Paperback of the historical stage play ‘Aloha Kaua’ by Noalani Helelā is now available

The powerful historical stage play “Aloha Kaua” by Native Hawaiian playwright Noalani Helelā is now available in paperback for the first time. Published by the North Beach West Maui Benefit Fund and distributed by University of Hawaiʻi Press, the book brings to readers and theatre artists a groundbreaking work that premiered to acclaim in Hawaiʻi last year.

Set in the Hawaiian Kingdom during the early 19th century, “Aloha Kaua” reimagines the largely forgotten story of Kaomi, a half-Hawaiian, half-Tahitian healer and Christian preacher, and his transformative relationship with the young King Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III).

Through poetic language, vivid theatricality, and sharp political insight, the play examines a pivotal moment in Hawaiian history when the kingdom faced the pressures of colonization, religious conversion, and cultural upheaval.

Both a sweeping political drama and an intimate love story, “Aloha Kaua” centers on a partnership that challenged missionary authority and social norms. As tensions rise between traditional Hawaiian spirituality and the encroaching doctrines of American missionaries, the play asks what it means to live pono in a society whose moral framework is being rewritten.

The play received its world premiere in February 2025 at Palikū Theatre in Kāneʻohe, produced by the Hawaiʻi Conservatory of Performing Arts, and Lance D. Collins under the direction of Taurie Kinoshita. Following its Oʻahu premiere, the production traveled to Maui for performances at the historic ʻĪao Theater in Wailuku.

The play dramatizes the period known as “Ka wā iā Kaomi” (the time of Kaomi) during the early reign of Kamehameha III. Influenced by Kaomi, the young king revived suppressed cultural traditions, including hula and Makahiki celebrations, sparking conflict with missionary-aligned political leaders. The episode, long marginalized in historical narratives, is reexamined in Helelā’s work as a story of love, resistance and cultural survival.

With its publication, “Aloha Kaua” is now available for scholars, general readers, and theatre companies interested in producing the play beyond Hawaiʻi. The original production’s limited run drew hundreds of audience members, reflecting growing interest in this pivotal and often overlooked chapter of Hawaiian history.

Helelā approaches the work with a strong sense of kuleana (responsibility) as a queer Native Hawaiian artist, foregrounding voices and histories often erased from the historical record.

Noalani Helelā is a Hapa Hawaiian–Japanese–Chinese artist whose work spans filmmaking, playwriting, music, and poetry. After competing in several national poetry slams, she made her playwriting debut with “Demigods Anonymous” at Kumu Kahua Theatre in 2018, with a second staging at Palikū Theatre in 2022. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the short film “Yellow Fever Aftermath” (2020) for Windward Academy of Creative Media.

Book Details

Title: “Aloha Kaua”
Author: Noalani Helelā
Publisher: NBWMBF
Distributor: University of Hawaiʻi Press
Publication Date: January 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781952461132
Price: $25