© 2026 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Happy Talk with South Pacific’s Loretta Ables Sayre

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Craig DeSilva
Published July 14, 2026 at 5:12 PM HST
Loretta Ables Sayre with a book gifted to her by the family of Oscar Hammerstein II after her performance in "South Pacific."
HPR
Loretta Ables Sayre with a book that was gifted to her by the family of Oscar Hammerstein II after performing in South Pacific.

"South Pacific" is filled with catchy, upbeat tunes that are ingrained in the American theater repertoire. But the Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II also includes dark, serious themes of racism and prejudice that many shows in the post-World War II era didn’t want to confront. Loretta Ables Sayre's careful research and preparation for her portrayal of the show’s iconic character Bloody Mary in the 2008 Lincoln Center revival of "South Pacific" helped earn her a Tony nomination for the role.

Sayre appeared on Evening Concert with Craig DeSilva to celebrate Hammerstein’s birthday and talk about why the show is just as relevant today as it was when it premiered in 1949.
Tags
Classical Music Conversations Evening Concert
Craig DeSilva
Craig DeSilva is glad to be playing recorded music on the air instead of playing for a live audience on stage as did when he studied piano. He began piano lessons when he was a child and continued piano studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (where he majored in broadcast journalism and minored in music) under the late Peter Coraggio.
See stories by Craig DeSilva
Related Stories