KAII’S TROUBADOURS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 226, 13 December 1927, Page 15

KAII’S TROUBADOURS

“NIGHT IN HONOLULU” MELODY IN SOUTH SEA SETTING Misty moonlight, slender palms (synthetic and real), melody, and a deep blue sea—that is our impression of “A Night in Honolulu.” There is a haunting rhythm about Hawaiian music. It calls for a languorous setting. Tropic seas and palm-fringed pools are its prerogative, and yet, when it is transferred to the prosaic stage, where the moon is a pool of very yellow light, and the vegetation is mostly on the wings and the backcloth, it does not lose its plaintive charm. Neither are the hula-hula girls less attractive out of their natural element. The property moon and the silver of artificial light add to the charm of these lithe (ittle ladies. The gleam of gold and silver skirts is an improvement on the rustle of reeds, and boards, we imagine, are better far to dance on than all the sand at Waikiki. All this is to introduce Mr. Ernest Kaii’s Hawaiian Troubadours, who are back in Auckland at His Majesty’s Theare, giving us a taste of the lure of the South Seas. Last evening was warm enough to make one’s mind wan-

der to a crooning beach set with whispering palms and the performers made one long for the “dolce far niente” of a real night in Honolulu, a gala night for preference. Since the last visit of the troubadours their number has been considerably augmented in ability. The dancers seem to put more pep and action into their swaying, swirling, rhythmic motions; the musicians pluck more captivating music from their instruments, and the singers are more in number if not in ability. “Nights of Love,” from “The Tales of Hoffman,” sounds just as pleasant on a steel guitar as it does on a violin, and for the ear tuned to the more modern themes there are “In a Little Spanish Town,” “Hello, Blackbird.” and many others. Then there are the numbers essentially Hawaiian, “Adios, Kealoha,” “Alatau,” and “Imi Au la Oe,” which to the European ear are meaningless, except that the music makes everyone wish to know them better. Miss Frances Luiz’s number, “Jockeying,” seemed to meet the popular taste, as did her hula dance, with accentuated hip movements. Miss Gertrude Kinley’s “Flame” hula was another attractive item, and Miss Tuavivi Greig demonstrated the lure of the “Persuasion” hula. Mr. Kaii himself led the ensembles, the most melodious parts of a melodious programme. Wehi and Keoki Greig coaxed past and present favourites from their instruments in the popular manner. Miss Thelma Kaii proved to be as expert as any member of the company in providing melody that lingered pleasantly on the ear. Lucy and Palmer Parker took a hand at almost everything on the programme, and the other members of the company gave of their best. Kaii’s Troubadours will appear nightly at His Majesty’s Theatre for the remainder of the week.

Midnight shows are now a feature of Paramount Theatre, New York. This innovation was tried out “with the Paramount Picture, “Underworld” and proved such a success that it has been decided to have an extra nightly performance at 11.45 p.m. “Underworld” brought £17,000 to the theatre in one week. The widely-heralded Metro-Gold-wyn-Mayer picture, “The Merry Widow,” will be released in Auckland in November. The stars of this film masterpiece are Mae Murray, John Gilbert, considered to be one of the screen’s most versatile actors (as Prince Danilo), and Roy L’Arcy, George Fawcett, Tully Marshall and many other prominent screen artists. Erich von Stroheim directed the production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.