8, 9 and 10. While the space they will perform in and time allotted for the show will be smaller, the moment and importance of this production has never been greater.
“This is the first time a Hawaiian language or cultural presentation is going to this festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world,” said musical director Herb Mahelona. “It’s a beautiful balance that we can go there and experience the world and all these performances from all over the globe and we have something to offer that no one there has seen.
“That’s just amazing to me. I was excited when I went there that we’d be able to be there and experience this and then I realized they’re just as excited to have us there. Then, I realized that, yes, we in Hawaii have something to share and it is valuable.”
The experience of traveling to this festival and taking on this new challenge is indicative of the program’s desire to consistently raise the bar.
“After every Ho‘ike we say, ‘There is no way we can top this!’; yet we do,” said program director Eric Stack. “We must continue that spirit of faith for which those students of 2009 to 2012 sacrificed so much.
“The heart of Ho‘ike is founded on that. Even this year, just because our production is premiering in Scotland does not mean we should stop there.”
The excitement is even greater for the students selected to perform this opera for the world.
“We’re going, but we’re taking everything, our school, our ohana, our Hawaii, we’re representing Hawaii,” senior Daylan-Blake Kala‘i said. “Initially, it was like wow, but now it’s like let’s go, it’s on.”
For more information about the production, trip to Scotland or performing arts group, visit www.ksbe.edu/kshhoike. The festival website is www.edfringe.com.
