HORACE GOLDIN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2864, 31 August 1916, Page 7

HORACE GOLDIN

STAGE MAGIC EXTRAORDINARY Wellington' was introduced last ovening at the Grand Opera House to a notable performer in the domain of stage magic in Horace Goldiu, a Russian conjurer and illusionist, who comes to New Zeaiand with a fine reputation, which he had ho difficulty in sustaining'. 'The visitor resembles no other exponent of the "black art" that can be recalled. Whilst ho is unostentatious in manner, he works with iiglitning rapidity, leaving one agape' with wonder as he does trick after trick with bewildering swiftness and certainty. - He first introduces a revue of-conjuring of tho last 300 years, impersonating in complete costumo and make-up notable conjurers, who have worked their .wonders and gone their way. To begin with, his changes' of costumo and make-up were so rapidly performed that it seemed that Goldin had only time to walk off as one personality and walk on as another, and 'tween times ho produced guinea pigs from empty vessels, a llaming bowl from under. a flowing shawl, rivalled the spring in the manner he produced flowers out of space, etc. As himself, lie worked tho audience into a high pitch of excitement by a veritable whirl of tricks, in which he was assited bv a retimifl of assistants, male aud female, who had all their work cut out to keep paco with tho master-hand. Hot coffee, and milk were produced from an empty silver bowl; a simple frame of paper was suspended momentarily on a stund, and instantly through tho torn centro appeared tho scarlet woman, materialised from goodness knows where; a huge bowl was shown quite empty, and in a flash the stouk-in-trado of iv moderate-sijied poultry farm was clacking round the stage. One of tho most mystifying feats in tho artist's repertoire "was his. fishing feat. Armed . with a rod. and bait-bag, the illusionist dangles tho bait, under the very noses of the front'row'of patrons in the stalls, and after a cast or - two* a tiny gold-fish is seen wriggling at the 'end of tho line, which is promptly transferred to .a bowl, whero it flashes merrily round in its native element. The catch was quite a respectable one by the time the excursion was . over, and the public was as wise as over at the end as at tho beginning as to whero tlio • goldfell came from. A very attractive illusion is that whero a young lady strolls through 'a sheet of plate-glass, half an inch thick. The glass is held in a frame on a stand and the lady stands behind it. Two small' sentry-box arrangements are placed behind and before tho glass, leaving a margin of the glass visible on either side, whilst everyone can see all round --tho whole concern. Then, in a flash, the front box is removed and the lady is discovered in lront of tho glass. This mystery was made all the moro puzzling by tho presence ou tho stage of a committeo of well-known people, who' naturally will retain the secret—if they discovered it. then with a small bag and an egg, Goldin, with his coat oft and sleeves rolled up, defied, the members of tho committeo to detect how ho manipulated that magic egg. lie even placed the e<"g in the .ompty bag whilst, one of tho committee held his wrists. It jvas all very perplexing, and bewildering. As a jfiand finale, Goldin presented "Tho Tiger God," a Moorish mystery, in which tho elements of the bioscope, the drama, and the illusionist were cleverly intermingled. The picture prelude shows ™dm in the market-place of Fez, where buforo tho Sultan's ctjucrry lio performs a trick in which a beautiful girl is concerned. Whilst his : attention, is distracted, tho girl is abducted, and taken to the Sultan, who becomes enamoured of her, but tho lady, proving treacherous, the Sultan decides to oifer her as a sacrifice to the Tiger God, represented by a magnificent beast enthroned in its cage-oil the altar. But ho reckoned without Goldin, who appears at the opportuno moment, and after "vanishing" tho lady, springs into the,tiger's cage, and, as a puff of steam which rises before tho bars dissolves, it is wen that tho big tiger has also "vanished into empty air,' to tho utter consternation of the Sultan and his paralysed Court. Mr. Goldin is supported by a capital vaudevillo company, tho members o£ which are bound to become popular. An absolute hit was made by Mennctti and Sidelli, two astonishingly clever and daring knockabout comedians and acrobats, Tho clown of tho duo is screamingly funny. Ho appears to bo risking his back and neck tho wholo time. Finally this performer, who is a born comedian, mounts on six tables, piled one on top of the other, and there fools about with ' a comic carelessness which characterises his movements on tho stage. Finally he sits ou tho back of a chai,r, and rocks the wholo llimsy structure until he falls from his dizzy perch quite unharmed. His more sedato partner specialises in standing somersaults and whirling Hip-flaps, lliss Barbara Babington, a charming serio, made friends with tho audience in her song, "Kitty," and was even moro successful in the'tuneful lilt, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" (sung with a tiger-roar obbligatoV and the Irish ballad, "Mother Maqhree." All artist of distinct originality far retroved from anything yet seen hero in vaudeville is Marie Scott King, who us a A'ii-ginian. rustic cracks audacious jokes and sings the 'cutest songs in a quaint, quiet fashion that was richly humorous. Misses llay and Crawford, billed as "the simultaneous stepping sisters," showed something approaching perfection in dual dancing, and the double clog dance that concluded their turn was delightful to see. Gosward, an eccentric musical clown, whoso comedy lies in his absurdities, raised hearty laughter, and Bill Pniitt, the "cowboy Caruso," exhibited a virilfc tenor voietv and a surprising gift for falsetto vocalising in a number of ballads. Tho company will appear at tho G' Opera House for the next week, aud also at a matinco on Saturday afternoon.