ST. JAMES THEATRE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 782, 1 October 1929, Page 15

ST. JAMES THEATRE

NICOLA THE GREAT STILL MYSTIFIES Nicola, the magician and illusionist, continues to mystify the audiences nightly at St. James Theatre. Another large audience was present last evening and was thrilled with his bewildering display of illusions, transformations and scientific problems which were presented. Although it is some years since Nicola was last seen in Auckland, yet his old tricks are as new while his latest ones are past reasoning. His impersonations of the world’s greatest conjurers almost made one- think they saw them in reality. It is impossible to say which of his tricks is the greatest. The goalbreaking mystery in which he uses an invisible cloak had the audience spellbound. Even when he explained the principle, it was too much to follow the swift movement of his assistant. Sleight of hand card tricks, card manipulations, woman floating in the air, the living pin cushion act are all worth seeing. The man without a middle or seeing through a woman was very mystifying, while his changing in front of the audience had all guessing as he passed from corner to corner without anyone seeing him. ■ Shadows by Ibex, the Shadowgraph King, were exceptionally good and as a finale, Nicola, walking away from his own shadow was beyond all scientific reasoning. Nicola’s assistants all took their parts very well and helped to make a very interesting and enjoyable evening’s entertainment.