Kar-Mi

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15 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Extravagantly billed on the program, which called Kar-Mi a prince of India, this magician, with two assistants was placed to close the Hammerstein program Monday night. The stage setting that seemed to say that several things would be attempted, besides the dressing of the people concerned in robes suggesting East Indians, held the house at a rather late hour, until the turn finished. Kar-Mi is very dark-skilled, much more so than his woman-assistant, who is the person mostly used for the disappearances, although the other man is employed at one time for a substitution. The main illusion is at the finale. It is made somewhat lengthy by a slow manner of working, also the continued chatter Kar-Mi uses, and his work of borrowing a couple of watches from the audience. Cut down and worked faster, this would be an excellent illusion. It contains the substitutional as well. The early portion has a sword swallowing feat by Kar-Mi, who swallows a bayonet affixed to a heavy musket, holding the latter up on an even line with his mouth. Later he loads the gun, and swallowing a portion of the steel barrel that has been detached, fires it at his male assistant’s head, apparently knocking off a card placed there, with the shot. A few tricks of legerdemain are mixed in. Kar-Mi secures some comedy from his talk, that carries an accent of some sort, perhaps India although sounding Dutch (not German). It’s an odd sort of act for present-day vaudeville made odd mostly through the sword swallowing that is not performed here in the customary museum style. The turn ought to get attention on the small big time, and might take care of a spot of the big time.

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