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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 130, 5 June 1869, Page 2

Charles Edward. — The steamer Charles Edward, from Nelson, via West CojiSi, arrived at Sydney on the 3Oih uliimo. Dramatic and Musical Entertainment — In compliance with au iavitatiou received from Mr. George Cotterell we, in company with a few other gentlemen, attended at the Provincial Hall last uight for the purpose of witnessing an euterlninraeut which Mr. Cotterell proposes, on Tuesday evening next to give before the Nelson public. We confess that it was not without serious miss iv ings as to the ability of one individual, aud he a complete novice, to amuse au audience for a couple of hours, that we entered the hall, aud these misgivings were by no meaos lessened wheu we found that the entertainer was to be put to the further test of giving his perfounauce without the assistance of any stage appliances whatever. Gradually, however, these fears faded away as we witnessed the numerous and varied personations of character, aud the surprising manner in which the performer managed to represent a host of iudividuals by means of the transitions of his voice and countenance. Mr. Cotterell possesses a really wonderful power of altering his facial expression, aud iu order to introduce this portion, of his entertainment he had conceived the clever idea of sustaining the double port of mesmerist and subject. His appearance in the first of these characters gave rise to a perfect storm of laughter and applause, as we at onco seemed to have before us the accomplished electro-biologist who by a word or a look places his subjects entirely under his control. There was something almost uncanny in the manner in which Mr. Cotterell, the subject, completely lost his owu individuality under the influeuce of Mr. Cotterell the operator, and the rapid manuer iu which he was transformed iuto the decrepit old man ; from that, iuto the portly landlord; again into the gibbering idiot, and so on, through a host of change?, was as wonderful as it was laughable. We do not purpose now to criticise the performance; we by no means prouounce it faultless, but we may say that whilst Mr. CotterelPs talent surprised, his drollery convulsed, his audience, aud we can assure our readers that the comic reality of the whole thing was a rich specimen of origiuality and cleverness which no description can do justice to, but that to be duly appreciated it must be heard and seeu.