CARTER THE GREAT

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 37, 8 November 1920, Page 5

CARTER THE GREAT

A SKILFI7L ILLUSIONIST.

Darter tho Great, an illusionist and .preßlidigitatcur of international reputation, commenced a season before a crowded Opera House on Saturday evening, and succeeded,'by the smooth facility of hia art, and a- particularly ingratiating perlonality, to satisfactorily mystify aud.en•tertain overyone for a couple of hours. Ourter ie no strauger to Wellington. Ko waß hero Borne eleven years ago, and, as is the manner of most, stage magicians, he has conservative ideas as to the making of innovations in his programme. Still, aa it pleases inordinately wherover ho goes, there in no commercial reason why he should "ring the changes." Carter ia a master-hand in deception. His tricks are mostly mechanical, and rarely does ho attempt anything in tho way of skight-of-haud. Somo old familiar friends may be recoguißed, if not elucidated, in the turning of water Into ink and vice versa; in the transformation of goblets' of confetti into' sugar, milk Into steaming hot coflee; and in the mystifying passing of one form of matter into

another as in the orange and block triek. Once moie, too, wo are permitted td gaze upon the puzzling ''ABtral Hand." Thiß ia merely a. piece of wood carved in tho likeness and mould of a lady's hand, which when placed upon a square of Plato glasa (which rests simply-on tho backs of two chairs) will by taps answer any questions asked, whilst Carter stands smiling half-a-dozen yards away. How the hand Is "worked"—for Carter makes no claim to any partnership Vrtth tho ■ spiritual—will cause keen discussion among all who witness this unique and clever triok. Then the genial Carter, who radiates an atmosphere of simmering mirth, borrowed four rings from members of the audience, and, with somo , nlever hy-pluy with two lads selected from tho audience, apparently smashes them with a hammer. Tho "mangled remains" are then studed into a prehistoric pistol, and fired at a box which has been suspended from a tripod outside the curtain the whole evening. Presto, pass! The boxes aro opened—a nest of them— and in the smallest are found three of the four rinss, tied daintily to pretty little bouquets of spring roses. As to tho fourth, Garter giving a nervous lady in front assurance that it would be found in

time, proceeds to treat tho audience to whatever kind of drink they prefer from a. magic bottle, which has the properties of the Biblioal widow's cruse of oil. Having satisfied the clamourous thirst of the stallites, he returns to the stage, cracks open the bottle, to find within a tiny little guinea pie;, alive aud squeaking, and round its neck, tied with a.ribbon of daiuty blue, is the misßing ring. The trick is by no means a new one, but Carter "produces''' it delightfully. Our of the most puzzling illusions presented was entitled "The Mystery of Bagdad," when a bright blonde beauty is placed in a chair amidst a lot of alleged machinery, and at the word she disappears from eight, and on a large trunk being lowered from tho dome of the theatre (where it. has been suspended the wliolo evening) the lady is found therein, flow does she get there? One can only answer— ask Carter I The ages-old but ever-new cabinet trick, invented b.y the Davenport Brothers, in mid-Victorian times, was reproduced with the same mystifying result us over. Carter consents to allow himself to bo bound Bauds and feet .to a chair in the cabinet, yet immediately tho doors are closed bells are rung, tambourines played, and the whole outfit clangs with mystic noise. The doors are fluug suddenly open, but there is Carter bound as fast as ever an ingenious committee could devise. All other phases of tho cabinet trick were done with smoothness. As a Chinese mugician Carter produced the huge bowl of wator 'a la Cbuug Ling Soo) from beneath a waving shawl—where it materialised from, who can say? A most entertaining .innovation was the performance of Miss Evelyn Maxwell, who is billed us a psychic marvel, and certainly has claims to be considered a mystifying little lady. Carter blindfolds his partner on tbe stage, and, leaving her there, moves amongst the audioncc. She describes anything and everything that those present care to hand to him, and does it with amazing accuracy and speed. Lastly came tbe big illusion, in which tv full-grown lion ploys a' part. A Shah wishes to marry ;i beautiful girl, but sho will not listen to his suit, being in lovo' with a- gnllant young prince In his wrath the Shah, after the girl lias dazzled his senses in a dunce and is still dumb to his appeal, resolves to throw her to tho lions, and there the brute stalks, roaring and scraping in the full glow of tho stage lights. The prince, hearing of the lady's dilemma, hastens to the palace, and, posing, ns a priest, saves tho girl at tho psychological moment by diverting the lion's attention. There 1b a flash of lire, and the girl and lion appear to bo in the" cage together—then tho lights go up, the lion disappears with a rtmr, and Carter, as a bogus lion, appears behind the bars, only to step out of the cage, as the real lion makes its appearance again. The illusion is a geuuino thriller. A capital little orchestra, under Miss HelTlo Black, plays a nico selection of music throughout the evening