OLD LAHAINA LUAU SHORT ON AUTHENTICITY.

Byline: -- Eric Noland

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- In its promotional materials, the Old Lahaina Luau declares that it "takes great pride in presenting an authentic Hawaiian luau," and its production has been widely acclaimed as an alternative to the cliche luaus staged at the resort hotels.

Our expectations were raised accordingly, but they came tumbling down in the first performance number. It wasn't a tasteful, respectful or even historic rendering of Hawaiian hula, but rather the booty-shaking drum dance of an island group hundreds of miles away, Tahiti. And the dancing girls were wearing -- this is no joke -- coconut-shell brassieres.

So much for authenticity. It served notice that the luau in Hawaii is a fairly standardized affair for island tourists, with only slight variations.

A pig is cooked in a pit. Food is scooped out of heated pans at a slow-moving buffet. Mai tais are mixed at the bar. And, at some point, the drummers beat out a machine-gun tempo to accompany the crowd-pleasing Tahitian otea dance.

The Old Lahaina Luau, despite a steep tariff ($92 for adults), offers little in the way of deviation from the requisite, though it does have some strong points. Its location is spectacular, to begin with, a beachfront site at the north end of Lahaina. Also, the production values are extremely high, with an accomplished Hawaiian chanter, dozens of costume changes and processions with tiki torches.

The evolution of hula is depicted well, including the missionary period (when it was banned), its revival under King David Kalakaua and the early days of Hawaiian tourism at the Moana Hotel on Oahu.

The Old Lahaina Luau offers one element of authenticity that should be undertaken advisedly -- the option of dining at a table on the ground. This sounded like a lark, but sitting cross-legged on a cushion for more than three hours can put undue strain on joints and backs; the tables with chairs looked pretty good by the end of a long evening.

A lot of that time was spent waiting for a green light to the buffet. This luau accommodates 500 or more people per night, and funnels them through the buffet in stages. Someone's got to be last; it was our table. The various meats -- grilled steak, marinated chicken, mahi-mahi and, of course, kalua pork (from the cooking pit) -- were lean and flavorful, but they suffered from a common buffet condition: being cooked to the point of dryness (our long wait might have had something to do with that).

In the cocktail period before the dinner and show, artisans provide some glimpses into Hawaiian culture, demonstrating traditional crafts such as wood carving and basket weaving (the goods are, of course, for sale). Guests may also participate in an ancient Hawaiian game that is a cross between bowling and croquet.

One demonstration was particularly intriguing: a young man pounding on a taro root with a stone pestle to make poi. The gray paste is an infamous staple of the Hawaiian diet -- and of luaus -- but the tasting samples were remarkably appetizing, with a firm consistency and a nutty taste. I was keen to have some with dinner, but this concoction didn't seem to make it to the buffet, which served the usual bland, soupy gruel that is customary at hotel luaus.

It's always a dramatic event when the workers extract the pig from the imu, or underground oven. But for all these tourists, the commentary contained one uncomfortable moment. The luau, the young man said, was established to celebrate a child making it past its first birthday without dying. Given the devastating diseases brought to the island by outsiders in the 19th century, he continued, gazing around at 500 island visitors, it was an event to celebrate.

The Old Lahaina Luau is held at 1251 Front St. Through Sept. 30, the luau runs from 5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. (it begins and ends a few minutes earlier in the winter). Cost is $92 for adults, which includes dinner, alcoholic drinks and the show; $62 for children age 12 and under; infants are free if they sit on an adult's lap. Information and reservations: www.oldlahainaluau.com, [phone].

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(1 -- 2 -- color) No luau would be complete without a pig cooked in a pit. At left, a couple of the workers at the Old Lahaina Luau unearth the main course for the evening's feast. Above, some guests at the Old Lahaina Luau sit on the ground at low-slung tables, in the tradition of early Hawaii. This can be a mixed blessing -- guests are closer to the entertainment, but hours of sitting cross-legged can be uncomfortable.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor