THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

Taihape Daily Times, 24 May 1918, Page 6

THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

' (o) THE KIWIS IN PARIS, DOMINION SOLDIIER (PLAYERS. (From Malcolm Ross.) Recently to Paris came ;an invasion of Kiwis. They arrived in the guise of soldier players, partly for a wellearned holiday, but also to raise funds for “A Corner of Blighty.” They hired ia small theatre in the Rue de Rocher, secured the distinguished patronage of the British Ambassador, Lord Bertie of Thame, and Lady Bertie, got handsome notices in Continental Daily Mail, the New York Herald, and some of the French newspapers, and then set about the sale of tickets. The curiosity of the British and Americans in Paris and a few of the French was aroused, so that boxes w-ere easily saleable at 100 francs and the ordinary seats at 12 francs each. Two afternoon performances were given, the theatre was packed, and the greatest enthusiasm prevailed. Some of the prettiest girls in Paris ushered the audience to their seats, and sold programmes printed by a divisional press at the front, and at prices that, even in these days of paper shortage, must have left a very handsome profit. The performance was the Pantomime of Achi Baba and the Forty Thieves, but was in reality more in the nature of a revue than a pantomime. From start to finish the play went with a great swing, the orchestra, too, excelling itself. The audience was a fashionable one, consisting largely of women of the British colony in Paris, all of them war workers. There was,-,how-ever, also a fair sprinkling of E.rcnch and Americans. Before the. .. curtain rose the tall sergeant scenic arist, .who is a master in a Dunedin Technical College, appeared in front-and apologised for the scenery of the play for a French village had to do duty for the domes and minarets of B'agdad, but,

as he put it, it was impossible for the New Zealanders’ to take their scenery all the way from Ypres or thereabouts because, after all, there was a war on!

, The astonishment of the audience, especially the fairer part of it, was evident wdien the handsome Morgiana, robed in the draperies of the Far East, come on, disclosing graceful bare arms and a beautiful face crowned with a mass of dark tresses. Morgiana was really a gunner from the New Zealand front.

The songs and choruses and dances were cheered to the echo, bouquets were handed up to the "lady” performers, and during the final dance and chorus the stage was strewn with flowers thrown from the balcony. Altogether it was a remarkable performance, I believe, the first of its kind given in Paris, and if the war goes on long enough, and the Kiwis return to Paris, they will have to take a bigger theatre.