honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, January 11, 2009

SHOW BIZ
Hawaii gains another connection to 'South Pacific'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
spacer spacer

There's another Hawai'i connection in "South Pacific," Lincoln Center's hit musical that's co-starring Honolulu's own Loretta Ables Sayre as Bloody Mary. That's Peter Lockyer, who's married to local girl and former Broadway performer Melanie Tojio Lockyer. Peter is the new understudy for the role of Lt. Joe Cable, now taken by Andrew Samonsky since Matthew Morrison (a former Islander, in an early Don Ho show) left to film Fox series "Glee." ...

Lockyer was a resourceful pillar of Diamond Head Theatre's "Les Misérables" last fall; he directed and choreographed with his wife, and starred as Jean Valjean. Bring him home again, please. ...

Ables Sayre, meanwhile, survived the rigorous holiday play schedule of 10 shows back-to-back to get Christmas Eve off, then did six more performances in 72 hours. Of Lockyer's arrival, she coos: "It's great to have a Hawaiian connection," since Bloody Mary has scenes with Lt. Cable. ...

CELEB CITY: Among the celebs descending upon our shores during the Christmas-New Year's holidays: Actors Pierce Brosnan (and wife Keely Shaye) and Rob Lowe (with family and keiki), who logged beach time; ditto, Nicole Richie. All were pictured in the Jan. 12 People magazine. ...

Singers Michael Bolton and Carlos Santana have been spotted on Maui. ...

ONE-TWO-THREE-FORE! Gloria Estefan, the crossover Latin music superstar, is pulling big bucks for her 8 p.m. Jan. 17 concert at Blaisdell Arena — at least on some Web sites, where $500 listings for a pair of tickets are not uncommon. Understand her public concert is possible since she's also headlining a Sony Open private bash Thursday at the Hawai'i Convention Center for the golfing elite (the Sony Open starts tomorrow and runs through Jan. 18 at the Waialae Country Club). ...

TRAVEL LOG: KITV4 reporter Jodi Leong's East Coast vacation included a pause in New York for Broadway theater — specifically "Billy Elliott: The Musical." I'm jealous; "Billy" is a wanna-see, gotta-see hit on the Great White Way, which is facing falling attendance due to the lousy economy. ...

Ron and Mo Bright — he's the fabled theater director- were in The Big Apple, too, along with son Clarke Bright and his wife Lynell and their son Timothy, to catch eldest grandson Chris march with the Macy's All-American Band during the annual Macy's Parade. The couple saw five shows. ...

Mark and Leah Bernstein — he's the attorney, she's the Mountain Apple Co. president — spent their 27th wedding anniversary in San Francisco, commuting by ferry from a friend's home to the city. "The only reservations we made were for the anniversary dinner at Gary Danko's restaurant, where it's otherwise impossible to get in," said Leah. ...

REUNION TIME: Cliffton Hall, wife Dee-Dee and son Kaeden were home for the holidays to reconnect with his drama mentor Ron Bright and high school buddies Michael and Jade Bright. Cliffton is pau with the "Wicked" tour, but Dee-Dee will continue as Nessa Rose in the San Francisco company of the mega-musical, opening Jan. 27 at the Orpheum Theatre. Cliffton, who was Chris in the Broadway tours of "Miss Saigon," shared notes and memories of the role with Michael, who played it last fall at Paliku Theatre. ...

DATEBOOK: "Gutenberg! The Musical," with Tony Young and Elitei Tatafu Jr., premieres at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Manoa Valley Theatre. Call 988-6131. ...

"Live on the Lawn," from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Hawai'i State Art Museum, previews the Grammy Awards, with Daniel Ho, Amy Hanaiali'i, Ledward Kaapana, Mike Kaawa, Walter Keale, Milton Lau, Donald Kaulia, Stephen Inglis, LT Smooth, David Kahiapo, Chris Lau, Dwight Kanae and Sonny Lim appearing. Call 586-0307. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.