The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-07
OVER THE TEACUPS.
BY Lady Gay,
The Concert

The Opera House was too small on
Saturday evening to accommodate all
who desired to hear the performance
of Ernest Kaai's Royal Hawaiians.
Those who were fortunate enough to
gain admittance had submitted to
them a musical treat. The program
was an excellent one in every way
and that it suited the popular taste
was amply shown by the unstinted
applause that greeted each number.
Any entertainment that embraced so
wide a range of music, and that was
so well rendered, could not fail to
meet with full appreciation.
To open the program and find twen-
ty-four numbers listed, looked rather
appalling, but the first feelings
of wonder as to how any entertainers
could get through so great a task
without wearying the audience, were
completely forgotten before the per
Torrance had advanced very far.
There was delay of twenty min
utes in starting, and some of those
in the gallery becoming impatient, be-
gan to manifest their desire to wit
ness the performance. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY in response to these requests
that the curtain was raised, and as
people were still streaming in, ethe
opening items were slightly disturbed
The curtain went up on a pictur-
esque scene. The stage was tasteful
ly arranged with rustic seats, over
which native mats were thrown. The
entertainers looked cool and comfort
able despite the heat of the theater,
/ Madame Anehila and Miss Kaai be-
! ing dressed in white dresses, with a
simple decoration of royal purple and
| a carnation lei, while the male mem,
bers wore flannel trousers, white
! shirts, stylish collars and purple bow
ties. Many of them also wore pur
pie socks. There were many small
lain trees and some well arranged
scenery completed a striking setting
TIE program was varied enough fo
any taste Beginning with a Hawaii
an chorus by the entire company
there followed songs in Hawaiian, En-
vlish and Fijian, interspersed will
some splendid musical items, and tn
first portion of the program was cor
= cluded with the Maori welcome haka
The second half of the program wa
just as varied as the first, but, if any
thing, it was even more appreciated
than it's predecessor, and the concer
was brought to a conclusion with the
singing of the evergreen Aloha De
and Hawaii Ponoi.
There was nothing tiresome about
the program. 1t was full of good sing
ing, there was wholesome humor, anC
the dancing and the instrumental
items were well rendered. There
must have been very few people il
the house who knew what the Fijiar
song entitled "Gulu Bae Ma Talent
was about, but it raised plenty O.
laughter. Ernest Kaai's mandolin
solo "My Old Kentucky Home" was
well executed. But to make compari
sons would be difficult, for Rober
Kaawa, Thomas Carter, Kamakani
and Miss Kaai all sang well. Madame
Anehila was not heard at her best
unfortunately. She seemed to be suf
fering from some trouble that affected
her voice, but this did not detrac
from her rendering of the hula. ThC
haka dancing by the company appeal
ed to the audience as being extremel!
funny.
Undoubtedly the hit of the evening
was scored by Henry Kailimai. HI
began with a comic song entitled
Bill, oh Bill" 1t was not of the az
gressiye type of humor at all-noth
ing like what is usually described a
a comic song by some of the coined
ians of the vaudeville stage, but Kai
limai extracted all the fun there wa
in it, and the audience simply rocked
He was encored several times, ant
1.-THE audience was 10th to let him gc
Ernest Kaai was another notable sue
cess, He showed his versatility b,
reciting an incident that is always al
legged to have happened in some othel
town. This was a funny story of the
clean, wholesome type, and when he
stated that the people had decided t.
give the dead governor the best fun
eral he had ever had in his life, the
audience was conyulsed. But quite
apart from his ability as a raconteur
his mastery playing of the guitar was
a material factor in the recitation
The only fault that could be founC
with it, was that he buried the gov
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