Entertainments

Levin Daily Chronicle, 7 June 1917, Page 3

Entertainments

DRIVER AT LEVIN TOWN HALL. A CLEVER ENTERTAINER. It is no exaggeration to say that as a conjuror and sleight of hand expert and entertainer, (Driver ranKs with the 'best. He conies out of Wellington, New Zealand—which is his profesional misfortune w-lile lie remains in his own country; it. is an axiom that the man from abroad always aneets a more leniently inclined audience than the local man does. None the less, (Driver has "made good" in iNew Zealand and abroad for many years pastt. 'He retired from professional life some years ago, but the glare of the footlights again has caught him. It is an improved artist that we see to-day—not; one j deteriorated' by ' professional desuej tude; his legerdemain is swifter and more deceJivling than of yore; his ladmittedly'-fiakod spirit manifestations as astounding; his "patter" as joyously cheerful and amusing as ever These are his chief lights to generous" support on the part of the public. And he gets them. Last night the Town -Hall, Levin, was crowded to its ■utmost capacity, and the entertainer found his audience- as- appreciative .as it was large. His reproduction of. the Davenport Brothers "Cabinet Mystery" was quite up to the standardl set by the original performers, and his "spirit paintings, table turning and various other manifestations of his ability to -utilise occult forces all were of an astounding naiture. Mr. Driver devoted a considerable part .of his three hours' display to an attack on various spiritualist leaders, and especially he dealt with a griev ance ibetween himself and the editor of the Message of Life concerning a matter of professional fairness in regard to reports concerning Mr 'Driver. The dispute scarcely came under the head of Entertainment, butt the statements and contentions made frequently elicited applause and other signs of approval, though the audience here and there showed dissent on two occasions—whether from the assertions or the length of them wo do not attempt to say. That aspect of the -entertainment, howeiver, is not a permanent one, we are told, and at next Saturday evening's entertainment in Levin Town Hall the proceedings are to be quite impersonal. Details of the program are set out by advertisement to-day. -pn - "Ti"^ r rr!TjsTrj~'".T"sj"!^'if; —