"Prophecy and Honor," KHON news anchor Joe Moore's stage recounting of the court-martial trial of Gen. Billy Mitchell, is being revived this month. Moore had a gut inclination that it could be a suitable fundraiser to mark the 60th anniversary of the Air Force. With fine-tuning and polish.

So he added a bit of Hollywood stardust for box office appeal.

The courtroom drama, opening Thursday at the Hawai'i Theatre, features two film luminaries — Richard Dreyfuss and George Segal.

How did Moore swing it?

"I thought getting some Hollywood guys, to play the prosecutor and the main defense attorney, would be a kick for the audience," said Moore. "The celestial stars lined up — we were able to get whom we wanted."

From the get-go, Moore wanted to secure Richard Dreyfuss, who won an Oscar for "The Goodbye Girl," and George Segal, who scored a Golden Globe for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" No matter if Moore didn't know them, and vice versa; nothing would be lost in asking.

"This thing came out of the blue to me," said Segal, the veteran TV, stage and movie actor, who is portraying Col. Sherman Moreland, the pompous prosecuting attorney. "I was doing a play, 'Heroes,' a French play translated by Tom Stoppard, with Len Cariou and Richard Benjamin, and my manager showed me the (Moore) script. For some reason, I had a thing for this guy; they were talking to me about another part, but I had this gut feeling this one was for me."

Dreyfuss, who was not available for a chat by our deadline, is playing Congressman Frank Reid, the civilian defense attorney in the military trial. He must've found some connection, too, because he joined the bandwagon.

For Moore, the Hollywood presence was a lark — and a godsend.

"I didn't know either actor. I had to find out who their agents were, and it might've sounded weird — a newscaster out of Hawai'i, who had written, produced and acted in a play, now being done as a benefit for the Pacific Aviation Museum," said Moore.

"But they liked the parts. I'm not underselling the fact that we're in Hawai'i, but they might have had a different attitude if I were calling from Toledo, Ohio," said Moore, who is reprising the Mitchell role.

It might have simply been simpatico. The right alignment of moon, stars, whatever.

"Joe is such an enthusiast. I saw this as a no-brainer," said Segal. "As actors, we're off so much of the time, so why not combine work with a vacation?"

Besides, Segal said, getting a fly ball from left field piqued his interest for a craft he adores.

"The rehearsals are always the best stuff, because you get some new things every minute," said Segal about stage theatrics. "You have to be on your toes to keep awake. And when you finally do the performance, you're upped a level. The audience is the drug. There's that wonderful exchange between actors and audience, a beachball of energy, bouncing back and forth. That's the phenom of doing stage."

Chatting via phone from his home office in Los Angeles, Segal said that he'd been going over his lines but was virtually clueless about how he'd find the colors to paint his character. He arrived last weekend, and his first rehearsal was Monday.

"It's not going to be defined so quickly," Segal said. "It's like a photo in a chemical bath — until the other actors tell me who I am, I won't have a clue. That's the beauty of an ensemble thing. You learn as you go. Actors can never cast themselves."

Segal's career spans decades and generations. In 1967, he was nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for the role of Nick in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Younger audiences relish his Jack Gallo character in "Just Shoot Me," the CBS sitcom that ran from 1997 to 2003.

"Jack's the guy the younger people recognize at the supermarkets," said Segal. "I miss the family feeling you get when you do episodic television. That's something I'm looking for in the two weeks of 'Prophecy and Honor.' "

It's a daunting schedule.

"George will have nine full rehearsals with us, plus a dress and preview, before opening night," said Moore. "Richard is the one who hits the ground running; he'll have five rehearsals prior to opening night. But both actors know the script. Their courtroom scenes are simple; all in the courtroom. No complicated blocking, no elaboration."

Segal had a classic nobody-to-Broadway star start in New York City.

"I once worked as a janitor, cleaning urinals and the ladies' bathrooms, at the (New York theater) Circle in the Square," he said of his days as an aspiring actor.

"Later on, I took over for Jason Robards in 'The Iceman Cometh.' I was his understudy. I also was understudy to Douglas Campbell in 'Gidion,' a huge operatic part on Broadway, and he was so sick one night, I got him on a cab to a doctor, 'cause if I could get him well, I wouldn't have to go on stage."

Segal could have wooed Bo Derek in the movie "10," but he passed on the project, as well as "Arthur," which made Dudley Moore a star. "He thanked me when we both were in a steak house one night," said Segal. "The irony was that years later, Dudley dropped out of 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' and I got the part. I didn't think '10' was right for me; I didn't get that gut feeling in my stomach."

He said there's no easy path to a part.

"When you take something and you're only doing it for the money, you hate yourself for it," said Segal. "But sometimes you do that."

A notable banjo player, Segal has recorded and performed with a band, doing his rhythmic strumming. "I got paid for it, but I took it as far as I could," he said, chuckling.

While he's never acted with Dreyfuss before, he played poker with him once.

"I don't remember who won," said Segal.

His trek to Honolulu for "Prophecy and Honor" will be his first visit to Honolulu with his wife; he's stayed at the Mauna Kea Beach hotel on the Big Island in the past.

The trip will be a honeymoon of sorts for Segal and his third wife, the former Sonia Schulz.

"We're excited," he said. "Sonia was a childhood sweetheart, so it'll be kinda our honeymoon."

He unexpectedly reconnected with her at a high school reunion. At the time, Segal's second wife, Linda Rogoff, was in the final stages of a fatal illness. "Our class secretary was asking if I were coming to a reunion, and I said no, no way. But I asked, is Sonia going to be there? She gave me her number, we started to talk, and we got married.

"Life," said Segal, "is something that happens when you're making other plans."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.