Ables Sayre a delight as Bloody Mary

Tag : airline socks

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Yes, Loretta Ables Sayre, our local Tony nominee, was absolutelyenchanting as Bloody Mary in the Lincoln Center Theater at theVivian Beaumont hit, "South Pacific," in which she'll continuethrough the Jan. 4 extension. The show's on an open-end run, so ifyou have an inclination to see what the hubbub (and glory) is allabout, do so. You'll love Ables Sayre, as we did, not only for heronstage performance, but for the off-stage aloha she's generatedwith her fellow cast and crew, as well as stage door fans(including beaucoup locals) who wait to see her for photo andautograph ops after her performances.
She led a backstage tour (Randy, Gay and Andrew Hongo were there,too) of the Vivian Beaumont Theater, and we had dinner with herafter a Wednesday night performance at O'Neal's, a restaurant nearthe theater and her East Side apartment. ...
"I am recovering from all of the hoopla that led to the Tonys,"said Ables Sayre, who was recognized on the streets ("That's BloodyMary!"), en route to dinner. Her fellow stars  Tony winner PauloSzot (Emile de Becque), Kelli O'Hara (Nellie Forbush), DannyBurstein (Luther Billis) and Matthew Morrison (Lt. Cable)  are'ohana now. "We're getting on to the task of finding the rhythm inour lives to do the show, keep up our health and our voices, andfind the pockets of time to have a real life," she said. "MaybeI'll finally be able to see some of NYC and enjoy it all."
AND THAT"S THE RUB: You have to live and breathe theater and save energy for the eightperformances a week; this ethic remains high and pure. ...
WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Bassist John Kolivas, whose Honolulu Jazz Quartet presents afund-raising concert July 27 (with Pauline Wilson) at the HonoluluAcademy of Arts' Doris Duke Theatre, surprised Ables Sayre at"South Pacific."
"My friend, drummer Bill Lanham, plays in the show (orchestra), sohe invited me to sit in the orchestra pit with him," said Kolivas,who has longstanding ties with Ables Sayre. He just sat in the pit,but had to don a tux because he took a curtain call bow with theork.
"I first worked with her in 1980 with the Beamer Brothers," hesaid. "The last show she performed in Hawai'i before being calledto Broadway was 'You Somebody' at DHT (Diamond Head Theatre)," withKolivas doing music. ...
SIGHT 'EMS: We saw 10 shows over seven days, including the refreshing "In theHeights" with Tony-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, whoseautobiographical hip-hop barrio musical continues to pack 'em in atthe Richard Rodgers Theatre. This is the Best Musical produced by ahui that includes Hawai'i-born Kevin McCollum. ...
McCollum also has a newbie, "[title of show]," formally openingtonight at the Lyceum Theatre, about a team trying to mount aBroadway production. No stars, but a lot of charm  kinda like "AChorus Line" except it's not about dancers, but about a lyricistand composer. ...
Estelle Parsons ("Bonnie and Clyde") has replaced Tony winnerDeanna Dunagan in the compelling "August: Osage County"Tony-winning drama, but she brings star presence to the cast at TheMusic Box; and at a performance of Stew's autobiographical musical,"Passing Strange," we saw Frank Langella ("Dracula") chuckling oversome of the scenes. This is the production moviemaker Spike Leewill shoot with and without audiences for either theatrical orcable release. ...
It was a hoot at "The Little Mermaid," to encounter Merwin Foard so wonderful as the first Javert in "Les Mis