Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-11-27

the Catholic missionaries to win converts from
the Professionals, who had preceded them In the
field by several years. and at its initial preser-
tat1on all the roles were taken by French mis-
sionaries gathered from all parts of the Society
group and brought to the Marquesas 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 the
leading parts came to be taken by the natives
the missionaries contenttng themselves with
such positions as stage manager. musical direc-
tor and the like.
The Passion Play is presented today in the
same place where the first performance
staged, sort of natural amphitheatre in the
native village Of Hiya-oa The mission build
ings, low, rambling structures of coral blocks and
galvanized iron, flank two sides Of pentagonal
enclosure The other sides are shut in by close
set rows of banyans of such size that their roots
and downreaching branches mingle to form al
most solid wooden terraces upon which hun
dreds of spectators may find seats without
crowding.
The stage is a hard packed piece of ground
slopng gently down to a crystal clear stream
which meanders past, sparkling in the sunbeams
like row of footlights, the position of which 1t
approximately occupies Behind the stage is
creeper covered wall Of rock with face so
sheer that the direction exit rear" must neces-
sary be eliminated from all performances. To
the left is down Ta-roo-la. the of the little
stream, and to the right is up Ta-roOla. Actors
waiting in either wing are screened from the
sight of the audience by the ends Of the rows
of banyans
The music is furnished by a slightly wheezy
organ, clarinet and lot of hollow tree tom
toms. and to the stirring strains of the Mar
seillaise" 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 M. Christ simply strols in from up
Ta-rooIa and the children troop in from down
tn md NEE in he mdd1a n he
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-wen, 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
off the stage to fit him for his role. He
the honor that has come to him to his beard; it
is the only borne by a native in the Mar
Quesas.
With his hair and beard neatly oiled and
combed and dressed in a trailing white robe of
snowy muslin LuTau makes far more acceptable
Christus than one sees in many of the South
American presentations Of the play. The only
especially Earring note in his makeup is halo,
which is apparently cut from piece of shiny
biscuit tin. During the week of the play both
on and off the stage Lurau is quiet, dignifed and
a 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
MagdaIena." The latter. wearing a bright red
Folokau or wrapper. comes strolling in from
the upstream side and discovers Christ resting
on a niche of the rock which forms the back
wall. Her repentance and forgiveness follow.
after which Lurau presents her with a pure
white holekau. She receives a blessing, trips
of down stream, changes holokaus behind the
trunk of breadfruit tree. and the curtain" fol-
lows her disappearance upstream in her trailing
robe of white.
For the supper scene no endeavor is made to
Cd he
painting of Leonardo da VinCi bountiful
past OF breadfruit, plantains, prawns, yams and
cocoanuts is spread out upon cover of banana
leaves and everybody sits down crossegged and
eats for fully five minutes before word is
spoken.
Supper over the remnants are gathered up
and thrown into the convenient Ta-roo-la. Then
follows the washing of the feet OF the Disciples