ENTERTAINMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1908, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

"CARTER THE MYSTERIOUS." "The clotpr you T vatch 'the less you see," was a stray remark on tho Carter programme at tho Opera House la&t night, and it was truo enough. The people found, w ithout any manner of doubt, that the "quickness of the hand deceived tho eye." Mr. Carter proved that ho was* not only a clever magician, but a patter artist with a tongue which did not. bore. His "business" actually made the real business moTe enjoyable In his tricks and in his comments he was genuinely funny, and that is high praisa for a prestidigitateur, for his tricks aTe often vain and his remarks vainer. It was an entertainment with plenty' of variety, never dull. The audience was continuously confronted with the unex pected,,a twist or turn which thc\ hardly doemed within the artist's power, and he easily kep* the crowd'" thoroughly interested and amused. Mr Carter began ,by making materials change places by dissolving, apparently in the thin air, and solidifying in a fraction of a second. Then no made a pack of cards pcrfoim marvels, and the feats of cards were emtiUted by a magical bottle which, like the widow's crus-e, was inexhaustible, with a slight difference. Instead of oil, the bottle turned out any, dunk which the audience cared to nominate; seveial men called for whisky, and found it good. When the bottle was smashed a guinea pig was discovered inside, and in a twinkling of an eyo it was transformed into a monkey-on-a -stick or something of the "kind. With an "astral hand" reposing on a. sheet of j glass, Mr. Carter investigated the occult, and engaged the- -hand to answer quas- j tions ; it tapped on the glass in response to queries, and the business was very droll." The eutorl&iner was low ready for a "magicaJ. divorce.'' A lady sat on a suspended chair, and Mr. Carter fired a pistol. The . "wife'! vanished instan taneor.sly into nothingness. Very acceptable was .1 reproduction ol the Davenport cabinet trick ; Mr. Carter was bound to a chair, inside the cabinet, and while he was thus manacled all sorts of weird things happened. His final feat was an impersonation of a Chinese magician, Chmg Ling Foo. He was dressed like, a mandarin, and his robes seemed to fit him well Yet he produced seven bowls filled with fruit, and whisked down a. huge bowl brimming with water — a burden paid . to weigh 1161b, and it looked all that weight — and the • audience went away' wondering how it /had all been done. • Miss Abigail Price, described as a mental tolepathist, thoroughly mystified tho audience. Blindfolded she described articles- whiph Mr. 1 Carter touched while he was going around tho body of the hall;, it was very clever — a neater performance than the Howard Brothers gave. Carter or Miss Price undertook to answer questions which had been written on slips of paper, though neither her eyes nor her hands fell upon the documents. Persons all around and'throuffh the house acknowledged themselves the authors of the questions, and appeared to be satisfied with the answers. Part of the time Miss Price launched into the futuie on the orthodox lines ot the halfcrown clairvoyant, but usually restricted herself to the past and present. Altogether tho fare was bright and satisfactory. The programme will be repeated to-night.' THE ROYAL PICTURES. j The films shiy-vn at His Majesty's ! Theatre by the Royal Picture syndicate aro exceptionally good and nightly at- : tract full nouses. The result of the se- ' cond Limerick competition was declared laf.t night, as follows : — First prize : Gladys Burswell, 4 Drummond-&treet, Wellington ; fcccond prize, 1 Catherine Easton, 3, Salanianca-road, Wellington ; third prize, T. Lambert, 3, Arlingtonstreet, Wellington. Tho third' Limerick competition commenced last evening. FULLER'S ENTERTAINERS. This weed's programme at the 'Theatre Royal is one of 'tho best, arid* house is crowded nightly. Tho'ch'ief attractions are tho 'horizontal bar.performance by the Vantells, and the 'diverting knockabout acrobat turn by the Banvards, but all the items are good, and the variety is "of the best- description." '■ ' ' ."WONDERLAND." Visitors to Wonderland last evening witnessed a sensationalj, ride down the water chute by the clowns, mounted on bicycles. ' The management has announced reduced charges idv the side show.s,' specially low terms bsing made' for children.