HELLER'S ENTERTAINMENT.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 4079, 28 February 1894, Page 3

HELLER'S ENTERTAINMENT.

"Heller's Eosicrucian Somnomists and Bonanza, Coterie," opened in the Town Hall, Lawrence, on Monday evening to a crowded audience, and, true to the descriptive and flattering notices that heralded their advent here, they succeeded not only in thoroughly amusing but also in thoroughly mystifying their audience. It must be said those companies that come within even measurable distance of the accomplishments warranted by their professional credentials are the exception rather than the rule ; but it may fairly be said of the Hellers that they promise nothing that they do not make a very creditable attempt at performing. This, judging by the outward and visible evidences manifested by the audience on Monday evening, was the impression they succeeded in making. The entertainment from the outset may be said, in, popular phraseology, to have pleasantly " caught on," and to have remained so to the end. The programme was opened by Mr Percy Abbot with a cleverly-played overture, and later on he contributed a number of songs in the most approved style. The first of Mr Heller's contributions consisted of extracting a new-laid egg from some part of the anatomy of a gentleman in the audience, and with this and a couple of handkerchiefs he took some very daring liberties with the credulity of the audience. The egg he placed in a covered glass and by an admirable piece of sleight-of-hand caused it to disappear, substituting for it a small coloured handkerchief which he had in his possession. An amusing performance was gone through with the handkerchief, which, after being apparently dwarfed to almost invisible proportions.suddenly assumed its original dimensions, and was then put , through a number of other bewildering and most inexplicable forms. Mr Heller's manipulation Of a number of sm'alj hoops, which lj e first submitted to the critical exaininatjqri of the audience, was exceedingly clever, all the more sq because it was gone through, in full view of the audience. The cabinet seance, after the style of the Davenport Bros., may be reckoned amongst the c}evere6t performances pf the 'evening, and W&s carried out and attended with so many extremely amusing incidents as to keep the audienoejn an almost continual state of laughter. Mr Heller demonstrated his wonderful versatility by singing a couple of qomio songs in a style that fairly captivated the audience. The " Rosicrucian Somnomanoy," which may be described as the sensational performance of the evening, was preceded by the distribution of a number of slips of paper through the hall, on which the audience were requested to write questions on a variety of subjects, private and personal to themselves, or of a

public nature. These papers when written on were collected and then re-distributed indiscriminately, so that members of the audience get the unsigned questions written by others. A blackboard was then placed on the stage, before which Madame Heller, who was understood to have been thrown into a mesmeric trance, stood and interpreted the thoughts of the audience by writing down certain of the written questions asked, giving the answers to them and, in some instances, actually furnishing the name and occupation of the questioner. In all this, while there were some features of the performance that admitted of explanation there were others that could not be explained on any reasonably presentable theory. For instance, a person of any experience of public audiences or knowledge of the drift of public thought would expect that the name of General Gordon or Gladstone would form the subject of interrogation of some mind present; but it was not so clear that the local man of purely domestic tastes who was concerned chiefly about the mysterious disappearance of " his tub " was present. Yet not only was satisfactory information on this domestic problem forthcoming, butthe name and occupation of the loser was also vouchsafed as a further proof of genuineness. The case of the wellknown local merchant was also apparently correctly diagnosed, and his soul soothed by the knowledge that he is to go Home soon and secure that money in Chancery he has been so long dreaming of. The loss of the Kakanui and the W&itahuna murder formed realistically descriptive incidents, to say nothing of the chap that levanted from Lowburn, the anxious mother who wanted to know when her daughter was likely to " go off," and the young woman who was dying to know whether her matrimonial angle was to be a success this year or the next, and a number of other questions more or less interesting to those who put them and decidedly amusing to the audience. Among other incidents of the future, it was prophesied that " prohibition would not pass," but some consolation was afforded the ardent reformer by the prediction that " four public houses will be closed in Lawrence," as a result of the licensing election next month. Sir Robert Stout, too, is to be Premier in seven months' time, which was bad news for the Seddonites present ; and, curiously enough, the G.O.M. of Imperial politics will make his exit just in about the same time. A number of ladies, as well as some gentlemen, were told of the whereabouts of lost relatives, and particulars were given of thefts, murders and fires of both past and future. Much of the information given by Madame Heller was absolutely startling in its correctness, which more than once was made plain to the entire audience ; and there is no doubt that the exhibition, however it may be explained or accounted for, is full of marvellous and startling incident, and, in point of mystery, is before anything of the kind that has been previously seen in Lawrence.

Another bumper house greeted the Hellers last evening. The change of programme was, if anything, more fully appreciated than that of the preceding evening, the mysterious side of the performance being as deep and bewildering, while the amusing features were present in even greater number. The company appear to-night with another complete change of programme. This will be positively their last night in Lawrence, as they play in Roxburgh to-morrow (Thursday) evening. .