KAAI'S HAWAIIAN TROUBADOURS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 30 November 1927, Page 5

KAAI'S HAWAIIAN TROUBADOURS

Theatre-goers of Nelson will be pleased to hear that the Hawaiian company, under the sole direction of Mr Kaai, the well-known musician, are booked to appear next Tuesday and Wednesday, when they will appear at the Theatre Royal. The Hawaiian Troubadours, under the leadership of Mr •E. Kaai, come to Nelson with one of the most unique artd picturesque entertainments ever staged in- New Zealand. The romantic glamor of the sunlit isles, set like pearls in the vast Pacific, has been told to the. ' world in different languages by Jack London, R. L. Stevenson and 'H. de Vero Stacpoole, but no living novelist can aptly describe the softness and sweetness of Hawaiian music. No wonder Mark Twain said, "The music of" the Hawaiians is the most fascinating in the world; it is still in my ears, and haunts me sleeping or waking." Mr Kaai is himself a composer of note and a fine musician; the remainder of the company are from Honolulu, personally selected by Mr Kaai for their versatility and .ability as singers, dancers and instrumentalists. The majority appear in native Hawaiian costume, and all wear round their neck "lets' 'of Ilima, which is the emblem of festivity. Barefooted and attired in the native dress they will go through flic graceful poses and movements of the Hula Hula and other national dances of Hawaii. The programme is divided into two parts, the first being almost exclusively Hawaiian, while the second includes 'all the latest jazz numbers and song hits, all in the fascinating Hawaiian manner. This is the company which achieved such sensational successes in Melbourne and Sydney last year, and has just completed a remarkably successful season at the Grand Opera, House, Wellington. This will be the last opportunity "of seeing the Hawaiians, for at tho conclusion of the New Zealjnd tour they, will go to London and the Continent.