Tickets on sale for the first Broadway-style musical from a Hawaiian moʻolelo (oral history). Previews Nov. 25; opens Dec. 5 at Ocean’s Edge at Ko Olina.

As a Native Hawaiian organization, we have a responsibility to invest in our own stories and make sure Native Hawaiians help shape how they’re told.”

— Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council and a producer of the musical

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES, November 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Tickets are on sale now for The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka: The Hawaiian Goddess, the first Broadway-style musical drawn from a Hawaiian moʻolelo (oral history). The production comes from Hawaiian Council, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit, and WitzEnd Productions, a producer of the Tony Award-winning revival of Once On This Island. Previews begin Nov. 25, 2026, at Ocean’s Edge at Ko Olina on Oʻahu, with opening night Dec. 5 and an open-ended run.

The musical follows Hiʻiaka (hee-ee-AH-kah), the youngest sister of Pele, on a journey across the islands to bring the chief Lohiʻau home to Kīlauea, a journey that tests the bond between the sisters. It is told through live music, hula, oli (chant), puppetry and projection, in English and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. The story draws on the telling by Hoʻoulumāhiehie, published in the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Naʻi Aupuni from 1905 to 1906 and translated into English by M. Puakea Nogelmeier.

Book, music and lyrics are by Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakāne, a 2023 MacArthur Fellow who also choreographs, and Roslyn Catracchia, who has written songs and scores for more than 40 musical productions in Hawaiʻi.

WitzEnd Productions was founded in 2013 by Michael Jackowitz and Jeffrey Grove. Its credits include Once On This Island, winner of the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and Some Like It Hot, a Tony Award nominee for Best Musical and winner of the Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as A Beautiful Noise. Grove’s credits also include Cabaret, a Tony Award nominee for Best Revival.

“I moved here 11 years ago to start figuring out how to tell a story that appeals to both a Hawaiian audience that grew up with these gods and goddesses and a musical theater audience who never heard of them,” said producer Michael Jackowitz of WitzEnd Productions.

Hawaiian Council, a Native Hawaiian nonprofit, joined The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka as a producer to invest in Hawaiian storytelling and support Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners in shaping how the moʻolelo is told. The organization committed funding and staff and brought cultural advisers and creative partners into the production. With Ko Olina Resort providing the oceanfront venue, the musical gives Hawaiʻi residents and visitors a chance to experience the story while creating work for local performers, production crews and hospitality teams.

“As a Native Hawaiian organization, we have a responsibility to invest in our own stories and make sure Native Hawaiians help shape how they’re told,” said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council and a producer of the musical. “With Hiʻiaka, that investment also means work for local artists and crews. I want young Hawaiians to see themselves and their culture onstage, to feel proud of who they are and to leave knowing that their stories matter and their voices deserve to be heard.”

Scott Schwartz, whose credits include Golda’s Balcony and Jane Eyre on Broadway and The Prince of Egypt in the West End, directs. Costumes are by Hawaiian designer Manaola.

Six-time GRAMMY® nominee Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom plays Pele, and Jana Anguay Alcain stars as Hiʻiaka. Moses Goods, seen as Moku in the Apple TV series Chief of War, plays the Narrator, Kāne and Panaʻewa, and Kaʻula Krug is Lohiʻau, leading a company of 23 performers and musicians.

For visitors to Oʻahu, the production offers a new kind of evening in Hawaiʻi: a full theatrical production rooted in Hawaiian storytelling, with show-only, dinner and VIP options. Round-trip transportation from Waikīkī can be added at booking. Hawaiian Airlines is the Official Airline of the production, and Ko Olina is its Official Partner.

At a Glance
• What: The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka: The Hawaiian Goddess, a new stage musical
• Where: Ocean’s Edge at Ko Olina, 92-100 Waipahe Place, Kapolei, Hawaiʻi 96707
• When: Previews begin Nov. 25, 2026. Opening night Dec. 5, 2026. Open-ended run, Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Hawaiʻi time
• Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission
• Tickets: On sale now at https://www.hiiaka.com. Show only, $126; standard adult with dinner, $179; VIP, $264. Group sales: sales@hiiaka.com
• Transportation: Optional round-trip transportation from Waikīkī, $30 per person, added at online booking. Free parking on site.
• Age guidance: Recommended for ages 8 and up
• Accessibility: ADA accessible. ASL interpretation available with one week’s notice at 808.897.2906.
• Social: Instagram, TikTok and YouTube @hiiakahawaii. #hiiaka #theepictaleofhiiaka

Media Assets
Electronic Press Kit available upon request.

Editor’s note: Please use the ʻokina (ʻ) and kahakō (macron) in Hawaiian words and names. Hiʻiaka, Pele and the figures of the moʻolelo are akua (deities) and kūpuna (ancestors) within Hawaiian genealogy and should not be described as myths or fantasy characters. The production is a stage musical, not a lūʻau.

About The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka
The Epic Tale of Hiʻiaka: The Hawaiian Goddess is a new stage musical drawn from the moʻolelo of Hiʻiakaikapoliopele, produced by Hawaiian Council and WitzEnd Productions at Ocean’s Edge at Ko Olina on Oʻahu. Learn more at https://www.hiiaka.com and on Instagram at @hiiakahawaii.

About Hawaiian Council
Hawaiian Council (formerly known as the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement) is a member-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the cultural, economic and community development of Native Hawaiians. Through programs focused on business incubation, housing, policy, tourism, and workforce development, the Hawaiian Council uplifts Hawaiians across the pae ʻāina and beyond. For more information, visit https://www.hawaiiancouncil.org.

About WitzEnd Productions
Founded in 2013 by producer Michael Jackowitz and Jeffrey Grove to create and develop new works for the theater, WitzEnd Productions was a producer of the 2018 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical, Once On This Island. https://witzendtheatricals.com/

Adrian Kamalii & Cathy Lu
The Island Agency
cathy@islandagency.co
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