Loretta Ables Sayre will reprise the Bloody Mary role, which brought her a Tony nomination in Lincoln Center’s 2007 revival of "South Pacific," when the Paper Mill Playhouse presents the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical at its Millburn, N.J., theater April 9 through May 4.
The show, which won seven Tonys including best musical revival in 2008, features the island singer-actress delivering her indelible "Bali Ha’i" and "Happy Talk" solo numbers as the Tokinese mother-entrepreneur who tries to marry off her daughter to a sailor in the musical, set on a tropical island during World War II.
Ables Sayre joins Erin Mackey as Ensign Nellie Forbush, Jason Howard as Emile de Becque, Tally Sessions as Luther Billis, Doug Carpenter as Lt. Joe Cable and Jessica Wu as Liat. Rob Ruggiero will direct.
Ables Sayre begins rehearsals shortly for the show, which is part of the respected regional theater’s 75th-anniversary season.
She’s also got two First Hawaiian Bank commercials airing right now; you may recognize her with spectacles, sitting behind a computer, in the pair of TV spots promoting the bank’s Priority Destinations World Elite credit card. Clearly, her Broadway creds and her continuing local popularity keep her in the limelight, with new acting options periodically popping up.
Behind the scenes, Ables Sayre has been mentoring wannabe actors at the Nanakuli Performing Arts Club. "Two of those kids received multiple callbacks at the recent ‘Lion King’ auditions," she said, suggesting opportunities come to those who seek them. …
MUSICAL MATTERS: Kuana Torres Kahele, Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winning Hawaiian musician, will launch an ambitious and innovative CD project that will blend his poetry with island-by-island history.
"Hawai‘i Keawe: Music for the Hawaiian Islands Vol. 1" is due April 8. It’s the first of a six-CD series, with each disc honoring one of the Hawaiian Islands (the first is the Big Island) and tapping mele inoa ("name songs" of Hawaiian places, winds and rains, etc.) — a tradition and foundation of hula.
With his academic approach to enlighten fans and listeners, Kahele will provide both English and Hawaiian lyrics in his musical depiction of Hawaiian culture.
The first CD is now available for pre-order on iTunes. Kahele and his CD should be a huge hit at next month’s Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo. Also look for him at the Waikiki Aquarium’s summertime Ke Kani o ke Kai series on Aug. 7. …
STAGE NOTES: Manoa Valley Theatre, currently showcasing "Rent," has named Meg Hanna, a University of Hawaii grad, as its resident technical director. She is a Po‘okela Award-winning set designer who just won the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Western Region Award, with finals announced in April. …
Diamond Head Theatre’s "Show Boat," opening March 28, boasts a cast that includes opera fave Lea Woods Almanza (Magnolia Hawks), fresh-from-"Lion King" John Sloan III (Joe), Anthony Feliciano (Gaylord Ravenal), Fedrico Biven (Capt. Andy Hawks), Lisa Konove (Parthy Ann Hawks), Tricia Marcial (Julie LaVerne) and Alison L.B. Maldonado (Queenie). …
BOOK ‘EM: CBS has given the green light to a fifth season for its island-based "Hawaii Five-0" reboot. Producer Peter Lenkov also will be able to develop new series for CBS and for cable syndication, a relationship that could go on another year or two since the network already has a lucrative syndication deal for "Five-0" with TNT, which is paying CBS $2 million-plus per episode. Lenkov reunited with his "Five-0" collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci to mine a new drama, "Salvation," which CBS has acquired.
CONDOLENCES: Singer Bobby Roberts, the Frank Sinatra sound-alike, died of respiratory failure March 7 at Tripler Army Medical Center. He was 79. His wife, Sanchia, will scatter his ashes today off the Kahala Resort. …
And that’s "Show Biz." …
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
