Family Laundry
Get the Dirt Out
There are a lot of kapu about sharing a family's problems with strangers. But sometimes it is that reluctance to open up and admit a problem is there that can tear a family apart. The impact of drug and alcohol use is explored in this very funny--and very serious--musical comedy drama.
In the play "Family Laundry," Moses falls in love with Lehoa, they marry and have three kids. But under the influence of his uncle and coworkers, Moses slides into alcohol abuse at the Last Hawaiian Bar while Lehoa tends the kids and fears Moses' wrath for having just one case of beer in the fridge. But it all runs out: the beer, the job, the money, and Moses.
Each of the five talented actors roll in and out of characters--and populate the play with a couple dozen people we know: the cop from Kaianae High School, the mahu uncle, and the massive auntie. The fast paced humor and dialog is aimed right at local audiences, and so is the message. It is the strength of the family that pulls Moses up from his self-hatred and shame.
"The first step in combating drug abuse is admitting it exists," said Terry Kelley, director of the Native Hawaiian Drug Free Schools and Community Program of Kamehameha Schools. The play is used as a springboard for discussion and a response panel invites the audience to share their experience and feelings of the play.
When the play toured in Hawaiian communities last spring it was a tremendous success. It reached over 2,500 students, family and community members across the state. Kamehameha Schools has brought the play back, and will present it on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 pm, at the Waimanalo District Park Gym on Hihimanu Street.