Heller's Company

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 3141, 13 February 1900, Page 5

Heller's Company

The members of Heller's White Mahatma Company gave a performance in St. George's Hall on Friday evening. The attendance was good. The entertainment opened with a number of slight-of-hand tricks by Mr Heller, which were both most intricate and amusing, and were performed in an unusually clever manner. Mr Heller indeed Beemed to be quite at home in drawing money out of the air, his, legs, and even his ears; while the turning of eggs into full grown pigeons was just aB easily accomplished. Now-a-days slight-of-hand tricks require to be particularly good and up-to-date to find favor with an audience, but no trace of " ageduess" could be detected in Mr Heller's trioks, each and every one of them being performed most cleverly. A number of animated pictures were shown by aid of the Lumerie Biograph. Some of the views thrown on the screen were quite a treat, there being a complete absence of that objectionable flicker which nearly always, to a more or less extent, accompanies kinematographic shows. Mr Carlysle's singing oi "Bally Round the Flag " was greatly appreciated by the audience, who accorded him a moat enthusiastic encore. Miss Vera Havelock, in her Sun Dance was no less successful, this part of the entertainment being most favorably commented on by the audience. A short sketch by Mr Carlysle and Misß ; Havelock also proved very amusing, after which Madame Heller appeared before the audience in a seemingly hypnotised or mesmerised state, but which Mr Heller assured the audience was neither mesmerism nor hypnotism, but JKellerisnt. The exhibition was much the same as that given when the company last appeared here. The audience were requested to write questions on slips of paper, which were afterwards collected, and a selection was made from the number. These were again distributed to the audience, and Madame Heller commenced to " enlighten " the anxious enquirers as to the questions written, The war came in for a good deal of notice, a number of persons asking when it was going to cease, who would win, and other questions relating to the relief of Ladysmith &o. Madame Heller said that the wax would end in May, and that the British would be victorious. She also said that Bullet would reach Lidvsmith, in abqut two weeks. Qf personal questions, there were numbers. One person asked when hw old woman would " peg out." This querist must have been rather taken aback when told that his better half would s live for a long time yet and that he himself would be the first to "peg out." On the whole the performance was most interesting and amusing, and Mr Heller, judging by the frequent applause of the audience, triusi have been convinced that his entertainment was thoroughly appreciated.