Hiʻiaka Musical Makes Broadway-Style First in Hawaiʻi

What happened: a moʻolelo reaches a Broadway-scale stage

Maui Now reports that Hawaiian Council and WitzEnd Productions have announced 'The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka: The Hawaiian Goddess,' the first time a Hawaiian moʻolelo has been staged as a full-scale, Broadway-style musical, with its home in Hawaiʻi.

Previews begin Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2026, at Ocean's Edge at Ko Olina, with opening night Saturday, Dec. 5, followed by an open-ended run Wednesday through Saturday evenings.

Why it is a genuine first, and who is behind it

According to Maui Now, WitzEnd produced the Tony Award-winning revival of Once On This Island, and its credits also include Some Like It Hot and A Beautiful Noise.

Book, music and lyrics are by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne — a 2023 MacArthur Fellow — and Roslyn Catracchia, with Scott Schwartz directing.

Maui Now says the ten-year development began with storyboarding in 2014, research journeys to Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island, and a 2025 Native Hawaiian Convention preview.

The story and the cast onstage

The musical adapts the moʻolelo of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele as told by Hoʻoulumāhiehie, serialized in the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Naʻi Aupuni from 1905 to 1906 and translated by M. Puakea Nogelmeier, per Maui Now.

Jana Anguay Alcain stars as Hiʻiaka, six-time GRAMMY nominee Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom plays Pele, Kaʻula Krug is Lohiʻau and Moses Goods of Apple TV's Chief of War is the Narrator, Kāne and Panaʻewa. The show uses live music, hula, oli, puppetry and projection in English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Why it matters for Hawaiian artists

Maui Now quotes Hawaiian Council CEO Kūhiō Lewis, a producer, saying the organization has a responsibility to invest in its own stories and ensure Hawaiian voices shape how they are told, hoping young Hawaiians see it and learn their stories matter.

Producer Michael Jackowitz, a Maui resident, told the outlet he moved to Hawaiʻi 11 years ago to craft a story for both Hawaiian audiences and musical theater audiences who never heard of these gods. With an open-ended run, the production is building a talent base for local performers and crews.

Context and what comes next

The production arrives in a season when musicals are finding new life outside conventional pipelines: Playbill reports that Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the Ballroom-infused Broadway revival that closed early on Aug. 8, will see its cast album released by Atlantic Records on Feb. 12 after fan support, while Korea JoongAng Daily profiles a redesigned Seoul staging of 'A Tale of Two Cities' that its creator hopes could inspire a Broadway revival.

Tickets for Hiʻiaka are on sale now at hiiaka.com, with a kamaʻāina discount, dinner and VIP options, and the show is recommended for ages 8 and up.

Sources

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