For the past 50 years, the PCC night show has entertained people from all around the earth. According to Laura Willes, in her book entitled, “Miracle in the Pacific: The Polynesian Cultural Center,” “A theater was an integral part of plans for the PCC right from the initial concept, and the Captain Cook Theatre was built by the labor missionaries.” When the Captain Cook Theater opened in 1963, there was seating for 600, and a few years later it was expanded to 750, and then to 1,300, says Willes. “A Night through Polynesia,” the first night show, took place on October 12, 1963, with 700 performers, under the direction of Michael Grilikhes and his team, says Willes. This first show did not start with beating drums, but with the blowing of conch shells. According to Willes, the waterfalls were not working and the stage manager, Larry Nielsen, said, “We did a lot of praying.” When the show went off without a hitch, Nielsen said, “To see a dream come true before my eyes was something I’ll never forget.” “In the beginning, there were often more performers onstage than audience members, and so to lure more guests into the show, performers often dressed in costume and stood along the side of Kamehameha Highway to wave traffic to turn into PCC. The technique worked, and eventually the theater boasted much fuller attendance,” said Delsa Moe, current director at the PCC. At this time, “The night show became the premier Polynesian entertainment not only in Hawaii, but in the whole Pacific,” says Willes. She added that demand was great for night show tickets, and seats were continually added to the theater. According to Willes, throughout the years the night show took on varying titles, which included; “Invitation to Paradise,” “This is Polynesia,” “Mana,” “The Spirit of Our People,” “Horizons,” “Where the Sea Meets the Sky.” “Dancing with some of my best friends was a highlight of my PCC experience,” said Bill Keni, a HPD officer, on the PCC 50th talk story blog. “In February 1976, the new Pacific Theater debuted, with seating for 2,500 guests. Three years later it was expanded to seat 2, 775,” says Willes. The roof that protects the audience and performers from the rain was added at this time. According to Willes, the fireknife dance is often the showstopper of the night show, and “Although the dance, performed with a hook knife, is ancient in origin, the fire on the end of the knife is a Hollywood-style innovation.” The current show, “Ha: Breath of Life,” took the place of the show, “Horizons! Where the Sea Meets the Sky,” on August 14, 2009. “Ha” was developed with the help of consultant David Warner, and the organization took place over a planned, “measured pace,” says Willes. According to Moe, “It was like opening up these layers [of an onion] that got down to [our] true identity that had somehow been lost.” “Before the opening of ‘Ha’, 120 students had to be trained, and over 2,000 new costumes had to be made. Alterations were made to the Pacific Theater to accommodate the new production. In an effort to draw the audience in and make the stage look more like an island, the water curtain was eliminated and a sandy beach was built right up to the front seats,” says Willes.
Writer: Tucker Grimshaw~Multimedia Journalist
