‘How Sweet It Is’ brings life to history of sugar industry this month at Makawao Cemetery

History buffs will have an opportunity to see portrayals of sugar barons from the 19th- and early 20th-century Hawai‘i in performances of “How Sweet It Is” at the July 27-28 debut of “Makawao Cemetery Theatre.”

The performances are sponsored by the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives and the Makawao Cemetery Association. Drinks and pupu will begin at 3 p.m., and performances will start promptly at 4 p.m. The cemetery is at 3363 Baldwin Ave. in Makawao. Tickets are available at www.maui-cemetery.com.

Makawao Cemetery Theatre: “How Sweet It Is” will bring history to life with carefully researched and scripted actor portrayals of figures from Hawaiʻi’s history. The performance will feature three actor portrayals focused on the history of the sugar industry in 19th- and early 20th-century Hawaiʻi. The tour was made possible by The Fred Baldwin Memorial Foundation and Haleakala Ranch Co.

Featured portrayals are:

James Campbell (1826-1900) Born in Londonderry, Ireland, Campbell took a ship to Canada at age 13, met with his brother, John, in New York City, and worked as a carpenter. In 1841, he joined a whaling crew and was shipwrecked in the Tuamotu Islands. Making his way to Tahiti, he lived there for several years before traveling to Lahaina, Maui, in 1850. In 1860, in partnership with Henry Turton and James Dunbar, he founded Pioneer Mill Company in Lahaina and in 1863, the company bought the Lahaina Sugar Plantation. The company was profitable and Campbell used his proceeds to purchase land on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu. He sunk the first artesian wells on the ‘Ewa Plain, which opened up Leeward Oʻahu to more expansive sugar plantation operations. He also owned ranches at Honouliuli and Kahuku on Oʻahu, becoming one of the largest landowners and wealthiest people in Hawaiʻi. Christopher Denton portrays James Campbell.

Henry Perrine Baldwin (1842-1911) Born in Lahaina to missionary parents Rev. Dwight Baldwin and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin, he attended Punahou School on Oʻahu before returning to Maui to become a farmer. His first plantation manager job was for William D. Alexander’s rice plantation. The plantation failed, and he went to work for his brother’s small sugar cane farm. He worked as a luna at the Waiheʻe Planation, managed by his future business partner Samuel T. Alexander. In 1869, they began planting in Hāmākuapoko on Maui. With reciprocity, the sugar industry grew quickly, and he oversaw the construction of the Hāmākua Ditch irrigation system. He oversaw the building of several mills on Maui such as the Hāmākuapoko Mill, the Ha‘ikū Mill, and Pāʻia Mill. In 1888, he helped to form the Haleakalā Ranch. Alexander and Baldwin was officially incorporated in 1900 and is still an ongoing business today. Kevin Keaveney, also this year’s scriptwriter, portrays Henry Perrine Baldwin.

William Ladd (1807-1863) Born in Concord, New Hampshire, to John Ladd, a sailor who died at sea while William was young. He married Lucretia Goodale, a relative of Lucy Thurston, a missionary to Hawaiʻi. He sailed to Hawaiʻi with his friends and business partners William Hooper and Peter Brinsmade, arriving in 1833 aboard the Hellespont. They incorporated as Ladd & Company in 1833 and opened up a dry goods store at Honolulu Harbor. In 1835, the company leased over 900 acres from the government at Kōloa, Kauaʻi to plant sugar cane. Kōloa Plantation was the first attempt at a commercial sugar cane plantation in Hawaiʻi. Initially the plantation did well, but the business partners took on more and more debt to finance improvements to their sugar mill and to obtain more land. Attempting to shore up their finances Brinsmade went to Europe and struck a deal with the Belgian Colonization Company, which fell through after the Paulet Affair of 1843. Ladd & Company closed its store in Honolulu in 1844. Brandon Karrer portrays William Ladd.

William Ha’o, director, has been a theater professional for over 30 years. Based in New York City, his career has taken him to almost every state in the Union, as well as Canada and Greece. He has been a recipient of awards for directing and performance.

Maile Speetjens, costumer, serves as associate professor of costume design/technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Originally from Kaua’i, Speetjens’ work in costumes has spanned from Boston to Hawaiʻi and in-between. Recent works include Pagliacci (Hawai’i Opera Theatre), Conversion of Ka’ahumanu (Kumu Kahua), Twelfth Night (Lyric Rep), Peace On Your Wings (Ohana Arts), and ‘Au’a ‘Ia: Holding On (UH Mānoa Hana Keaka).

For more information or ticket purchases, visit www.maui-cemetery.com