The stormy conditions caused by Tropical Storm Lala are forcing the rescheduling of many events due to concerns about public safety.
The Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Fest, a 10-day annual event of competitive surfing, swimming, and paddling events, is postponing some races. It was set to kick off Friday.
One event that is a go is a first: a dramatic one-man show about Duke’s life. It is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Blue Note Hawaii on Oʻahu.
The Conversation spoke to actor Moses Goods, who wrote the one-man show more than a decade ago.
Goods told HPR that he hadn’t performed the show in about six to seven years until he was approached to bring it back.
“I was trying to put a story out there where you see Duke not as an icon, not as a symbol, not even as a representation of Hawaiʻi, but a true human being,” Goods said. “He was a Hawaiian. He spoke Hawaiian. That was his first language that he spoke growing up. He lived through the time of Hawaiʻi being a kingdom, then onto a territory, then onto a state. So when you think about those things, it really starts to shape who he was, why he was the way he was.”
Goods added that it was interesting to learn how Duke navigated difficult situations with aloha during his lifetime.
“Duke's message was aloha,” Goods shared. “So that shaped the show and how it was created. Today, same thing. I feel there's a need for aloha. We're at a time where things are just a little unsure, good or bad; we're a little nervous about how things might move forward, whether that's politically or AI or whatever it is. …The one thing that can ground us is the message that Duke put out there, which is aloha.”
“Duke” will be touring four different islands. For more information, click here.
Editor’s note: Blue Note Hawaii is an underwriter of HPR.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 14, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
