A new cultural entertainment experience is set to launch in Maui, Hawaii.
Maui Ocean Center will launch “Mele: The Hawaiian Music Experience” inside the Sphere Theater starting Tuesday, July 1.
It is an immersive visual and musical journey showcasing Hawaiian dancers and musicians, led by award-winning performer Eric Gilliom.
The 16-song show begins with the triumphant “Haleakalā,” featuring footage of Maui’s dormant volcano, before songs about marine plants and wayfinding.
“Creating this show has been really fun for me,” Gilliom said.
“I especially love when the audience participates on songs like ‘Surf,’ which celebrates Maui’s iconic surfing spots.”
Other highlights range from “Rhythm of the Ocean,” a reflection on the cultural connection between Hawaiians and the sea, to the classic Don Ho tune “Tiny Bubbles” and the more recent hit “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride.”
Gilliom is accompanied by performers Sanoe Elf, Kehulali Douglas and Gerilyn Hewahewa, who provide an interactive element to the show.
They’re joined by Vince Esquire on ukulele.
Michael Ruff, who has worked with Lionel Richie and Chaka Khan, serves as musical director.
As a musician, Gilliom has played with Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler and John Legend.
He’s also the lead singer of Mick Fleetwood’s House of Rumors Band (Fleetwood plays drums on the pre-recorded backing music of “Mele”).
Additionally, Gilliom’s one-man musical “White Hawaiian” is playing at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei.
The versatile entertainer said the idea for “Mele,” which means song in Hawaiian, came to him after wanting to develop a show at Maui Ocean Center’s Sphere Theater.
“I had seen the (“Humpbacks of Hawaiʻi” 3D) whale movie and thought it was a really cool space,” he said.
“I kept driving by and thinking, ʻIt might be different from the one in Vegas, but we have a Sphere here on Maui.’ It took me about a year to develop the show from conception to completion.”
“’Mele’ is one of the many ways Maui Ocean Center is more than an aquarium,” said Mark Matthews, Maui Ocean Center’s marketing director.
“The Sphere offers limited seating, so each performance is an intimate and unforgettable experience for Hawaii’s vibrant musical heritage.”
“Mele” will be performed Tuesday and Saturday evenings starting in July.
