Just like her sisters, dancer seeks 'Fame'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

Tori Anguay, a Castle High School junior who's the last of a line of performing sisters in the Anguay family, rehearses with other cast members in the school's production of "Fame." Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser 'Fame' 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; repeats at 8 p.m. April 19-20 and 2 p.m. April 21 Ronald E. Bright Theatre, Castle High School $15 general, $10 students and seniors; premiere night gala, $35 and $30, includes VIP seating and parking, silent auction at 6:30 p.m., reception with cast after the show 233-5626 Note: The title song was written by Michael Gore and Hawai'i's Dean Pitchford

First, an ingenue from a musical Windward clan is earning front-and-center recognition while keeping her family name alive. Tori Anguay, 16, a Castle junior, literally is following in the footsteps of her older sisters. She is the caboose in a trainload of Anguay sisters — Jade, Zoey, Jewl and Jana — who've graced that stage previously.

Second, director Karen L. Meyer also is working in the shadows of her predecessor, retired drama teacher Ron Bright, but is coming into her own with this show. Her last campus endeavor was a Bright-directed musical, but she's on her own with "Fame."

"I inherited the talent," said Meyer, who took over the reins but not quite yet the reign of the Castle Performing Arts Center. She knows Bright is no easy act to follow and his reputation still is alive and well in Kane'ohe.

"Some of the kids in 'Fame' have worked with Mr. B, and they have the discipline," she said. "He came to watch a rehearsal last week, and he was speechless after the opening number. So we must be doing something right."

And the pressure is on Anguay, understandably, since she is the last girl in the Anguay 'ohana that has produced a couple of Broadway show troupers (Zoey and Jade have performed in "Miss Saigon"; Jewl is Nala in the Los Angeles company of "The Lion King," but took a week off to watch the youngest sister cut the mustard).

No matter.

"I really want to dance," she said at a recent rehearsal. "I consider myself a dancer first, then actress. But I love stage and the amazing opportunities available. You meet so many different people."

Anguay is portraying Carmen, one of the leads in "Fame," and she recognizes some parallels between her life and the character's. "We both are attitude-givers, big time," she said. "She's a dancer who really wants fame; I can buy into that. ... I have that drive to succeed, too."

She used to watch her older sisters sing, dance, put on makeup and costumes, earn applause, take bows. Then she followed suit.

Trying to find her niche, in the path of her sisters' achievements, has its ups and downs, Anguay said. "The expectation to do good always is there," she said. "It can be stressful sometimes. But my sisters always encourage and support."

She said the blessings and cooperation of her parents have always been part of the formula for the sisters' stage accomplishments. "I don't drive; I won't try for a license till next year," she said. "So my dad is the one who's always there for us. He's done it for all of the girls. He is awesome."

There's no sibling rivalry, she said. "I'm so happy for their successes. There's no envy; I'm proud of what they've done and I've learned so much from them. They teach me everything."

Humility is foremost in the pass-along advice, she said. "Always be nice to everyone."

Performances, Anguay said, have helped her life as a high schooler. "Acting in theater teaches you discipline. You're never late for rehearsals — or classes," she said.

The Anguay brood (parents are Gary and Stephanie Anguay) includes four brothers, but only the youngest, Zare, a sixth-grader, has been bitten by the acting bug. He's not in "Fame" (too young) but was in the fall musical.

"I guess we all get involved by watching our older sisters," Anguay said. "My older brothers really didn't have anybody to watch, though (over the years) they have played music."

Having a large family "is great because there's lots of fun and lots of food." The downside: "There's only one bathroom."

Anguay and her performing peers have taken to Meyer. "She rocks," Anguay said. "No one can replace Mr. B, but she's doing a great job. We're learning, and so is she. It's been good for everyone."

Bright, who popped in on a recent rehearsal, expressed delight that the tradition he started — doing big musicals — is back in the hopper. "It's a joy to see Tori, all grown up," he said.

Emmett Yoshioka, musical director of the production, was enlisted by Meyer; it's his first time at the baton of a student show. "The kids catch on fast; for the most part, they're wonderful," he said. "Some of them stray (interest-wise), but they're pretty well focused."

Meyer said she got Yoshioka committed for a hana hou, for CPAC's 25th anniversary in 2005, if not sooner. "We want to bring back 'West Side Story,' and Emmett said he's willing to do the music," she said.