by Yiming Fu, a Report for America corps member
Lia Mariko Krieg’s leg shook so badly she was afraid people would hear it on stage. She was about to sing and dance in front of hundreds in the Lahaina Civic Center gymnasium in a town she hadn’t been to since last year’s wildfires.
She was bringing back ‘Ulalena, a beloved Hawaiian Cirque du Soleil-style stage show that told Hawaii’s history and ran for more than 15 years in Lahaina before it abruptly closed in 2018.
“I had to start singing first,” Krieg said, “I was crying and hyperventilating and I was like oh my gosh I have to do this. It was so crazy.”
But the moment she started performing, it was magic. With a group of 50 other returning singers and dancers from ‘Ulalena, she performed three songs from the original show, Kumulipo, Laka and ‘Ulalena. The group filled the gymnasium with soaring vocals, acrobatic dance moves and heart-thumping music.
By the time she got to the end, she said she could feel the amount of joy and love in the room. She could feel it in the energy the cast had with each other and she could feel it in the way people screamed and cheered and cried in the audience.
“After I just collapsed in somebody’s arms and I cried,” Krieg said. “And I was like this is it. This show just brings people together in such a way that you are supported and loved and held up.”
On August 11, a group of 50 performers brought ‘Ulalena back to Lahaina as part of Kuhinia Maui, a series of nine events over four days commemorating the strength and resilience of Maui one year after wildfires burned down Lahaina, killing more than 102 and displacing thousands. For performers and audience members, this show has always represented healing. And many hope it can come back in some capacity to comfort, uplift and inspire.
A beloved show
‘Ulalena tells the story of Hawaii’s history from the beginning of time, and it was Hawaii’s only strictly Hawaiian show at its time. The show starts the creation chant, the Kumulipo and describes the first Hawaiians to appear. It goes on to describe the first contact with the Western world, the introduction of weapons and disease, the downfall of the Hawaiian monarchy and the plantation era where native streams were diverted for sugarcane and pineapple plantations, killing off native plants like taro. Everything is told through music and dance, no words. At the end, Maui the trickster God, shows up and starts to make rain with the people, encouraging audience members to tap their fingers on their palms to make a rain song together. Kawai Sellers, a former ‘Ulalena show director says this last scene can have many interpretations but carries a feeling of hope and rejuvenation for Hawaiian culture.
The Ulalena refers to a reddish-yellow mist that’s found upcountry in Maui and is a symbol of hope and healing.
The show ran five nights a week, two times a night from 1999 to 2018 and was a cornerstone of West Maui. If you didn’t work at the theater or perform in the show yourself, you likely knew someone who did. It closed abruptly due to financial issues in the theater’s management. Canadian production company ARRA-Montreal and Oahu businessman Roy Tokujo created the show together.
Developed to be a “Cirque du Soleil” style show that tells Hawaii’s story with traditional dances and acrobatic feats, ‘Ulalena was researched and developed over many years with Hawaiian cultural advisors. The production was huge: a special stage was shipped in pieces from Canada to Maui and featured elevators, motors and mists. The performers were a blend of local and international performers across all genres, from luau dancers to performing arts specialists to acrobats and yogis.
Cyndi Mayo is one of the original singers of ‘Ulalena. She started with the show in 1999 and performed for nine years. Doing ‘Ulalena was some of the best times of her life, she said, fondly recalling the adrenaline and camaraderie backstage and the purpose of putting on such a meaningful original show. She remembers doing two shows a night and then going out with her castmates to sing karaoke together after.
Returning to perform the song on August 11 was emotional and meaningful.
“Revisiting this piece, especially in the wake of the show’s closing, brought back a deep sense of nostalgia and pride,” Mayo said. “It definitely was very moving and a spiritual experience for me. And when the audience cheered and shouted, it was so uplifting. I realized how we have touched so many lives over the years and how much I missed being part of ‘Ulalena.”
‘Ulalena had its own theater in Lahaina where it ran for around 15 years. For many, the show was a way to heal and connect with others. Photo by Yiming Fu 
Vocalists captivated the Lahaina Civic Center August 10, singing original songs from ‘Ulalena. Photo by Yiming Fu 
After the performance in August, many hope ‘Ulalena can come back permanently to continue bringing hope and unity to West Maui. Photo by Yiming Fu
An unlikely comeback
After last year’s wildfires, Marvin Tevaga kept hearing ‘Ulalena in his mind. He lost his home in the fires and spent months figuring out what he was going to do next. A singer and ukelele player, music kept him going. “Look up into the sky,” the lyrics say. “The universe. The heavens.”
Tevaga knew he needed to bring ‘Ulalena back. He started in April alone, and it seemed like a long shot. He found the show’s former general manager on LinkedIn and tried writing to various email addresses until he got a response. The old manager said he was not interested and the show would not come back.
Undeterred, Tevaga looked into ways to perform specific songs. He got permission from the people who own the music and the content of the show.
In June, a friend from high school planning Kuhinia Maui reached out to Tevaga for programming. Tevaga said he was trying to bring back ‘Ulalena. Together, they made it official. They would bring back some songs from ‘Ulalena on August 11.
“In life I feel like there’s so many times we’re prompted to not do something because it’s too hard or the answer was no the first time, and we just put it on the wayside,” Tevaga said. “But for some reason, I had the burning desire. I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Over the next four weeks, the “raindrop became a puddle” as people came together to spread the word. More than 50 of the show’s original performers heeded the call, flying in from all over the United States to take part in the performance. The Wave of Harmony Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting performing arts on Maui, sponsored the production.
Though there were barely three weeks of rehearsal time, Mayo said coming back to the show more than 10 years later felt like riding a bike. And though she was singing with people from all eras of the show, some of whom she didn’t know before, everyone felt immediately comfortable when the music played.
“We all connected and we all bonded really quickly because we have the same purpose,” Mayo said.
Hopes of a more permanent return
Coming back to perform helped Mayo heal spiritually, and she prays the show will do the same for Lahaina. As soon as she started singing, she heard gasps and cries and cheers, with many people remembering her voice from the original ‘Ulalena. It gave her the confidence, she said, to have her voice soar over the notes. After she got off stage, she said Maui’s mayor gave her a hug and told her how much she missed the show.
Tevaga is looking into making ‘Ulalena permanent. He hopes it can be a concert series on Maui, find its home in a theater or even tour the world.
“A lot of the things happening after the fire were food, shelter, clothing and financial support,” Tevaga said. “Now, moving into a year after the fire, the question is how to focus on the community and longevity with mental, spiritual and physical health. I thought about it, and we need to bring back the arts.”
Tevaga envisions the old ‘Ulalena theater as a place where locals can teach their instruments and dance styles and tourists can learn about Hawaii’s rich and diverse cultures through performing arts.
Sellers said he got an outpouring of supportive messages after the August performance, but it is logistically difficult to bring back ‘Ulalena since the original creators own the show’s content and the theater itself would need updates for a modern audience.
Krieg, who was born and raised in Maui, said she’s most inspired by the kids of ‘Ulalena performers, who carry on the show’s essence with them. The kids, who are now in their twenties, grew up watching the show. They sat together at the August 11 performance and Krieg remembers them hugging each other and bawling their eyes out. Many of them have gone into the performing arts themselves, giving her hope that future generations will continue to honor Maui’s stories and strong sense of community.
“Even if ‘Ulalena can’t come back, it’s still here because they are here,” Mayo said, “and they are still passing on that gift.”
Krieg said she wished she could have shared ‘Ulalena with more people and more Lahaina people in particular. She wished she was able to go around the town and perform the show for people in public spaces.
“It’s such a hard time for our community right now,” Krieg said. “We’ve lost that love, that aloha and that spark and that magic. I just want people to remember. If you have to just listen to that song every day to remember, just remember. We all love each other and we love this place so much, so it’s worth fighting for.”
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