STAGE TRICKS
This is a chapter devoted to stage illusions, dependent mainly for
their effects upon ingenious mechanical appliances, and not to skilful
manipulation of the performer. Most conjuring exhibitions conclude with
some large illusion. They add zest to the entertainment. One of our
leading conjurers, Kellar, makes a specialty of them. He presents them
with fine scenic effects.
AERIAL SUSPENSION.--The trick of the aerial suspension, presented by
Herrmann under the name of the "Slave Girl's Dream," has been, and
still remains a great favorite with many conjurers. In this experiment
a lady floats in the air with no apparent support but that afforded by
a pole upon which her right arm rests. While suspended in this fashion
she is draped in various pleasing costumes, finally awakening from her
pretended mesmeric trance under the passes of the magician, and bowing
herself off the stage. The explanation is as follows:--The lady's body
is encased in a strong framework of finely tempered steel, into a
socket of which the pole enters and is rigidly fixed.
[Illustration: Fig. 59.--The Harness]
Figure 59 very correctly represents the harness worn by the lady in
performing this trick and the manner in which it is attached to the
rigid pole. This frame is composed of the finest steel, and when belted
and strapped on the body makes it perfectly rigid, so far as any side
motion is concerned. At A is a hinge, which is operated by ratchet and
pawl, and this bears nearly the whole strain of the lady's weight,
which, in a horizontal position, is about 1,500 pounds, or about ten
times the actual weight. At the centre of the curved steel bar is a
plain hinge. This is intended to allow the lady to use her right thigh
and knee in walking on and off the stage.
[Illustration: Fig. 60.--Harness Adjusted]
Figure 60 shows the position of harness and poles after being adjusted,
the drapery being dispensed with in order to show the working of the
trick. The upright pole on which rests the lady's right hand is a
substantial affair, and is securely fitted into a hole in the platform.
On the top there is a hole, into which fits a stout slot in the short
bar, as shown in Fig. 59. This short bar is concealed by a sort of
flap, which appears to be a portion of the lady's costume, tacked on at
the shoulder. The pole at her left has nothing to do with the trick,
and is only introduced to distract the attention of the audience. The
left-hand pole and stool are removed, and the beautiful slave girl is
suspended, as shown in Fig. 61, the whole strain coming on the pole and
the steel work of the harness.
[Illustration: Fig. 61.--Girl Suspended]
The performer now lifts the lady into a horizontal position (Fig. 61),
where she is maintained by a check which drops into one of the teeth of
the ratchet at A. While in this aerial sleep she is adorned in various
costumes. Finally she is placed in the first position, and awakes from
her supposed mesmeric slumber. Herrmann improved this apparatus by
causing the lady to assume the horizontal position without his
intervention. This was accomplished by machinery beneath the stage, a
sort of windlass affair worked by a stage assistant. The well-known
Fakir of Ooloo still further improved this trick by knocking both poles
away. Says Arprey Vere on this subject: "What, then, will you ask,
becomes of all the machinery? The two poles were seemingly taken away.
The poles used consisted of brass bars. The calcium light beamed upon
the figure of the sleeping lady, while the rest of the stage was
comparatively dark. Thus, when the conjurer apparently took away the
only support the figure had, the audience did not and could not
perceive that he really took away the brass case of the secured pole,
leaving another, the actual pole on which the framework was fixed, and
which was of the same color as the drapery of the stage. It was for the
purpose of deceiving the eyes of the audience that the pole was encased
in a brass shell in the first instance. He refixed the case before the
stage was relit, and the lady woke up from her sham mesmeric trance."
[Illustration: Fig. 62.--Girl in Horizontal Position]
NEW VANISHING PERFORMER ILLUSION.--The writer is indebted to Mr.
William E. Robinson, for many years assistant to the late Alexander
Herrmann, for this simple but remarkably effective illusion called by
him the "Vanishing Performer." The effect of the trick is as follows:
The performer standing upon a stool, placed in front of a screen, holds
up a shawl in front of himself. Hey presto! a pistol is fired, the
shawl is dropped, and the magician is seen to have melted away into
thin air, as it were. Presently he comes running down the centre aisle
of the theatre.
The principal requisite in the arrangement of this trick is a large
screen, which should be decorated in panels on each fold, and be a
threefold one. In the centre fold the panel must be hinged, so as to
open, and made to fit nicely the better to conceal its existence from
the audience. This panel must be about twelve inches above the base of
the screen, and if possible have spring hinges. This screen should be
preferably of a dark color.
When the magician steps on the stool he out-stretches his arms and
hooks the shawl on a fine thread, which is placed across the stage at
the right height. He leaves the shawl suspended so that the ends hang
over, giving the appearance of the performer's fingers being under
them. Under this cover he quickly steps off the stool and goes through
the panel in the screen at the back. As the shawl does not reach to the
ground, the performer's legs and shoes would be seen by the audience.
To obviate this a piece of stuff the same color as the screen is used
as a kind of carpet on which the affair takes place, and when this
reaches to about twelve inches from the screen, the edge is turned up
about twelve inches. The conjurer in getting off the stool steps down
behind this carpet. A pistol is fired, and the performer, or his
assistant, pulls the end of the thread, which thus breaks and causes
the shawl to drop, as if first let go from the hands. The shawl should
be about six feet square. It should rest about nine inches from the
stage when hung up. Practice to let as few seconds as possible elapse
between the moment of suspending the shawl and dropping it. The
reappearance of the performer is easily accounted for.
THE BLUE ROOM.--One of the cleverest illusions performed with the aid
of mirrors is that known as the "Blue Room," which has been exhibited
in this country by Kellar. It is the joint invention of Prof. John
Henry Pepper, of Ghost illusion fame, and James J. Walker, both of
England. It was patented in the United States by the inventors. The
object of the apparatus is to render an actor, or some inanimate thing,
such as a chair, table, suit of armor, etc., visible or invisible at
will. "It is also designed," says the specification in the patent
office, "to substitute for an object in sight of the audience the image
of another similar object hidden from direct vision without the
audience being aware that any such substitution has been made. For this
purpose employ a large mirror--either an ordinary mirror or for some
purposes, by preference, a large plate of plate-glass--which is
transparent at one end, and more and more densely silvered in passing
from this toward the other end. Mount this mirror or plate so that it
can, at pleasure, be placed diagonally across the stage or platform. As
it advances the glass obscures the view of the actor or object in front
of which it passes, and substitutes the reflection of an object in
front of the glass, but suitably concealed from the direct view of the
audience.
[Illustration: Fig. 63.--Graduated Mirror]
[Illustration: Fig. 64.--Diagram for Blue Room]
"When the two objects or sets of objects thus successively presented to
the view are properly placed and sufficiently alike, the audience will
be unaware that any change has been made. In some cases, in place of a
single sheet of glass, two or more sheets may be employed.
"In the drawings, Fig. 63 represents a plan view, and Fig. 64 an
elevation, of a portion of the mirror, designed to show its graduated
opacity.
"_a_ is a stage. It may be in a lecture-room or theater. _b b_ are the
seats for the audience in front of the stage. _c c_ is a small
room--eight or ten feet square and eight high will often be
sufficiently large; but it may be of any size. It may advantageously be
raised and approached by two or three steps from the stage _a_.
"_d_ is a vertical mirror, passing diagonally across the chamber _c_
and dividing it into two parts, which are exact counterparts the one of
the other. The mirror _d_ is so mounted that it can be rapidly and
noiselessly moved diagonally across the chamber in the path represented
by the dotted line _d1_, and be withdrawn whenever desired. This can
conveniently be done by running it in guides and upon rollers to and
from a position where it is hidden by a screen, _e_, which limits the
view of the audience in this direction.
"In consequence of the exact correspondence of the two parts of the
chamber _c_, that in front and that behind the mirror, the audience
will observe no change in appearance when the mirror is passed across.
"The front of the chamber is partially closed at _cx_ by a shield or
short partition-wall, either permanently or whenever required. This is
done in order to hide from direct view any object which may be at or
about the position _c1_.
"The illusions may be performed in various ways--as, for example, an
object may, in the sight of the audience, be passed from the stage to
the position _c2_, near the rear short wall or counterpart shield
_f_, diagonally opposite to and corresponding with the front corner
shield _cx_, and there be changed for some other. This is done by
providing beforehand a dummy at _c'_, closely resembling the object at
_c2_. Then when the object is in its place, the mirror is passed
across without causing any apparent change. The object, when hidden, is
changed for another object externally resembling the first, the mirror
is withdrawn, and the audience may then be shown in any convenient way
that the object now before them differs from that which their eyesight
would lead them to suppose it to be.
"We prefer, in many cases, not to use an ordinary mirror, _d_, but one
of graduated opacity. This may be produced by removing the silvering
from the glass in lines; or, if the glass be silvered by chemical
deposition, causing the silver to be deposited upon it in lines,
somewhat as represented by Fig. 63. Near one side of the glass the
lines are made fine and open, and progressively in passing toward the
other side they become bolder and closer until a completely-silvered
surface is reached. Other means for obtaining a graduated opacity and
reflecting power may be resorted to.
"By passing such a graduated mirror between the object at _c2_ and
the audience, the object may be made to fade from the sight, or
gradually to resolve itself into another form."
Hopkins in his fine work on "Magic, stage illusions, etc.," thus
describes one of the many effects which can be produced by the Blue
Room apparatus. The curtain rises, showing "the stage set as an
artist's studio. Through the centre of the rear drop scene is seen a
small chamber in which is a suit of armor standing upright. The floor
of this apartment is raised above the level of the stage and is
approached by a short flight of steps. When the curtain is raised a
servant makes his appearance and begins to dust and clean the
apartments. He finally comes to the suit of armor, taking it apart,
cleans and dusts it, and finally reunites it. No sooner is the suit of
armor perfectly articulated than the soulless mailed figure deals the
servant a blow. The domestic, with a cry of fear, drops his duster,
flies down the steps into the large room, the suit of armor pursuing
him, wrestling with him, and kicking him all over the stage. When the
suit of armor considers that it has punished the servant sufficiently,
it returns to its original position in the small chamber, just as the
master of the house enters, brought there by the noise and cries of the
servant, from whom he demands an explanation of the commotion. Upon
being told, he derides the servant's fear, and, to prove that he was
mistaken, takes the suit of armor apart, throwing it piece by piece
upon the floor."
[Illustration: Fig. 65.--Diagram of Blue Room]
It is needless, perhaps, to explain that the suit of armor which
becomes endowed with life has a man inside of it. When the curtain
rises a suit of armor is seen in the Blue Room, at H, (Fig. 65). At I
is a second suit of armor, concealed behind the proscenium. It is the
duplicate of the visible one. When the mirror G is shoved diagonally
across the room, the armor at H becomes invisible, but the mirror
reflects the armor concealed at I, making it appear to the spectators
that the suit at H is still in position. An actor dressed in armor now
enters behind the mirror, removes the suit of armor at H, and assumes
its place. When the mirror is again withdrawn, the armor at H becomes
endowed with life. Again the mirror is shoved across the apartment, and
the actor replaces the original suit of armor at H. It is this latter
suit which the master of the house takes to pieces and casts upon the
floor, in order to quiet the fears of the servant. This most ingenious
apparatus is capable of many novel effects. Those who have witnessed
Prof. Kellar's performances will bear witness to the statement. When
the illusion was first produced in England, a sketch was written for it
by the famous Burnand, editor of "Punch." It was entitled "Curried
Prawns." A plethoric old gentleman who had been indulging in a midnight
dish of curried prawns goes to bed, and is visited by a soul-terrifying
nightmare. Mephistopheles suddenly appears to him, and introduces him
to the mysteries of the nether world.
[Illustration: Fig. 66.--Levitation Act]
[Illustration: Fig. 67.--Top View of Apparatus]
[Illustration: Fig. 68.--Side View of Apparatus]
LEVITATION.--The performer places a board on the tops of two chairs. A
lady is laid on the board, and pretended mesmeric passes made over her
by the magician. The chairs are now removed one after the other, and
the lady is seen floating in the air (Fig. 66). The performer then
walks completely around her. In order to show still more conclusively
that she is not supported by any arrangement of wires, etc., he passes
a large solid iron hoop, previously given for inspection to the
spectators, over her; beginning at her head. This seeming miracle,
vaunted as a Hindoo mystery, is accomplished in the following manner:
The board, A, A (Fig. 67), upon which the lady reclines, is about three
feet distant from the back scene. This background is provided with a
slit through which an assistant pushes three iron rods (_c_, _d_, _e_),
beneath the board. Another important part of the apparatus is a small
car, to which the rods are attached, the construction of which is
explained in Fig. 67 and Fig. 68, which gives a side view of the car.
Nos. 1 and 2 are the wheels on which the car is propelled. The iron
bars, of which only one is shown in the diagram, run in front over a
roller, 3, and at the back between two rollers, 4 and 5, so that the
assistant can easily push the bars under the board, c, which holds the
lady. The extreme ends of the bars, at the back, are counterbalanced in
order to equalize the weight. To enable the performer to go behind the
floating lady, also to pass the hoop about her, the assistant pulls
away the iron bar at one end. As soon as the performer and the hoop
have cleared the first bar, it is pushed back into place again, and the
next bar withdrawn, allowing free passage to the third bar, which is
also withdrawn, after the centre bar has been pushed back. The arms of
the lady overhanging the board and her dress conceal effectually the
iron bars from view of the audience.
THE SARATOGA TRUNK MYSTERY.--A lady is put into a bag and locked in a
trunk, on top of which a gentleman takes a seat. Two assistants hold a
cloth in front of the trunk for a few seconds. On taking away the cloth
the lady is seen sitting on the trunk while inside of it, after
unlocking the same, is found the gentleman tied in the bag.
The actors in this illusion have to work with extreme quickness.
The bag in which the lady is tied has at the bottom a false seam, made
of wide stitches, so that when one end of the thread is pulled the
whole comes out easily leaving the bottom of bag open.
[Illustration: Fig. 69.--Section of Trunk]
[Illustration: Fig. 70.--Frame of Trunk]
In this way the lady escapes from the bag without injuring the ties in
any way. The lid of the trunk is prepared so that one section of it
opens inward (Fig. 69 h). The frame (Fig. 70) is solid, whereas the
strip F which runs across the top can be pushed sideways. To open the
trunk the strip F is pushed aside, which releases a concealed mechanism
that keeps the false panel shut. The gentleman opens the panel, in the
manner above described, whereupon the lady gets out of the trunk. She
assists the gentleman to get into the bag, and closing the panel, takes
her seat on the top of the trunk.