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by Lee Cataluna (Author)
Lee Cataluna's Flowers of Hawai'i brings together four of her most resonant plays, each centered on the complicated, humorous, and sometimes painful dynamics of family life in Hawai'i. From inheritance fights to cancelled garage parties, from awkward livestreams to legacies built on shaky ground, these stories explore the tensions, sentiments, and unspoken histories that keep families linked, whether they like it or not.
Known for her vivid, carefully drawn characters and keen ear in capturing the nuances of local language, Cataluna writes about families who fight, forgive, and fail each other in ways that feel all too familiar. Whether dealing with the fallout of addiction or arguing over a china set her characters navigate relationships shaped by duty and hard-won affection.
In the title play, Flowers of Hawai'i, a fractured family gathers after a funeral, only to find that grief unearths old secrets. Told through a series of two-person scenes, the play unfolds without a single protagonist--the family itself takes center stage. It's a portrait that will resonate with anyone who's ever had to show up for people they can't quite stand but still somehow love.
Aloha Attire plays with digital form, centering on a livestream unpacking session that leads into deeper questions of estrangement, gender, and performance. Written during the pandemic, the play reflects the characters' disconnection while also allowing for moments of unexpected intimacy.
The Great Kaua'i Train Robbery moves into historical fiction, reimagining a little-known incident from Hawai'i's territorial era. Rooted in research and family lore, the play tells the story of a man whose care for others becomes both his undoing and his redemption. It's a striking look at working-class life in an often overlooked era.
The final play, Uncle's Regularly Scheduled Garage Party Is Cancelled Tonight, blurs the line between actor and audience, memory and myth. Taking place in real time in a family garage, it's part gathering, part performance, and part unspoken history. It's a celebration of storytelling in its most local form: funny, tender, and quietly profound.
Lee Cataluna is one of Hawai'i's most prolific and beloved playwrights. With this collection, her work is more accessible than ever.
