THE SMITH-STEEN COMBINATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9012, 18 October 1892, Page 5

THE SMITH-STEEN COMBINATION.

The opening -performance of the SmithSteen Combination, in the City Hall, last night, afforded ample proof that the claims of Professor and Madame Steen to the possession of marvellously mystifying powers are substantially founded, and gave an appreciative audience the opportunity of again enjoying Mr. Oscar Smith's clever and amusing feats of ventriloquism. There can be no doubt that the Professor and Madame are about the most expert performers in their particular line of business that this colony has seen, and possibly nothing more bewildering in the way of socalled second-sight, clairvoyance, or mindreading has previously been presented on an Auckland stage. Madam Steen reads numbers, names, dates, and describes articles which she certainly cannot see, and if there is a system of signalling between her and the Professor, it is so subtle and ingenious as positively to defy detection. The usual committee was chosen last night to occupy seats upon the stage and closely watch the proceedings, and although the six gentlemen—two of them well-known medical men —appeared to be particularly astute and alert, they were just as completely hoodwinked and astounded as those whe retained their seats in the auditorium. The first feat consisted In enabling one of the committee to enjoy a smoke from an empty clay pipe, a trick which the professor afterwards showed to be as simple an accomplishment as striking in effect. Madam Steen was then carefully blindfolded, and when a number of figures were written on a blackboard she correctly answered a number of questions concerning them. The " knight's tour" on the chess board fol lowed, a truly extraordinary feat, in which the lady, still blindfold and with her head turned away from the board, conducted the knight by means of his proper moves from a square indicated by a committeeman until he had touched on every other square and landed where he had started from. Chess players will understand how difficult and intricate this feat is, and they will fail to understand how a lady, who had not even the privilege of looking at the board, succeeded in performing it. Equally clever and even more remarkable were the exhibitions of seem ingly occult power which followed, Madame Steen reading the contents of papers enclosed in envelopes, stating beforehand which of these papers would be chosen from a number for her interpretation, and creating profound astonishment by the readiness with which she called out figures and names when indiscriminately selected from those on two black boards, adding up the figures although she saw them not, and defying all attempts to deceive or mislead her. Madame also called out the names of cards apparently taken from a pack at random, told which cards some of the committee simply thought of, described the appearance and gave the number of their watches, and gave many other surprising examples of the perfection to which the deceptive art may be bought. The Professor went among the audience and as quickly as ho touched or handled articles belonging to members thereof she described their nature, marks, etc., with perfect accuracy. It is impossible to convey an idea of the neatness and dexterity with which these feats are accomplished, and to comprehend how utterly inexplicable they appear to be renders a visit to the entertainment necessary. The Professor, on his own occount, did the famous coat and ring trick, and afterwards explained to the audience the simple secret of the whole affair, Slate-writing was also exposed, the Profossor stating that the method he adopted and illustrated was that of fraudulent pretenders to spiritualistic powers. The second and concluding part of the programme consisted of Mr. Smith's able and mirth-provoking ventriloquial display. With sumo half-dozen figures and the usual imaginary men boxed up and on the roof the performer showed himself an adept in his difficult art, while the sallies supposed to issue from the lips of his characters provoked considerable amusement. A change of programme is announced for this evening—new tricks are to be given and more old swindles exposed —and certainly the interesting nature of the entertainment entitles it to liberal public support.