SOME ENCHANTED CASTING: Singer Marlene Sai, more accustomed to the club and recording circuits than the theatrical stage, will appear as Bloody Mary in the Hawaii Opera Theatre's summertime "South Pacific," opening at 8 p.m. July 27 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets are on sale.

The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, to be directed by Karen Tiller, also will feature Louis Otey as Emile de Becque, Curt Olds as Luther Billis, Kip Wilborn as Lt. Pinkerton and Michelle Jennings as Nellie Forbush.

My money's on Sai to earn some hurrahs. "It's a role I really wanted to do," she said. Sai is brushing up on her Tonkinese and eager to put her imprint on "Bali Hai." Asked if she'd dress up as Bloody Mary for the June 20 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (she is president of the local recording academy), she mused: "Yes, the thought has come up."

The musical, which has had a long Broadway history, won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 1950.

Six performances are set for July 27-29 and Aug. 3-5, some in the evening, some matinees. Tickets range from $10 to $75, with family and military promotions. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Jack and Cha Thompson are off to Samoa to attend the funeral of Samoa's king, Malietoa Tanumafili II, who died last Friday. They carried letters from Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and will present them at the monarch's funeral on Friday. The leader's body will lie in state at the Parliament House today. Jack Thompson, who has a title in the Polynesian hierarchy, will spend time with Faamausili, the youngest son of Tanumafili. And it was no easy task to get to Samoa; the Thompsons left Honolulu Tuesday, but had to fly to Los Angeles, then New Zealand, then to Apia. "I hope this is the last funeral we have this year," said Cha Thompson, who still is reeling from representing the Don Ho 'ohana since his April 14 death and from coordinating that massive memorial May 5 in Waikiki. ...

Mick Fleetwood, who debuts his new Island-based group, Mick Fleetwood's Island Rumours Band, at Saturday's Diamond Head Crater Celebration, was in the Bahamas earlier this week wearing another hat: as a speaker at a conference on creativity. ...

And Earth, Wind & Fire performed in The Bahamas, too, joining Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson at a major show at Atlantis. EWF has been afire of late, appearing on "American Idol" and featured in song in "Happy Feet." See them live at the Diamond Head Crater Celebration. ...

Alicia Vela-Bailey, formerly of Kailua and Las Vegas, now is based in Los Angeles and is vying for best overall stunt by a woman at the 2007 Taurus World Stunt Awards May 20 in L.A. (and set for delayed telecast May 25 on AMC). Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is hosting; Vela-Bailey's work is for the movie "Ultraviolet." She now is working as a stunt double/ motion-capturing for Zoe Saldana in James Cameron's "Avatar," a 3-D movie. ...

TUBE TALK: Branscombe Richmond, the Island actor-entertainer-TV host of "Good Morning Hawai'i," said his wake-up show has been picked up for a second season, which starts Monday. The program airs locally at 4:30 a.m. weekdays on KHON2, preceding the Fox affiliate's daily morning show, and also on the CW network at 8 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.

"We've lined up a lot of people (as guests), including Mickey Rooney, Adam West, Catherine Bach, Sally Struthers, David Faustino, Charlene Tilton, Bill Dana, Pauly Shore, Joanna Cassidy, Tia Carrere, Henry Winkler and Ernie Hudson," Richmond said. "We're the little show swimming upstream."...

The show also has tapped local performers such as Hapa, Willie K and Karen Keawehawai'i. ...

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.