Loretta Ables Sayre ends her triumphant run in Diamond Head Theatre’s “Hello, Dolly!” with a matinee today. Embracing the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi for the past few months, she reveals here intimate comments on a journey mixed with pain and determination that sounds like an anatomy of a complex and iconic musical.
One wonders how Carol Channing did it for decades.
“I only saw it once on Broadway last year,” Ables Sayre said, “and that was before I knew I was going to do it here.” And it was with Bernadette Peters, not Bette Midler, as the meddlesome matchmaker.
“Watching the show was not research, it was just enjoyment and taking the ride, and I remember crying all the way through ‘Put on Your Sunday Clothes’ because of the sheer joy in the number. I had forgotten what it was like to experience that kind of utter ebullience from watching a show; I carried that joy with me for weeks, and am so happy to be sharing that happiness with the audiences at home.”
A consummate actress, Ables Sayre admitted that Aleve (two pills a day) became part of her regimen to survive, due to plantar fasciitis in her right foot since April. “I could barely walk,” she said.
During rehearsals, she limped and ached; she required orthotics in her stage shoes, and traipsing down the Harmonia Gardens staircase didn’t help. Nor did a torn meniscus in her right knee, suffered while she was doing “South Pacific” at Lincoln Center several years ago.
She soldiered on. “Dolly is such a huge role, with so much dialogue, that there is not a moment to become complacent,” she said. So daily, she reviewed her script in her head, even reciting lines in her car.
“This show has been a real muscle workout in my craft,” said Ables Sayre. “There is straight acting, comedy, tragedy, comedic timing, improv, music, singing, choreography and physical comedy in my character. And being that she is the lead and title character, there isn’t a moment where you can let go; she is continually driving a scene and propelling the show forward. If I stall, the show stalls and that simply isn’t an option.
“The changing of an inflection can change a moment in the scene and keep it alive and thriving; and I love that about theater. If we are doing it right, we are creating magic every single show.”
In the process, she discovered unexpected layers in Dolly. “I try to find the honesty in her and in her machinations; it’s a way of keeping her alive and real.
“She has had a great life, a great husband whom she loved,” said Ables Sayre. “But in the late 1800s, she is without money, she has lost her husband, she has no children and no way to make a living; she lives hand to mouth. She knows love and the hope of love exists and wants others to find it. She doesn’t expect it will happen in her life again. But she also doesn’t want to spend the rest of her life alone. So she decides a companion, and especially one with money (Horace Vandergelder), is good enough, and that is the truth, isn’t it?”
The show “is a reflection of the lives of many of my friends, that I sort of put myself in their shoes, to do some of these scenes.”
As Dolly, she’s decked out in red, white and blue gowns created by Karen Wolfe; “such detail and flair,” said Ables Sayre. Coincidentally, Wolfe’s assistant, Brenda Chee, co-designed Ables Sayre’s wedding gown 18 years ago, “so it was a blessing to be reunited with her and to be able to work with her on the dresses on this show.
Remarkably, she never showed her pain in her portrayal.
Her final “Dolly” thought? “It’s an honor to play her.” …
‘THE WIZ’ KIDS
I attended the finale of I’m a Bright Kid Foundation’s “The Wiz” on Oct. 7, at Paliku Theatre, and boy, was it marvelous and momentous. I’m talking about the post-show ceremony.
Director Mary Chesnut Hicks, tearing at times, hauled everyone on stage — actors, dancers, singers and techies alike — to recognize (with applause) and acknowledge (with lei or bouquets) their dedication and participation. The 35-member cast, 15 musicians, 10 members of the creative-artistic team. Everyone.
It was a meaningful replay of mentor Ron Bright’s tradition, to properly recognize and reward one and all. The loudest hurrahs, plus a rousing standing ovation, was for Mo Bright, the director’s widow. ’Twas a resounding display of ohana unity and a solid affirmation that the late Bright’s mantra — “believe in what you do” — lives on. …
And that’s “Show Biz.” …
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.
