ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13081, 22 January 1906, Page 6

ENTERTAINMENTS.

CZERNY AT THE OPERA HOUSE. The curtain rose at the Opera House on Saturday evening upon one of the most lavish scenes witnessed by an audience in that building for a very long time. In the background appeared a splendid painting of that emblem of strange, silent Egypt, the Sphynx, backed by the dim outlines of the hoary pyramid?, to the right and left were columns marked all over with Egyptian he-iroglyphies and all tinted with the red of a desert sunset, and in the centre of the stage appeared one representing an Egyptian attendant and attired in many colours. The impassive servitor struck a gong, and ere the echo of the silver note hud died away the lights flared up and Czerny, the mystic magician, whose fame had preceded him, and whom the large audience had attended to see, came forward in evening dress to bow his acknowledgements of the rounds of applause. Borrowing a handkerchief from a demure little maiden in the front row, he proceeded to tear what appeared to be the article he had received into many strips. Requisitioning the services of a small boy, he bade the youngster hold the ruins of the handkerchief, and presently took them away again in the form of a long strip, which was placed in the muzzle of a blunderbus, and the magic weapon was fired at a black box hanging above the proscenium. The box obediently opened out and released a coloured parachute, which conveyed a tiny casket down to the conjurer, who produced the unharmed handkerchief from the casket. Having thus commenced, Czerny proceeded to perform various and wonderful feats, always leaving his audience more puzzled than ever, and all the time he kept up a running tire of remarks, explanations, etc., which alone were humorous enough to delight his audience. In some mysterious manner finding sugar, milk, and hot' coffee in goblets that the spectator would have sworn contained paper shavings a minute before, Czerny served several in the front rows with cups of coffee. Before the applause had subsided some chirping canaries were lodged in a small cage, covered over, the usual shot fired, and then the crowd saw the canaries smoothing their ruffled plumage in a large cage hanging suspended in the middle of the stage. Following this there were several new card tricks, and then a skull, dignified by the name of Col Gol, and alleged to have had life somewhere about the beginning of time, mysteriously appeared in several places, finally resting on a swinging bar in a cabinet, from which it proceeded to act- as an oracle. Copies of dictionaries were handed round amongst the audience, a paper knife was inserted haphazard in one, odd or even numbered page was selected by the tossing of a coin, the number of the word by the selection of a numbered counter by a girl in the audience. The soothsayer, Gol Gol, as the alphabet was spelled out, indicated the letters of the word, and, of course, he was right, and the spectators still wonder " howit was done." A pretty tableau in the form of the appearance of a young girl, attired to represent Spring, from a cabinet everyone believed to be empty, concluded the first part. The second part was opened by Miss M. Topping with the song. The Shade of the Old Apple Tree," which was illustrated by a number of beautiful lantern views. The item was encored and portion of it repeated. A number of animated kinematograph scenes were then shown, the humorous ones especially meeting with approval, and Czerny concluded that part with a revival of an old favourite illusion, the suspension in mid-air of a young girl. The third part was commenced by a pretty dance by the Misses Topping and Synnott, attired as Japanese girls. In the presence of two members of the audience one dainty little lady was enveloped in a long red sack, which was tied around her neck and the knots sealed, and she was then deposited in a huge trunk and securely roped down, while Czerny entertained the audience with a quaint .Japanese story. The other Geisha and the trunk were concealed in a cabinet, and a moment later the pretty face of the one who had been sealed up and safelylodged in the trunk appeared between the curtains, and the box, still roped, was dragged forth to disclose, when opened, the other lady in the bag, with the seals intact. A local physician, Dr. Lowe, being selected by the audience for one of the experiments, he, at the request of Czerny, wrote a name on a sheet of paper and enclosed it in a sealed envelope. This Czerny placed in the muzzle of his magic gun and fired at a machine on the stage, and the machine duly produced a slate bearing the word "Chamberlain," which had been written by Dr. Lowe on the paper. One of the prettiest sections of the entertainment was the production from various mysterious sources of three ladies' rings—which had apparently boon dropped into a Ynysterious omelette— attached to bouquets of flowers. These and other clever and mysterious illusions and tricks made up an altogether enjoyable •entertainment. Most of the items weic new to an Auckland audience, and the dialogue with which Czerny accompanies his performances was enjoyable throughout. The orchestra, linger :b" baton of Mr. J. DorTan, contributed c number of excellent selections, some pretty music accompanying the chief items. Czerny will appear at the Opera House again this evening.

BROUGH-FLBMMING COMPANY, The Auckland season of the Brough-Flem-ming Company was brought to a successful conclusion on Saturday evening, when "Sowing the Wind" was staged. Mrs. Brough as Rosamond acted well in the part of the child of misfortune and the disappointed lover. Mr. Brough as the. widower had a character that suited him, and the rest of the company ably supported the principal?. KNIGHT-JEFFRIES SEASON. "The Darling of the Gods." the Japanese play which is to constitute the opening attraction of the farewell season to be inaugurated by Miss Maud Jeffries and Mr. Julius Knight at His Majesty's Theatre on Monday evening next, is said to mark an entirely new departure in the work of modern playwrights. It is original in its conception, story, and treatment, and has been briefly described as "an heroic epic poem in honour of the desperate bravery of a. small body of men. illustrated in parts by most beautifully and poetically expressed stage pictures." As. an epitome of the. quaint and highly interesting customs and manners of the Japanese, both domestic and religious, prior to the Westernising of the nation (which set in some years after the. date of the action of the play), it is said to be a remarkable study and fascinating to a degree. "The Darling of the Gods" in its stage setting has been described as a wonderful embodiment and application of modern stagecraft to the delineation and expression of the various phase's of human happiness and sorrow. A limited number of nights only will bo devoted to this play, in which Miss Jeffries appears as Yo-San, Princess of Tosan, and Mr. Knight as Zakkuri, a Minister of State. The plans will open at Messrs. Wildman and Arey's on Thursday morning.