WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Joshua Tucker, who is doing a marvelous job as Old Deuteronomy in the Army Community Theatre's "Cats," is only 19 years old and a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, majoring in business and Spanish. He's been building his theatrical credits, and just received a call from a community theater in Kent, Wash., to play Albert in "Bye, Bye Birdie." "Cats," which has been drawing sell-out houses at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter, was to close this weekend, but additional performances have been added for 7:30 p.m. March 17 and 18. Which begs a question: A show like this, which has immense family appeal, should consider trying a 2 p.m. Sunday playdate, which never has been an ACT option. ...

Manoa Valley Theatre also is extending "A Little Night Music," with additional shows at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, 8 p.m. March 17 and 18 and 4 p.m. March 19. ...

NAMES 'N' PLACES: Filmmaker Edgy Lee is off to the Mainland to tour "The Hawaiians — Reflecting Spirit" with Alapai Kahuena, the respected kahuna la'au lapa'au (Hawaiian healing practitioner), who is in the film with Nainoa Thompson, Keali'i Reichel and others. First stop is "Good Morning Atlanta" and the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, and then it's the Walter Reade Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York, with April stops planned in Chicago, Phoenix, Nashville, Tenn., and Las Vegas. Lee had a chuckle reading about fellow filmmaker Albert Pyun in this space Tuesday, since one of her early on-camera roles was in Pyun's "Sword and the Sorcerer," in which Lee played "a witch-vixen with a huge boa (and) wore a skimpy black sequined bikini thing ... and my whole body was painted lavender." Not exactly the kind of thing you'll find among her credits. ...

SIGHT 'EMS: Christina Applegate dined at D.K. Kodama's Sansei Kapalua last weekend. Her Broadway debut show, "Sweet Charity," has closed. Last spring, Applegate broke her ankle during a rehearsal, was to be replaced, but healed in time for opening night. Alas, the show didn't have legs to linger longer. ...

We just returned from a quickie trip to Maui, and noticed a flurry of restaurant activity. We found the comfort food of Stella Blues Cafe (in the Azeka Mauka Mall space of the former A Pacific Cafe in Kihei since 2003) appealing if you savor home-style cooking such as coconut-dipped shrimp tempura and meat loaf. Mark Ellman's Mala on Front Street is the rage; we have to try it on a future visit. Auntie Pasto is due to open at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center; E&O Trading Co. will occupy the Lahaina Cannery Mall space vacated by Marie Callendar's, and P.F. Chang's is also set to debut on the Valley Island. And there's mounting buzz among residents that Zippy's is readying a Maui launch. ...

Paul Cool has been tooling around in a hot Mini. Cool, v.p. of John Child & Co., a real-estate appraisal firm, was the highest bidder at Hawaii Opera Theatre's "The Italian Job" at the Ballo Italiano last season, so he checked with Darrel Pestana at the Mini showroom to let him know how much he's been enjoying his wheels. It's red, as in red hot. ...

Alfredo Romero, former Society of Seven member, still performs at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, and is pleased that daughter Chauntel Busche is a sometimes singer (recently at Gordon Biersch). And grandson Ronson Esteban, son of Ronnie Esteban of the defunct Honolulu group, entertains at Anna Bannana's. ...

DATEBOOK: The Brothers Cazimero are next up for the Hana Hou! series tomorrow at the Hawai'i Theatre. This one also will be kind of a prelude for the annual Lei Day concert May 1 at the Waikiki Shell. ...

With preliminary balloting under way for the 2006 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, you may want to circle May 31 on your calendars. That's the Na Hoku evening, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.