MAORI OPERA COMPANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1915, Page 7

MAORI OPERA COMPANY.

AT NEW PLYMOUTH To NIGHT. a svLiuisUiu M(.;irr;s i::, : Ti:iir.u:s Tl MENT. One of the juosl i'ascinaLijig and iu I' lestiug of Jove sUiiw in tiny a.'e ui clime L> thai founded on the loimut;-. Maori legend, which records iio.v Hiiie mon, daring alj for the sate of lou-, performed an almost humanly impes siblc feat to reach the one the loved. How she swam ncroes the lake, and after trials many and great, was united to her lover, TiitaueUui, is too wellknown to need repetition. That these legends have, hy thu in duatry and care of New Zealand po.'te, 'been preserved to the people is u distinct ifftin, the value of which will ap- ' pear more clearly as time goes on. The setting of these stories to music, which by the genius of the composer gyves tone and stylo appropriate to the subject, is also very valuable, for it will hand on to posterity some of the finest characteristics of the Maoris, many features and customs which otherwise would he forgotten iu the course of time. For this reason the composer of the striking Maori opera, llinemoa, is entitled to great credit and deserves strong and sympathetic eueouragemen>t. To-night, at the Theatre Royal, Fred Bennett's Maori Opera Company, which is touring under the distinguished patronage of their Excellencies the Governor, the Countess of Liverpool, and the Hon. Mr. Massey, will make its appearance in the charming Maori rousical'play hy Percy Flynn. Every member of the company is remarkably versatile and talented, while the music is of a most inspirational character, and the scenery is magnificent. It must he made known that the profits of the tour go towards j the relief funds for our wounded soldiers, and each and every member of the company is working diligently to help our heroes who have been fighting for the liberty of our mighty Empire and to retain the supremacy of the seas, for the peace and goodwill which the British nation has throughout the long years held in sacred admiration. When we sit and soliloquise in our idle moments and face the grim, hard facta of what is happening in the bosom of Europe today, we feel it our duty, we who arc at home, to do everything possible in our power to help our boys who, amidst the din and rattle, through shot and shell and cannon smoke, are fighting for glory and for the dear ones whom they have left behind them, far across the seas. We can help, even by witnessing the performance of "Hinemoa" by the Maori Opera Company at the Theatre Royal. This is the only patriotic company at present touring New Zealand, so the public patronage will do a great deal to help. Some day our boys will come home with the sears and wounds of ' chivalry. Then you will remember what you have done in this way to help those who served the King, their country, and their God. Book seats to-day. Box plan at Collier's,