Sing Out Kauai launches Broadway concert series in Līhue and Kīlauea

Kauai audiences will not need to fly to Honolulu or the mainland for a Broadway-style night out this month. Sing Out Kauai is bringing its first Broadway-themed concert series to St. Michael’s and All Angels Church in Līhue and to Anaina Hou Porter Pavilion in Kīlauea, with opening night set for Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m., a second performance in Kīlauea on Saturday, June 13 at 4 p.m., and a final Līhue show on June 20 at 4 p.m.

The program is built around songs from 20 Broadway shows, with material spanning Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, West Side Story, Chicago, Oklahoma and Hamilton. Sing Out Kauai describes the production as a 30-person choir with soloists, running about two hours including intermission, closer to a staged concert event than a standard community choir program.

That format is part of what sets the series apart for island audiences. The concerts will include wine and cocktails available for purchase before the performances and during intermission, and The Right Slice pie will be sold at the Līhue concerts on June 12 and June 20, cash only. A ticketing page lists Broadway Hits as a fundraiser, with seats priced at $30 for early bird tickets, $35 for general admission and $50 for VIP front-row seating at the Kīlauea performance.

For local arts fans, the series also reflects how Sing Out Kauai has built its identity since Randy Leonard and Monica Chung founded the nonprofit in June 2020, after COVID-19 shut down choruses and performances. The group says it works in projects rather than seasons and usually fields ensembles ranging from 8 to 30 singers. Its earlier productions have included Motown!, Sing Out Again!, My Favorite Things, Jazzapella+, Decades!, Aloha Oregon Exchange, Elements and Divas!, with Divas! billed as a 20-woman choir celebrating 10 female singers.

Leonard, who brings 40 years of choral conducting experience to Kauai, leads the organization, which says it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. For residents looking for live theater music without leaving the island, the Broadway Hits series offers a rare chance to hear familiar show tunes in church and park settings close to home, with three performances spread across Līhue and Kīlauea and a format designed to feel more like an event night than a routine choral concert.