Posted on: Thursday, September 5, 2002

Mainland transplant lands on Hawai'i stages

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Josh Harris plays Curly and Laura McCray plays Laurey in "Oklahoma!" Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser . . . 'Oklahoma!' A Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, produced by Army Community Theatre • 7:30 p.m. today through Saturday; repeats Fridays and Saturdays, through Sept. 21 • Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter • $17 and $14 adults, $10 and $8 children • 438-4480, 438-5230

Alabama transplant Laura McCray plays Laurey in Army Community Theatre's "Oklahoma!" premiering tonight at Richardson Theatre on Fort Shafter.

"I fell in love with Hawai'i when I visited last year, so I moved over in January," said McCray, 24. She was told that it's hard to crack the barrier and land local stage parts, so when she auditioned for this Rodgers & Hammerstein favorite, she was happily surprised to land the female lead.

McCray seems to be cracking a lot of stage barricades pretty quickly. She has the nod to appear in at least one ensemble with Hawai'i Opera Theatre next January. And she was cast in "Oliver" for an ACT debut earlier this year, but illness forced her to drop out after three weeks of rehearsals, and she returned home.

Now she's back and raring to go.

"I first performed here with the Shelton Stage College (Alabama) choir chamber group, for a festival," said McCray, who adores theater and has done her share back home. "We did Verdi's 'Requiem' with the Honolulu Symphony."

Since she has friends and a fiance here (Jason Elliston, who is in the Navy and stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, she moved. For good.

Her voice teacher, Laurence Paxton, a seasoned community theater and Hawai'i Opera Theatre performer and a University of Hawai'i professor, encouraged her to audition for ACT. And though she has a day job (she's a receptionist for Dr. Jason Uchida), she's able to schedule auditions and shows whenever something piques her interest.

Her "Oklahoma" character, Laurey, "is a very strong woman, who tries to play around with Curly and act like she's not in love — and she stands up for herself," said McCray. In the show, she has such solos as "Many a New Day" and "Out of My Dreams," and a duet with Curly, "People Will Say We're in Love."

On the Mainland, McCray was a member of the 'Bama Theatre and Inverness Theatre, and assumed such varied roles as Glinda the Good Witch in "The Wizard of Oz," Rosie Alvarez in "Bye, Bye Birdie," Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and Yum Yum in "The Mikado."

"I've been singing since I was 3," McCray said. "I was doing church songs my parents didn't even know I knew. I'm more nervous in front of four people than a thousand, so yes, I enjoy performing before crowds."

For three years, she was doing a Marilyn Monroe tribute show for fund-raisers as well as for an "Andy Griffith" TV reunion show. "I was blonde then, but went back to my natural color," she said.

After "Oklahoma!," she has her sights on the character of Maria in the upcoming Diamond Head Theatre production of "The Sound of Music." Big or small part, though, she's hoping to do the show, which would keep her in Hawai'i through December (the musical plays Dec. 6-22).

"I want to finish up college here — I have two more years to go — but performance is my passion," she said. McCray has another major role to play Dec. 28 in Alabama: a bride.

"Jason sings and plays music, though he doesn't do plays, so yes, there will be music at the reception," said McCray. "And my vocal coach will sing at my wedding, so I don't have to."