HAWAIIAN TROUBADOURS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 219, 5 December 1927, Page 15

HAWAIIAN TROUBADOURS

IN AUCKLAND NEXT WEEK Theatregoers of Auckland will be delighted to hear that the great Hawaiian company, under the sole direction of Mr. KLaai, the worldfamous musician, is booked for a season of six nights at His Majesty’s Theatre, commencing next Monday, December 12. The Hawaiian Troubadors, under the leadership of Mr. E. Kaai, come to Auckland with one of the most unique and picturesque entertainments ever staged in New Zealand. The romantic glamour of the sunlit isles, set like pearls in the vast Pacific, has been told to the world in different languages by Jack London, R,. L. Stevenson, and H. de Vere Stacpoole, but no living novelist can aptly describe the softness and sweetness of Hawaiian music. No wonder Mark Twain said: “The music of the Hawaiians is the most fascinating in

the world; it is still in my ears, and haunts me sleeping or waking.” Mr. Kaai is himself a composer of note, and a fine musician; the remainder of the company are from Honolulu, personally selected by Mr. Kaai for their versatility and ability as singers, dancers, and instrumentalists. The majority appear in native Hawaiian costume, and all wear round their neck “leis” of ilima, which is the emblem of festivity. Barefooted, and attired in the native dress, they will go through the graceful poses and movements of the hula.-hula and other national dances of Hawaii. The programme is divided into two parts, the first being almost exclusively Hawaiian, while the second includes all the latest jazz numbers and song hits, all in the fascinating Hawaiian manner. This is the company which achieved such sensational successes in Melbourne and Sydney last year, and has just completed a phenomenally successful season at the Grand Opera House, Wellington. This will be the last opportunity of seeing the Hawaiians, for at the conclusion of the New Zealand tour they will go to London and the Continent.