Joy Abbott and Davis Gaines are singers at heart — she's a part-time Honolulu resident with a new CD of jazz and Broadway tunes; he's a Los Angeles-based actor with Broadway credits, including "The Phantom of the Opera."

They've developed the camaraderie of a mother and son, partly linked by her late husband, the legendary Broadway writer, director and producer George Abbott, who hired Gaines in "Damn Yankees." Joy Abbott was a backstage and sideline observer from the get-go.

Because of their mutual love for theater, Abbott and Gaines are teaming up for a first-time-in-the-Islands performance, "Broadway Reflections," Saturday at the Hawai'i Theatre.

It's really an excuse to play together, because they love the same kind of music, but there's a good deed attached, too: Money they raise will go toward the newly formed Hawaii Performing Arts Foundation, which aims to help Island performers learn more about the craft of theater and perhaps provide a means for locals to eventually get to Broadway.

"We've traveled a lot together," Abbott said over lunch at Elua, between sips and nibbles of her fire-roasted tomato soup and arugula salad.

"She visits me in L.A.," he said while enjoying his chicken breast with avocado salad, "between her other homes in Miami Beach and Philadelphia.

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't done 'Phantom,' and oddly enough, it was Mr. Abbott through whom I met Hal Prince (who directed the phenom with the mask and chandelier). First, as Raoul (the love interest of the heroine, Christine), then as the Phantom, which I did for almost six years."

"His voice is incredible," Abbott said. "Hal Prince has said that he's the best Phantom, the best voice on Broadway."

It's this kind of repartee that characterizes their bond, their mission to help others.

"The foundation is a good cause," Gaines said. "Whenever there's a good cause, Joy calls me."

Abbott said: "One of my Punahou classmates, (the late) Paul Loo, called me and asked if I'd get involved in theater here. I usually come home to play golf, rest and see my family, and at a reunion, he said I should get involved with Manoa Valley Theatre, which does really good work.

"So I met (producing director) Dwight Martin, and a foundation was created. But I said I'm not in the position of the Campbells, where I can give a lot of money. But I can help raise it. So I showed a tape of our show (Abbott and Gaines have worked numerous shows together on the Mainland), and that's how 'Broadway Reflections' was born."

"It's good to give back to the community, especially the young," said Gaines, a native of Florida. "When I was a kid, I wanted to be an actor. I grew up in Orlando, and I didn't know how to chase my dreams. So now I support a scholarship at Florida State University."

"I used to perform here, too," Abbott said, "singing Shirley Temple songs, Polynesian dances. I'd love to give back; my roots are here."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.