THEATRE ROYAL.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1666, 23 June 1879, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL.

PBOTEB3O3 AND CLABA BALDWIN. These clover performers made their first appearance before a Christchurch audience on Saturday evening when, considering the weather, there was a very good attendance. Mention has already been made of Professor Baldwin at tho private seance , but in his public performances of course there is a difference, inasmuch as in the latter ho has to obtain tho attention of a number, and to keep them amused well as astonished by tho cleverness of his performance. To effect this Professor Baldwin “ speaks a piece ” at short intervals; indeed it may bo said that the intervals are exceedingly short, as he is almost continually talking all the time ho is on the stage. His remarks are shrewdly adapted to the temper of the audience and contain a spice of that quaint, caustic, yet withal mirth provoking character which is so peculiarly American. Having thus as it were placed himself on good terms with his audience, a committee was selected, and the programme was commenced. The first two or three minutes were taken up with the performance of two very simple chemical tricks, one _ the ignition of a sheet of paper by waving it in the air, and the other the coloring of water and returning it to its original state. Then Mrs Baldwin was introduced, a lady who during the performance played no inconsiderable part. Professor Baldwin and his “ band” as he termed him, viz , tho pianist, were then enclosed in tho cabinet, after having been securely as they thought—tied by the members of the committee. Tho doors being closed the usual tambourine beating, bell ringing, & 3 ., took place, and at the end Professor Baldwin announced that ho would on some other evening do this part of the performance with tie doors open and in full light. It was cleverly done, and Professor Baldwin will, no doubt, bo eagerly listened to when ho explains it. Tho next item was one of tho cleverest, except the clairvoyant ecaoco of Mrs Baldwin, done during the evening. Detective Benjamin came on the stage, and produced a very business looking pair of hand cuffs, which he proceeded to fasten on to Professor Baldwin’s hands. Into the cabinet with him tho Professor took a common Windsor chair and a water jug. In a few momenta after the doors were shut tho Professor showed at the top of the cabinet what appeared to bo his hands still locked together. As the audience looked tho chain connecting tho handcuffs seemed to melt away, and the hands appeared in different parts of the cabinet, as if widely extended. Presently Professor Baldwin stepped out of tho cabinet free, with the water jug in charge of the Windsor chair, evidently on a charge of “drunk and disorderly,” for it was fast handcuffed to it. After a very clever (rick by Mrs Baldwin, in which she frees herself from a kind of pillory without breaking the seal of tho lock which secures it, tho first part of the performance terminated.

The second commenced with the most weird of all the items on the programme—viz., Mrs Baldwin’s clairvoyance. On the curtain rising the lady was discovered in a mesmeric sleep. Papers on which to write questions had been previously distributed amongst the audience, and they were requested to place them in their pocket after writing them. Mrs Baldwin then proceeded to answer with marvellous accuracy a number of questions on various subjects, the correctness of which was affirmed by the persons writing them handing them up after Mrs Baldwin had given both question and answer. Some very peculiar predictions were, as might be expected, made. Perhaps the most startling, from its fidelity and truth, was a description by Mrs Baldwin of the murder by Cedeno of Margaret Burke. This was all described most vividly, even to the persons of those who attempted to prevent the murder. The Katie King mystery, together with the appearance of a number of faces easily seen by the audience, terminated a very good entertainment. The professor appears this evening, and during his slay will introduce a number of novelties.