Loretta Ables Sayre
Encyclopedia
Loretta Ables Sayre is an American actress and singer who performed in jazz
standards at luxury hotels in Hawaii
for three decades. During her career, Ables Sayre performed in a few musicals
and guest-starred in several television shows, also doing work in commercials. In her 2007 Broadway
debut as Bloody Mary in South Pacific
, she was nominated for a Tony Award
for Best Supporting Actress and also won the 2008 Theatre World Award
.
to a Filipino father and a mother of mixed Asian and European descent. She has an older sister and brother. Her father was 25 years older than her mother, and eventually the couple divorced. Her mother remarried, and Ables Sayre has two younger half-siblings. She was raised in Hawaii
after her stepfather, who was in the United States Navy, was transferred there when Ables Sayre was six years old. She attended Pearl Harbor Elementary School
, Aliamanu Intermediate and Radford High School
in Honolulu, participating in school plays and choirs. As a small child, inspired by her mother's Dinah Washington
and Sarah Vaughan
recordings, Ables Sayre already knew that she wanted to become a singer.
Ables Sayre began to build her singing career immediately after high school while working in hotel jobs. She soon became the opening singer for a hotel performer's act. In 1979, she sang with Hawaiian musicians Kapono and Keola Beamer
on the local pop hit Honolulu City Lights
and at the Reef Hotel in Waikiki
. In 1981, she became the opening act for comedian Andy Bumatai
at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. She went on to perform Jazz and R&B standards at hotels, clubs and conventions throughout the Honolulu-Waikiki area.
In 1985, with Honolulu Theater for Youth, Ables Sayre appeared in Song for the Navigator, which toured Micronesia, Australia and throughout the U.S., including performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 1989, she played Effie White in the Hawaiian production of Dreamgirls at the Hawaii Theater. The same year, she became the featured vocalist at the Halekulani Hotel
in Waikiki, where she performed for 10 years. She was voted "Favorite Female Vocalist" by the readers of Honolulu Magazine
in 1993 in its "Best of the Best" issue.
, played Parissima Macadangdang in The Byrds of Paradise
, and had a recurring role, Aunty Jackson in Baywatch Hawaii. She was Nannie Lee in Hawaii (2004), appeared in North Shore (2004) and played the recurring role of Kai's Auntie in Beyond the Break
(2006–2007). She lends her voice to PBS Hawaii and has had additional roles in various local TV shows. In commercials, she played waitress Loretta in the Bank of Hawaii
series of commercials called "Harry and Myra" and commercials for State Farm
, the Hawaii State Department of Health, Oceanic Time Warner
and others. Her voice-over work includes commercials on radio and TV.
Ables Sayre headlined at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel from 1999 to 2006. There, she performed as the opening act for New Year's Eve concerts by such performers as The Four Tops (2000), James Brown
(2001), The Beach Boys
(2002) and Kenny Loggins
(2003). Ables Sayre released a CD, Dreamy, in 2001, which was nominated for a Nā Hoku Hanohano Award. She first starred in the lead role of Pua Ma Lusa in the 2002 Diamond Head Theatre
production of musical You Somebody by Lee Cataluna and Keola Beamer
. She reprised this role in 2007, winning the Hawaii State Theater Council's Po'okela Award for Leading Female in Musical.
In 2008, she debuted on Broadway as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. For her performance, she was nominated for Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and also won the 2008 Theatre World Award
.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
standards at luxury hotels in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for three decades. During her career, Ables Sayre performed in a few musicals
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and guest-starred in several television shows, also doing work in commercials. In her 2007 Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut as Bloody Mary in South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, she was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Supporting Actress and also won the 2008 Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
.
Early life and career
Ables Sayre was born in Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
to a Filipino father and a mother of mixed Asian and European descent. She has an older sister and brother. Her father was 25 years older than her mother, and eventually the couple divorced. Her mother remarried, and Ables Sayre has two younger half-siblings. She was raised in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
after her stepfather, who was in the United States Navy, was transferred there when Ables Sayre was six years old. She attended Pearl Harbor Elementary School
Pearl Harbor Elementary School
Pearl Harbor Elementary School is a public, coeducational grade school of the Hawai'i State Department of Education that serves around 637 students in grades K-6. The ethnicity is 56% Asian and 25% White. It is located on Moanalua Ridge, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA...
, Aliamanu Intermediate and Radford High School
Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School
Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School, known as Radford High School, is a public high school in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, adjacent to the Halawa CDP.-Admiral Arthur W. Radford :...
in Honolulu, participating in school plays and choirs. As a small child, inspired by her mother's Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
and Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
recordings, Ables Sayre already knew that she wanted to become a singer.
Ables Sayre began to build her singing career immediately after high school while working in hotel jobs. She soon became the opening singer for a hotel performer's act. In 1979, she sang with Hawaiian musicians Kapono and Keola Beamer
Keola Beamer
Keola Beamer is a Hawaiian slack-key guitar player, best known as the composer of "Honolulu City Lights" and an innovative musician who fused Hawaiian roots and contemporary music.-Family:...
on the local pop hit Honolulu City Lights
Honolulu City Lights
"Honolulu City Lights" is a song composed by Hawaiian singer/songwriter Keola Beamer in the 1970s which opens an album by the same name...
and at the Reef Hotel in Waikiki
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
. In 1981, she became the opening act for comedian Andy Bumatai
Andy Bumatai
Andy Bumatai is a Hawaiian-based comedian and actor.Bumatai began his career opening for popular Hawaiian comedian Frank De Lima and soon found himself replacing the late Rap Reiplinger in Booga Booga, Hawaii's seminal sketch comedy group...
at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. She went on to perform Jazz and R&B standards at hotels, clubs and conventions throughout the Honolulu-Waikiki area.
In 1985, with Honolulu Theater for Youth, Ables Sayre appeared in Song for the Navigator, which toured Micronesia, Australia and throughout the U.S., including performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 1989, she played Effie White in the Hawaiian production of Dreamgirls at the Hawaii Theater. The same year, she became the featured vocalist at the Halekulani Hotel
Halekulani hotel
Halekulani is a U.S. luxury hotel located on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It has 453 rooms in five buildings on of property. Halekulani is a Hawaiian word meaning "House Befitting Heaven"....
in Waikiki, where she performed for 10 years. She was voted "Favorite Female Vocalist" by the readers of Honolulu Magazine
Honolulu Magazine
-History:In 1888, when Hawaii was still a monarchy, King Kalākaua commissioned a magazine under royal charter to be Hawaii's ambassador to the world. That magazine was Paradise of the Pacific. For nearly a century, Paradise of the Pacific promoted local business and tourism by assuring citizens of...
in 1993 in its "Best of the Best" issue.
Television, commercials and recent years
In television, Ables Sayre has appeared in various television series filmed on location in Hawaii. She guest-starred in the detective series Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, played Parissima Macadangdang in The Byrds of Paradise
The Byrds of Paradise
The Byrds of Paradise is an American television series that ran during the 1993-94 season on ABC. The hour-long drama centering on a father and his three children, abruptly relocated to Hawaii from New Haven after the sudden death of the children's mother...
, and had a recurring role, Aunty Jackson in Baywatch Hawaii. She was Nannie Lee in Hawaii (2004), appeared in North Shore (2004) and played the recurring role of Kai's Auntie in Beyond the Break
Beyond the Break
Beyond the Break is an American drama series set in Hawaii, that debuted on The N in June 2006.-Synopsis:The series focuses on four women in the sport of professional surfing. Birdie Scott , Lacey Farmer , Dawn Preston , and Kai Kealoha must overcome their differences in order to capture surf...
(2006–2007). She lends her voice to PBS Hawaii and has had additional roles in various local TV shows. In commercials, she played waitress Loretta in the Bank of Hawaii
Bank of Hawaii
The Bank of Hawaii Corporation is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is Hawaii's second oldest bank and its largest locally owned bank in that majority of the voting stockholders reside within the state...
series of commercials called "Harry and Myra" and commercials for State Farm
State farm
State farm can refer to:*Sovkhoz, a type of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union*Volkseigenes Gut, a type of state-owned farm in East Germany*Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, a type of state-owned farm in People's Republic of Poland...
, the Hawaii State Department of Health, Oceanic Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and others. Her voice-over work includes commercials on radio and TV.
Ables Sayre headlined at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel from 1999 to 2006. There, she performed as the opening act for New Year's Eve concerts by such performers as The Four Tops (2000), James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
(2001), The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
(2002) and Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
(2003). Ables Sayre released a CD, Dreamy, in 2001, which was nominated for a Nā Hoku Hanohano Award. She first starred in the lead role of Pua Ma Lusa in the 2002 Diamond Head Theatre
Diamond Head Theatre
The Diamond Head Theatre is a cultural institution in the United States. Calling itself the Broadway of the Pacific, it is located on the slopes of Diamond Head in Honolulu, Hawaii. Opened in 1915, it is Hawaii's oldest performing arts center.-History:...
production of musical You Somebody by Lee Cataluna and Keola Beamer
Keola Beamer
Keola Beamer is a Hawaiian slack-key guitar player, best known as the composer of "Honolulu City Lights" and an innovative musician who fused Hawaiian roots and contemporary music.-Family:...
. She reprised this role in 2007, winning the Hawaii State Theater Council's Po'okela Award for Leading Female in Musical.
In 2008, she debuted on Broadway as Bloody Mary in South Pacific. For her performance, she was nominated for Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and also won the 2008 Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
.
External links
- Sayre's official website
- Loretta Ables Sayre at the IBDB database
- Ables Sayre on the Today Show