PAT Sajak is coming out of retirement to perform in a play in Hawaii, and his theater manager is telling him all about his surprising next move.
Pat’s new show at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu was announced the same week as her latest episode of Wheel of Fortune.
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Pat, 77, quickly landed the lead role in a community theater production called Prescription: Murder.
He co-stars with his longtime friend Joe Moore, a local KHON host.
The play will not close immediately, but will take place next summer, from July 25, 2025 to August 10, 2025.
Said that, tickets are already available for the show a year from now, and it’s not hard to imagine why.
This marks the former game show host’s first show since retiring from WoF on Friday, June 7.
Pat’s last day was an emotional time for the masses, and he had previously hinted that he would be enjoying retirement.
So fans were surprised to find out he would be returning to the spotlight – even more surprisingly, as a stage actor.
But it turns out that Pat loves acting in Hawaii, and the locals love him too.
‘THEY LOVE HIM’
“Pat has a good relationship with [co-star] Joe Moore; their friendship extends back to their military days,” Hawaii theater manager Justin Jenks exclusively told The US Sun.
“Last year he did a production here too,” he explained.
“Pat and Joe put on a show here, and the proceeds are donated to the theater. That’s one of the good things.”
Pat has a house in Hawaii next to his $5.5 mansion in Los Angeles and spends his summers there.
His previous play was The Sunshine Boys and, as is the case with next summer’s show, proceeds will go to charity.
“Pat is very in tune with the community aspect and enjoys donating his time here,” Justin continued.
“All profits here are a donation to the theater.”
“So we always give him a scheduled spot for a few weeks here.”
“I believe the year before they did that as well.”
“We have an upcoming commercial for that and yes, people are excited about it.
“We give production two weeks, and they perform multiple times over those two weeks,” Justin said.
Justin said Pat is a hit with locals, who may even meet him after his performances.
“They love him; they sell a VIP experience where you take photos with Pat. It’s always a good time.”
“He is very impressionable with the community here. When I met him, it was great. Overall, he’s a great guy.”
“He’s a really stand-up guy. He’s very nice, very kind.”
Justin admitted he was taken aback by Pat’s acting skills when he saw him perform in a production of Sunshine Boys in June 2023.
“He’s a great artist.”
“To be honest, I didn’t know he could act so well until I saw him live.”
The 2025 show is fully scripted and last year’s show had a “little comedic aspect”, he added.
Justin also said that there was a buzz in the area about Pat’s departure from Wheel before he announced his retirement later that month in 2023.
“Last year there was a rumor that he would not return to Wheel of Fortune.
“So the participation was very good.
“It was a period of 8 or 9 different presentations.”
Pat also starred alongside Joe in many other theater shows, including The Odd Couple, The Honeymooners, The Boys in Autumn, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway and Dial M for Murder.
ALL ABOUT PAT’S NEXT ACT
In Prescription Murder, Pat will play a psychiatrist who concocts a murder plot, while Joe plays the lead detective.
The mystery-themed play will be on the Hawaii Theater Center’s main stage.
Its plot was the inspiration for the pilot of the classic TV show Columbo.
$75 VIP tickets include the best seats, a meet and greet with personal photo opportunities with the stars and an autographed poster.
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Pat also opened up about her surprising love for acting in a recent video interview.
“As you get older, there’s the work of memorizing a piece, and it’s a good measure of how you’re doing,” he said.
“And of course, spending time in Hawaii is great.”
Pat holds Hawaii in his heart and has made a home there for decades.
He tearfully told viewers to donate during the deadly 2023 bushfires in a rare personal social media video.
PAT’S FAREWELL MESSAGE
After 43 years, 8,000 episodes, and more ridiculous responses than anyone could count, Pat’s final episode aired on June 7, 2024.
At the end of the episode, he held back tears as he delivered a final message to the Wheel community.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he said in the video.
“I have some thanks and thanks before I go and I want to start with everyone watching.”
“It has been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” he said, tearing up.
“And I always felt that privilege came with the responsibility of keeping this daily half hour a safe place for family fun.”
Pat thanked viewers for allowing him into their lives.
He ended by thanking the team and longtime icon Vanna White, who approached for a tearful hug.
He will be replaced by Ryan Seacrest in the fall of 2024.
Vanna will stay with Ryan for at least two years, starting in season 42.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
