Loretta Ables Sayre is making a big splash on Broadway this season, earning a Tony nomination for her role as Bloody Mary in the hit revival of South Pacific, but her heart will always be back in her hometown of Honolulu.
In fact, Ables Sayre (her Filipino maiden name is pronounced Ah-bless) says that she owes at least part of her current success in musical theater to her childhood on Oahu, where her family moved in 1964.
“Hawaiian culture is very musical,” she says. “Starting in elementary school, I was nurtured as an artist. We had classes in music, dance and even in playing the ukulele.”
For years, Ables Sayre was a familiar face in local community theater and at such venues as the Veranda Room in the Kahala Hotel, the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian and the House Without a Key at the Halekulani. She has also had numerous TV roles, including that of Aunty Jackson in Baywatch.
She recommends that visitors to Honolulu stop by the Halekulani to enjoy Hawaiian dance performances by Kanoe Miller, who appears at House Without a Key about six nights a week.
“At one time, we performed together there,” Ables Sayre says. “It’s a magical, open-air place, where you can relax, look at the moon, and listen to the waves. Another great place to go is to Diamond Head Theater, my home theater and the oldest community theater in Hawaii.”
For now, Ables Sayre is living out a long-held dream, while remaining true to her Hawaiian roots. Her New York apartment is adorned with potted palm trees and photographs of flowers and plants from her Honolulu garden. She has also brought a touch of Hawaii to her fellow cast members, sharing treats sent from home and making batches of sesame-seasoned Hurricane Popcorn.
Among her biggest thrills since landing the role in South Pacific is the chance to meet some her of favorite stars, including Bette Midler, who was born in Hawaii and attended the same high school as Ables Sayre.
“One night she knocked on my dressing room door and we had a great time, talking pidgin to each other,” she says. “I was able to tell her how much her performance in The Rose meant to me. I’ve learned so much from people like Bette and my fellow cast members. It’s been like a master class. I want to give back some of what I’ve learned when I go back to Hawaii.”
Ables Sayre is looking forward to a brief vacation in Honolulu in early December, her first visit home in a year.
“One of the first things I’m going to do is grab a plate lunch at Zippy’s and sit on the beach,” she says. “I primarily want to kick back and lay low. There’s a spirit from the local people there, and I just want to drink it in.”
