On Stage in Korea and Japan

New Zealand Listener, Volume 28, Issue 717, 10 April 1953, Page 24

On Stage in Korea and Japan

"SOLDIER audiences don’t like vulgar jokes fired at them from the stage. They may laugh at the "time, out of politeness, but you should hear what they say about it after the show. They regard vulgarity as an insult to their intelligence. I think that one of the reasons for our success was*that the show was clean throughout," Ulric Williams told me on his return from a visit to Korea with the New Zealand Concert Party. He was leader, compere and comedian, and the other artists were Pat McMinn and Pauline Ashby (vocalists) and Des. Begg, all-round entertainer. Begg contracted jaundice halfway through the tour and became a patient in the British Commonwealth Hospital at Kure, where he had been entertaining only a fortnight previously. His place was taken by a young Maori soldier, Marlie Stirling, pianist. "We had great receptions from the troops wherever we went, and the Maori items particularly caused vast interest,"

said Mr. Williams. "We played 50 shows -to Kiwis, British Tommies, Australians, Canadians and Americans, and in some of the audiences there were Dutch, Ethiopians and Siamese. The Kiwi troops were wildly enthusiastic, probably because we were straight from their homeland." The party was struck by the; warm comradeship between New Zealand and Australian troops, who never lost the opportunity of abusing each other heart-ily-the soldier's way of expressing, friendship. Ulric Williams said that there was a big gap in the ranks when Des, Begg had to leave, for he was pianist, ventriloquist, juggler, player of five instruments and a performer on musical bottles. All arrangements for the tour were carried out with the greatest efficiency, and half-way through the party was given a brand new piano, imported direct from England. During the tour, _which lasted for two months, the party spent four and a half weeks in Korea and two and a half weeks in Japan.