New Off-Broadway musical explores the false 2018 missile alert in Hawaiʻi

A part-time Kauaʻi resident is portraying her terrifying experience during the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi through a musical that recently premiered off-Broadway at the York Theatre in New York City.

Songwriter Holly Doubet wrote “This Is Not a Drill” about the event when the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency mistakenly sent a text alert warning residents and visitors of an incoming ballistic missile.

Although she’s based in Dallas, Texas, Doubet spends three months a year in Princeville, which is where she was when the alert was sent and then rescinded 38 minutes later.

After officials confirmed it was a false alarm, the incident left people throughout the state panicking as many sought shelter and contacted loved ones believing their lives were about to end. The event took place amid heightened nuclear tensions between the United States and North Korea and was widely reported in global media.

“Experiencing the 2018 false missile alert was transformative,” Doubet said. “For 38 minutes, I contemplated mortality, uncertain of how or when disaster might strike. Every aspect of the show—from its songs to its narrative structure—draws directly from my personal experience of those moments.”

Upon returning to the mainland, Doubet—formerly a songwriter for the children’s TV series “Barney & Friends”—collaborated with Los Angeles-based songwriters Kathy Babylon and John Vester to write songs for the story Doubet wanted to tell. She then reached out to playwright Joseph McDonough to co-write the script.

“Holly’s firsthand account of the crisis is compelling,” McDonough said. “My focus was to craft nuanced, relatable characters and to document their responses as the events unfold, while maintaining the tension of imminent danger.”

The narrative centers around multiple characters: a woman escaping a troubled marriage, an indigenous family navigating generational differences, a husband and wife coping with a medical issue, a couple on vacation from Ohio, and more.

The cast includes Caitlin Burke as Leilani, Matthew Curiano as Chris, Chris Doubet as Tony, Gary Edwards as Derek, Felicia Finley as Jessica, Kelvin Moon Loh as Kaleo, Sam Poon as Ikaika, and Aurelia Williams as Sophie. Ensemble members are Victor E. Chan, Bill Coyne, Lukas Poost, and Marianne Tatum. The swings are Xavier Reyes and T. Shyvonne Stewart.

“This Is Not a Drill” is running through Saturday, Oct. 11, at York Theatre Company at Theater at St. Jean’s, 150 E. 76th St., New York, N.Y. Tickets can be found online.