'STEW RICE' MIXES CLICHES WITH SLICE OF HAWAII.

Byline: Katherine Karlin Correspondent

THE UNDERLYING message of Edward Sakamoto's ``Stew Rice,'' a 1987 play about three Hawaiian friends and their journey from adolescence to manhood, seems to be that the problems young boys face in Oahu - acne, how to make out with girls, and whether to leave home for college - are pretty much the same challenges of teens everywhere. And in order to drive home that point, Sakamoto leaves no cliche unturned.

``Stew Rice'' is set in 1958, when the boys are in high school, and again in 1978 when they reconvene for their 20-year reunion bearing the expected disappointments of adulthood. In this play, a couch-potato husband prefers watching television to having sex with his frustrated wife; men discuss the etiquette of leaving the toilet seat raised or lowered; and a character establishes his film-buff credentials by intoning the most tired lines from ``Casablanca.''

The only thing in ``Stew Rice'' you haven't heard before is the ricochet of the capable actors toggling from pidgin to standard ``haole'' English as the situation demands. Director James Nakamoto trusts the audience to get the hang of the rapid-fire dialogue in its lyrical dialect; unfortunately, some of the lines aren't worth understanding.

The performers do quite nicely: Keo Woolford exudes confidence as the handsome Ben, the group's leader. Shaun Shimoda plays the sensitive Shima, who leads us through the play with some sentimental (and little-needed) exposition. Perhaps the standout is Michael Sun Lee, who plays the hapless Zippy and provides the brightest moment: After comically stumbling through a prom in the 1950s, Zippy gets to show off his dancing chops 20 years later in an exuberant jitterbug.

Chanel Akiko Hirai, Kaliko Kauahi and Millie Chow play the underwritten parts of the boys' reliable dates, and Chow practically pops off the stage with cheerful adolescent sexuality. The girls look adorable in their '50s-era poodle skirts, but costume designer Ken Takemoto is less successful with the '70s, suiting up an ambitious Manhattan stock analyst in John Travolta-style pocketless trousers that scream working-class Brooklyn. Mina Kinukawa's set is suffused with nostalgia and simplicity, and Miles Ono's sound - the always-near rush of the tides - gives the play some local flavor that the script lacks.

STEW RICE - Two stars

Where: East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo.

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through Oct. 2.

Tickets: $30-35. Call [phone] or visit www.eastwestplayers.org.

In a nutshell: Too much corn in this stew.