Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-11-28

the Catholic missionaries to win converts from
the Protestants. who had preceded them in the
Helu ny several years, and at its initial presen-
tation all the roles were taken by French mis-
sionaries gathered from all parts of the Society
group and brought to the Maruuesas in trading
schooners chartered for the occasion. The fol-
lowing year minor parts were given to natives
as rewards for becoming converts to Catholicism,
and before many seasons had gone by even the
leading parts came to be taken by the natives
the missionaries contenting themselves with
such positions as stage manager musical direc-
for and the like
The Passion Play is presented today il the
sane place where the first performance was
staged, sort of natural amphitheatre in the
native village of Hiva-oa The mission build
ings, low, rambling structures of coral blocks and
galvanized iron, flank two sides of a pentagonal
enclosure. The other sides shut in by close
set rows Of banyans of such size that their roots
and downreaching branches mingIe to form al
most solid wooden terraces upon which hun.
dreds of spectators may find seats without
crowdng
The stage is a hard packed piece of ground
sloping gently down to a crystal clear stream
which meanders past, sparkling in the sunbeams
like a row of footights. the position of which it
approximately occupies Behind the stage Is
creeper covered wall of rock with a face so
sheer that the direction exit rear" must neces.
sarily be eliminated from all performances To
the left is down Ta-roo-a. the name of the little
stream and to the right is up Fs-roola. Actors
waiting in either wing screened from the
sight of the audience by the ends of the
OF banyans.
The music is furnished by slightly wheezy
organ. clarinet and lot of hollow tree tom
toms, and TO the stirring strains of the Mar
sellaise' played by this orchestra the curtain
is rung up upon the tableau of Christ and the
Children" OF course there is curtain and
no ringing up. Christ simply strolls in from up
he oh in fr0m
Ta-roo-a. and they meet in the middle of the
stage
There are no stage settings and little is done
In the way of makeups The children are sim
ply children and Christ is simply-well, for the
last fifteen years he has been Lurau. Lurau is
the greatest pearl diver and shark fisher in all
the Marquesas There is little in his disposition
of the stage to fit him for his role He owes
the honor that has to him to his beard; It
is the only borne by native in the Mar
quesas
With his hair and beard neatly oiled and
combed and dressed in trailing white robe of
snowy muslin Lurau makes far more acceptable
Chrstus than 9ne sees in many of the South
American presentations of the play. The only
especially Earring note in his makeup is a halo
which is apparently cut from piece of shiny
biscuit tin. During the week of the play, both
on and of the stage. Lurau is quiet dgnifed and
paragon in every particular; afterward he is
Just like all the rest of his brothers and sisters.
The second scene is the Redemption OF the
Magdalena. The latter. wearing bright red
holokau wrapper, comes strolling in from
the upstream side and discovers Christ resting
on niche of the rock which forms the back
wall. Her repentance and forgiveness follow.
after which Lurau presents her with a pure
white holokau. She receives a blessing. trips
on down stream. changes holokaus behind the
trunk OF nreadfruit tree. and the curtain" fol-
lows her disappearance upstream in her trailing
robe of white
For the supper scene no endeayor is made to
reproduce tableau patterned the famous
painting OF Leonardo da Xinci. A bountiful
past of breadfruit. plantains prawns. yams and
.-oeoaDuts is spread out upon a cover OF banana
leaves and everybody sits down crosslegged and
eats for fully FIVE minutes before word is
spoken
Supper over. the remnants are gathered up
ana thrown into the convenient Ta-rools- Then
2ouoWs the washing of the feet Of the Disciples.