Maori tour of U.S. fails

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 2

Maori tour of U.S. fails

(N.Z.PA. Staff Corresponaent

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2. The New Zealand Maori Company’s American tour has folded after a failure to obtain worth-while bookings on the west coast of the United

States. The producer of the company’s touring show “Pacific j Paradise,” Mr Irving Sudrow, ‘ said that the members of the show would fly from Los Angeles on Tuesday and reach Auckland on Thursday.

i “They’re basically on vacation until the time comes for boarding the aircraft to ; return home,” he said. The company had not per- 1 formed at Provo, a city about 60 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah, last Saturday as it had , planned when leaving New , York 11 days ago, he said. , Nor had it proved possible to , get commercially viable en- ' gagements since then. The show, which has a cast! ! of about 70, came to the!' United States a month ago 1 expecting a tour lasting well 1 beyond December. But after six evening performances on 1 Broadway it was forced to < withdraw because of un- i economic attendances. <

Mr Sudrow said then that if the company could win sufficient engagements on the west coast this month he was confident it would be able to survive in December. Yesterday he said there was insufficient time and not enough funds to maintain the company until it could resume its shows. The company had not per-! formed in Utah as hoped beI cause of differences over guarantees raised by the theatre management, he said. “We intend to go back home and start planning for a guarantee tour rather than a gamble tour such as this one was. I’ve had my first

contacts concerning next year’s tour and we’re asking for financial guarantees before accepting engagements. “Those people in New Zealand who lost money this year should get it back next year.

“The reviews we’ve had were good and these give us something to build on.” Mr Sudrow said the last pay the cast received was in New York—members of the show were reported then to have offered to forfeit some of the money owed them to help the company. The company was “maintaining” the cast while members remained in Los Angeles, said Mr Sudrow.