Pacific Performances: Theatricality and Cross-Cultural Encounter in the South Seas (Studies in International Performance)

Incorporating the very latest approaches to performance studies, this new study by Christopher Balme explores the history of cross-cultural performative encounters in the Pacific from the eighteenth-century to the present. Using the concept of theatricality, it examines both the performance cultures of Pacific peoples as they negotiated the colonial situation and Western theatrical representations. The material investigated ranges from eighteenth-century pantomimes to Broadway plays and musicals; ethnographic spectacles and colonial ceremonies rub shoulders with contemporary tourist theme parks and Samoan stand-up comedy. Pacific Performances Explores The History Of Cross-cultural Performative Encounters In The Pacific From The Eighteenth Century To The Present Day. Following Two Interlocking Perspectives, The Book Examines Western Theatrical Representations Of Pacific Cultures, And Investigates How Pacific Islanders Used Their Own Cultural Performances To Negotiate The Colonial Situation. The Material Investigated Ranges From Early Travel Accounts To Contemporary Plays, From Eighteenth-century Pantomimes And Opera To Broadway Plays And Musicals; Nineteenth-century Ethnographic Spectacles And Colonial Ceremonies Rub Shoulders With Theme Parks And Avant-garde Performance. The Book Identifies A Network Of Interlocking Discourses And Practices That Link Captain Cook With Tourism, And Unite Locations As Distant As Apia And Auckland, Honolulu And London. In This Study, Christopher Balme Makes Use Of A Number Of New Research Perspectives; Historical Anthropology, Performance Studies And Iconography Studies Are Combined To Provide New Readings Of Western-pacific Histories.--jacket. Mimetic Capital And Exotic Commodities 7 -- Performance In Paradise 9 -- Fishing Grounds 12 -- The Passage 13 -- 1 Pacific Overtures: Trumpets, Beaches And Women 19 -- Trumpets And Hornpipes 20 -- Landings And Beaches 24 -- Shocking Spectacles 29 -- Venus Observ'd 36 -- Wanton Dancing 38 -- Becoming The Other 42 -- 2 Staged Authenticity: The South Seas And European Theatre, 1785-1830 47 -- Spectacles Of Emotion: Cook O Sia Gl'inglesi In Othaiti 48 -- Restaging First Encounters: La Mort Du Capitaine Cook 56 -- La Perouse And The Imaginary Pacific 61 -- A Royal Revue: Their Sandwich Majesties 67 -- 3 Comedians And Crusaders: Anti-theatrical Prejudice In The South Seas 74 -- Plato's Legacy 76 -- Arioi Te Fenua: Comedians Of The Land 79 -- Ocular Proof: Baptisms And Idols 85 -- Plays And Heroes 89 -- 4 Dressing The Hula And Taming The Haka: Performing Identity In Hawai'i And New Zealand 95 -- Performative Metonymy 96 -- Reinventing The Hula 98 -- Hula Kahiko (ancient Hula) 102 -- Iconography Of The Hula 104 -- Taming The Haka 115 -- 5 Kindred Spirits: Spectacles Of Samoa In Wilhelminian Germany 122 -- A Place In The Sun 123 -- Anthropological Anxieties 126 -- Samoan Troupes And The Politics Of The Colonial Gaze 129 -- 'impressing The Natives': Colonial Ceremony In Samoa 134 -- Tenth Anniversary Celebrations 139 -- Mixing Ceremonies 142 -- 6 Birds Of Paradise: American-pacific Dramas Of Displacement 146 -- The Bird Of Paradise 148 -- Rain 155 -- Pacific And Oriental Lines: South Pacific 164 -- 7 'as You Always Imagined It': The Pacific As Tourist Spectacle 174 -- The Polynesian Cultural Center And Tourist Performance 177 -- Staging Polynesian Culture(s) 179 -- Mimicry And Resisting The Tourist Gaze 181 -- Framing Authenticity 186 -- 8 Translocations And Transgressions: The Postcolonial Pacific 191 -- Pacific Diasporas 192 -- The Play Of Memory 194 -- Ritual Reincorporation 196 -- The Pacific Is Burning 200 -- Dystopic Paradise 213. Christopher B. Balme. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 218-250) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Series Editors' Preface......Page 12 Preface......Page 13 Introduction......Page 16 Definitions......Page 17 Mimetic capital and exotic commodities......Page 22 Performance in Paradise......Page 24 Fishing grounds......Page 27 The passage......Page 28 1 Pacific Overtures: Trumpets, Beaches and Women......Page 34 Trumpets and hornpipes......Page 35 Landings and beaches......Page 39 Shocking spectacles......Page 44 Venus observ'd......Page 51 Wanton dancing......Page 53 Becoming the other......Page 57 2 Staged Authenticity: The South Seas and European Theatre, 1785–1830......Page 62 Spectacles of emotion: Cook o sia Gl'inglesi in Othaiti......Page 63 Restaging first encounters: La Mort du Capitaine Cook......Page 71 La Perouse and the imaginary Pacific......Page 76 A royal revue: their Sandwich Majesties......Page 82 3 Comedians and Crusaders: Anti-Theatrical Prejudice in the South Seas......Page 89 Plato's legacy......Page 91 Arioi te fenua: comedians of the land......Page 94 Ocular proof: baptisms and idols......Page 100 Plays and heroes......Page 104 4 Dressing the Hula and Taming the Haka: Performing Identity in Hawai'i and New Zealand......Page 110 Performative metonymy......Page 111 Reinventing the hula......Page 113 Hula kahiko (ancient hula)......Page 117 Iconography of the hula......Page 119 Taming the haka......Page 130 5 Kindred Spirits: Spectacles of Samoa in Wilhelminian Germany......Page 137 A place in the sun......Page 138 Anthropological anxieties......Page 141 Samoan troupes and the politics of the colonial gaze......Page 144 'Impressing the natives': colonial ceremony in Samoa......Page 149 Tenth anniversary celebrations......Page 154 Mixing ceremonies......Page 157 6 Birds of Paradise: American-Pacific Dramas of Displacement......Page 161 The Bird of Paradise......Page 163 Rain......Page 170 Pacific and Oriental lines: South Pacific......Page 179 7 'As You Always Imagined It': The Pacific as Tourist Spectacle......Page 189 The Polynesian Cultural Center and tourist performance......Page 192 Staging Polynesian culture(s)......Page 194 Mimicry and resisting the tourist gaze......Page 196 Framing authenticity......Page 201 8 Translocations and Transgressions: The Postcolonial Pacific......Page 206 Pacific diasporas......Page 207 The play of memory......Page 209 Ritual reincorporation......Page 211 The Pacific is burning......Page 215 Dystopic paradise......Page 228 Notes......Page 233 Selected Bibliography......Page 260 Index......Page 266 Pacific Performances explores the history of cross-cultural performative encounters in the Pacific from the eighteenth century to the present day. Following two interlocking perspectives, the book examines Western theatrical representations of Pacific cultures, and investigates how Pacific Islanders used their own cultural performances to negotiate the colonial situation. The material investigated ranges from early travel accounts to contemporary plays, from eighteenth-century pantomimes and opera to Broadway plays and musicals; nineteenth-century ethnographic spectacles and colonial ceremonies rub shoulders with theme parks and avant-garde performance. The book identifies a network of interlocking discourses and practices that link Captain Cook with tourism, and unite locations as distant as Apia and Auckland, Honolulu and London. In this fascinating study, Balme makes use of a number of new research perspectives: historical anthropology, performance studies and iconography studies are combined to provide exciting new readings of Western-Pacific histories This new study explores the history of cross-cultural performative encounters in the Pacific from the Eighteenth century to the present. It examines Western theatrical representations of Pacific cultures and investigates how Pacific Islanders used their own cultural performances to negotiate the colonial situation.