"Heartbeat Hawaii," the extravaganza at the Royal Hawaiian Theater, strives hard to express the Island spirit. In execution, it is a dance fantasy performed by a 75-member Chinese cast paying tribute to cultures that define the Islands: Hawai'i, Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, Thailand and more.

Its title implies Hawaiian content; after all, the production is ensconced in the heart of Waikiki, at the heartbeat of the tourist trade.

But the Hawaiian elements — well, pseudo-Hawaiian - are raising red flags because of some cultural insensitivity.

Specifically, the depiction of Pele, the goddess of the volcano, borders on sacrilege. Pele — while not named — dons a mask and has braids and a gown designed to suggest a mountain with lava spewing; she also pulls her braids, which resemble dreadlocks, and I shudder with concern: The eruption will be spurts of dismay.

One wonders: who is the target audience? Locals? Not likely — though Island support for any Waikiki show is vital year-round. Mainland visitors? Maybe Chinese visitors, if those direct-to-Hawai'i flights eventually materialize?

I took in a performance a week after the formal launch July 17 and had heard about an awkward hula that already has been exorcised.

More trims are necessary, with some tweaking for the Pele segment; has no one raised the red flag?

The "Hawaiian" is dispensed with good intention but blurred vision. The show's director and creator, Dr. Dennis K. Law, has had artistic success in Vancouver, British Columbia, specializing in visual "action musicals" with Chinese themes ranging from terra-cotta warriors to Tang concubines, via his Sight Sound & Action company.

But he misfires here, attempting to homogenize Hawaiian with his largely martial arts-type template, which features four, eight or 10 groups of men and women in a volley of leaps, bounds, thrusts and confrontations worthy of warriorhood. No denying, these troupers work hard, have rehearsed their parts with dedication, and are simply doing a job. Too bad a Hawaiian cultural expert wasn't consulted about propriety issues.

Besides the sensitivity concerns, "Heartbeat Hawaii" also suffers from repetition, with formation after formation of might and fury, with only few quiet respites.

There's variety. A charming Japanese sequence, with women in stylized kimono and geta (wooden clogs), is earnest in syncopation; men and women, clicking bamboo poles and leaping in and out of the way of the bouncing poles, is a Philippines moment of comfort and familiarity; swirling ribbons and a drumfest characterize a dandy Korean display; for Chinese color and precision, there's an oversized fan dance.

But more often than not, the dancers appear, congregate, combat — with swords, spears, daggers, even pu'ili, those bamboo rattles utilized in hula — all with choreographic turns that ultimately echo the previous number.

A Hawaiian quilt parade, costumed with quilt-inspired splendor, plus a "Black and White in Paradise" segment, with skilled timing and dance choreographics, demonstrate what the company does right when the theatrics click.

By the time two huge feathers are hauled out on either side of the stage, for a dance of stylized, feathery birds that show little Hawaiian origins, you start checking your watch and wondering when it all will be over.

Law, who produced, wrote and directed the show and calls it an "action musical," has partnered with Roy Tokujo, who built the performing space on the fourth floor of the Royal Hawaiian Center as a high-tech showcase for his failed "Waikiki Nei" extravaganza. Regrettably, "Heartbeat Hawaii" does not utilize the technology in the space at all, beyond projections on the rear screen. As a successor to "Waikiki Nei," it retains parallel problems of having a few nuggets of joyous splendor but punctuated with far too many question marks.

Law also co-wrote the lyrics for the show's theme song, composed by Zhou Jiao Jiao, displayed on the back screen, and shared in a program booklet. It touts unity, a one-world-Hawai'i, but alas, the song is like the production: contending to be something it's not. Too bad a Hawaiian composer wasn't commissioned to create a song that would mine the heartbeat of Hawai'i.

Reach Wayne Harada at 266-0926. His Show Biz column appears Sundays in Island Life. Read his blog at http://showandtellhawaii.honadvblogs.com.