"The Adventures of Gary & Harry: A Tale of Two Turtles," the latest musical from playwright Lisa Matsumoto and composer Roslyn, is equal parts entertainment and education. It also is a tale of two creators, who mounted a show to appeal to two audiences — youths and adults.

"I haven't done an original full musical for four years," said Matsumoto, a leader of local comedy endeavors, normally dealing with fractured fairy tales with pidginized lyrics.

"This one's a little bit different — two shows in one. One's a full-blown musical, for the public, which runs about two hours. There's an abbreviated version, which runs half the length, under an hour, for when we bus in students."

The 'Ohi'a Productions musical premieres tonight at the Hawai'i Theatre, a much bigger venue than usual for that production troupe. The show also marks a return to Matsumoto's roots, because her first biggie, "Once Upon One Time," launched in 1991, was similarly produced in long and short versions.

"We've evolved since," she said of her journey of not only creating a play but developing an 'ohana of diehard supporters and colleagues in the process.

Roslyn Catracchia, who uses only her first name in writing and performing credits, has been a vital part of Matsumoto's stage endeavors.

"She and I both communicate very well, and we love all of the same musicals," said Roslyn. "Lisa has a fantastic musical sense, and the more of the script I know, the better understanding of character I have. We have bonded."

Matsumoto is not performing in this one, however. "I did not write myself a part," she explained. "I'm directing; for this one, I needed to focus on the energy (on directing). But I'm cheering on my cast; it's so wonderful to see a production from the house, not be in it on stage."

Matsumoto said her vision and Roslyn's are parallel. "Her work inspires me; I think we make a great team. At the same time, we're great friends. We have fun together at work and during off-hours."

Their past collaborations include the inspirational "On Dragonfly Wings," a fantasy that was an homage to Alana Dung, a 3-year-old leukemia victim whose struggle to find a bone marrow donor inspired the community and yielded a book by Matsumoto, "Wailana the Waterbug." When the tale was transferred to the stage, first in 2001 and in a 2003 revival, the allegory of the waterbug was transformed into that of a dragonfly, in a tale of coping with the premature death of a loved one and the uncertainty of an afterlife.

In a similar vein, "Gary & Harry" relates real-life messages about friendship and community — but with an undercurrent of an environmental lesson about keeping our ocean clean.

In a sense, the new musical is an expansion of a characters and themes from Matsumoto's "In the Clear Blue Sea" for keiki (co-authored by Michael Furuya, who also is a co-composer of "Gary & Harry"), which took a road-show approach with school performances and ultimately inspired a book.

With its underwater scheme, the show has created a sea of adorable creatures, including Sam Pablo as Gary Green Sea and Kala'i Stern as Harry Hawksbill.

Daryl Bonilla (of "That's my bank" commercial fame) is appearing as Tyrone Tiger Shark, Stephanie Sanchez is Judy Jewel Moray Eel, Raina Racki is Polyp Abdul, Dion Donahue is Raul the Red Flame Scallop, Dwayne Fujitani is Nick Nurse Shark, Reiko Ho is Lori Lobster and Nicole Mele Libarios is Olivia Octopus.

Most are veterans of earlier Matsumoto endeavors, though Racki is new. "I told her once in the 'ohana, always in the 'ohana," said Matsumoto.

"There's really no pidgin," said Roslyn, who has written both music and lyrics.

"But the sharks are local and speak like locals, though there are no pidgin tunes. And there are fun characters, like Judy Jewel, a moray eel who sounds like a New York agent," Roslyn said with a New Yorker's twang.

Hugh Hanson, who earned his M.F.A. from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Department of Theatre and Dance, is doing his third Matsumoto production, and is happy to be home designing costumes for "Gary & Harry." He previously designed costumes for both versions of "On Dragonfly Wings" and the revival of Matsumoto's "The Princess and the Iso Peanut."

"It's very tempting, as a designer, to have a whole underwater crew that talks and sings and dances," said Hanson, on leave from his New York City-based Carelli Costumes job, where he recently helped create costumes for Broadway shows such as "Monty Python's Spamalot" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and the hats for "The Light in the Piazza."

"This show is character-driven — somewhat different for Lisa," said Hanson. "There are about 16 actors in the show, and each plays at least two different characters, so there are about 35 costumes."

Hanson strived for an aquatic feel to suit the underwater world of the musical. "When you do a creature, you have to make it so that kids get it; and you need a little more wink and nod, so parents get it, too."

The process of creating wardrobe for a local show is the same for a Broadway biggie like "Spamalot" — except in cost. "What we spend on one costume for Broadway might be the whole budget for costuming this show," said Hanson.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.