“CARTER THE GREAT”

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 177, 21 April 1924, Page 11

“CARTER THE GREAT”

MAN OF MAGIC AND MYSTERY

“Carter the Great” probably stands pre-eminent to-day amongst the world’s magicians and illusionists, and a crowded audience assembled at the Grand Opera House on Saturday afternoon to welcome his reappearance in Wellington aftor an absence of some three and a half years. For upwards of three hours the master magician baffled, mystified, amused, and thrilled his audience with marvelous feats which defied the laws of gravitation and salience. Most magicians have one or two big turns on their programme, but ' Carter the Great” proceeds from one climax to another until his audience is literally gasping jn amazement. It would bo impossible to describe all his works of magic. As a ’sleight of hand artist he has no peer. On Saturday night he marie articles, aye, and even human bodies, disappear and reappear at will. A turn which met with universal fatout was the “Incxhaustib.e from which the magician can produce any kind of liquid refreshment asked for, from a glass of amber ale to sparkling champagne. He came down amongst the audience for this act, and did quite a brisk business for a time and each person received exactly what he had asked for from tho magic bottle. Back on the stage once more, tho magician broke tho bottle with a hammer, and out popped a very-much-alivo gumea-pig, which in a trice, was transformedjnto a beauriful bouquet of roses lhe Birth of tho Rose” was another act which was greatly admired._ In this, Carter reproduces tho magic at tno East in the growing of the mangrove tree. A few seeds dropped into flowerpots containing nothing but sand, .are transformed in a. few moments into beautiful ra°e bushes, and the blooms are distributed amongst tho audience. The most bewildering act of the evening, however, was “Tho Astral Body, in which the magician hypnotises a young laity and suspends her body in mid-air in full view of tho audience Eve.yn Maxwell, "the psyehic marvel, astounded all present by her remarkable powers as a thought-reader. She was bombarded with questions from all parts of the house, and, blindfolded upon the stage, answered each and every question edrrectlv without a moment s hesitation. Tho ‘first question put was the burning one • “Will the railwaymen go out on strike ” and to this the psychic rndy promptly answered “No," a reply, which evoked loud applause. Another illusion which made the audience gasp was “Sawing a Woman in Half. In this spectacular act, two ladies from the audience held the hands and feet of the devoted maiden operated upon, whose body was contained in a casket slightly shorter than her body. A huge crosscut saw was used te effect, and the flasket was cut clean through nght down to tho stage floor. The two separate halves of the casket were then wheeled apart, one apparently containing the heed and trunk of the victim and the other tho lower extremities. Tho casket wns next joined together again, and •upon being unlocked out popped the maiden none the worse tor her experience. It remained for the concluding act, "The Lion’s Bride,, to put the seal upon a night of baffling mystery. This is .a thrilling playlet, in which a bcaufrful Eastern ’ dancer is thrown into a lion’s den for refusing to marry a maharajah. There was no illusion about the lion. He was a real Nubian, and paced up .and down m his strong cage in full view of all present. Many people rose in their seats as the maiden was hiir.ecl through the door of the cage to the . very paws ol the lion. Then came a blinding flash of light, and hey presto, m place ot the lion, “Carter the Great” appeared in tho cage. It was the most thrilling and spectacular illusion ever seen upon local boards. Carter is a finished, showman All his work is clean and sprightly, ana ho is possessed of the saving grace of humour, which keeps the audience c.ose]v interested and entertained at the same time. ■ A capable the direction of Miss Louise dAllarton enlivened tho waits with incidental music of a most acceptable kind. Garter lhe Great” will appear for the remainder of the week, with special matinee performances on Wednesday and ’Saturday.