Oahu After Dark - Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu - page 348

loved Oahu venue is AnnaBannanas, 2440 S. Beretania St., between University Avenue and
Isenberg Street ( & 808/946-5190 ), still rocking after 30 years in the business with reggae, blues,
and rock—plus video games and darts.
Jazz
To find out what's happening in the jazz scene while you're in town, check out
www.honolulujazzscene.net . Duc's Bistro ( & 808/531-6325 ), downtown, presents live jazz
on Saturday nights.
In Waikiki, tops in taste and ambience is the perennially alluring Lewers Lounge, in the
Halekulani, 2199 Kalia Rd. ( & 808/923-2311; www.halekulani.com ) . Recently renovated (with
a higher ceiling, a contemporary color scheme, and comfy intimate seating around the pil-
lars), this is a great spot for contemporary jazz nightly from 7:30pm to 1am. Be sure to try the
“Hpnotiq” liqueur, a blend of premium vodka, cognac, and fruit juices from France, served
over ice or in various concoctions.
Outside of Waikiki, the Veranda, at the Kahala Resort, 5000 Kahala Ave. ( & 808/739-8888;
www.kahalaresort.com ), is a popular spot for the over-40 crowd, with nightly jazz music and
a dance floor.
In Honolulu, jazz fans will love Jazz Wednesdays at the Honolulu Club, 932 Ward Ave.
( & 808/543-3900 ), where the seventh-floor lounge of this ultra-upscale fitness center turns into
a jazz nightclub with a wall of windows overlooking the Honolulu skyline. Music begins at
7pm (and lasts until 11:30pm), but the tables start filling up at 6pm. The cover is $10 and the
crowd, often from the surrounding offices, generally ranges from people in their mid-20s to
50s. Skip the high-priced pupu (appetizers), but the local jazz musicians are well worth the
price of drinks (martinis, ranging from $7 to $9, are your best bet).
Around town, watch for SandyTsukiyama, a gifted singer (Brazilian, Latin, jazz) and one
of Honolulu's great assets, as well as for jazz singers Rachel Gonzales and Loretta Ables.
Other noteworthy groups in jazz, blues, and R&B include BlueBudda,BongoTribe,Second-
hand Smoke, Bluzilla, Piranha Brothers, and the Greg Pai Trio.
THE PERFORMING ARTS
Audiences have stomped to the big Off-Broadway percussion hit Stomp and have enjoyed the
talent of Tap Dogs, Momix, the Hawaii International Jazz Festival, the American Repertory
Dance Company, and John Kaimikaua's halau—all at the HawaiiTheatre, 1130 Bethel St. ( &
808/528-0506; www.hawaiitheatre.com ) . It's the Carnegie Hall of the Pacific, still basking in its
renaissance following a 4-year, $22-million renovation (it was built in 1922). The neoclassical
Beaux Arts landmark features an original 1922 dome, 1,400 plush seats, and a hydraulically
elevated organ. Breathtaking murals create an atmosphere that's making the theater a leading
multipurpose center.
Other smaller theaters on Oahu are: the Manoa Valley Theatre, 2833 E. Manoa Rd. ( &
808/988-6131; www.manoavalleytheatre.com ) , Honolulu's equivalent of Off-Broadway, with
well-known shows performing; DiamondHeadTheatre, 520 Makapuu Ave. ( & 808/733-0274;