A Living Legend

Last month I had the honor of playing the role of a living legend on stage in a new show. The show is called ALMOND EYES and it's about Dorothy Toy and her dance partner, Paul Wing. They were known as the Oriental Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. But when WWII broke out and Pearl Harbor was bombed, Dorothy had to go into hiding because she is Japanese American while Paul got drafted into the war.
This incredible woman survived on the East Coast basically begging for food for her and her sister when she needed to, worked in whatever sketchy clubs would take her act, and if she needed to, she pawned her costumes in order to get money to pay rent. She was lucky enough to meet a man who helped her by giving her money to buy back her costumes when she had a show. But unfortunately, she would have such long periods between gigs she would have to sell back her costume in order to pay the gentleman back. But because of his kindness and others around her, she pulled through and eventually started her own dance troupe in the midwest.
At 92 years old now, she still teaches dance and is just as fiery as ever. It was amazing to meet her and chat with her after the show. I could only hope I'd done her justice. She said she really enjoyed it. She admitted it brought back bittersweet memories but it was a treat for her to see some of her experiences come to life on stage. She gave me the greatest compliment, saying that I played her the way she would have played herself on stage! Can't get much better than that, right? It was an amazing experience and I can only hope to be that spunky if I make it to 92 years old! (P.S. In the picture, the young girl is Sheri Nishijima, who played "Young Dorothy" and she is a superstar!)