Alia Axiom, a favorite Pantages mind reading mystic, proved mysterious. The audience became a bit restless during the séance, especially when Axiom’s assistant delivered the messages on the stage, after which she made her exit. There was one question put over in showman like style and very dramatic that made the act a surefire bet for the smaller time. Being in one of the finest neighborhoods in the city, Axiom disposed of 800 to 1,000 of his books at a dollar a throw, sold in the lobby with the privilege of asking three questions.
Mystic Hanson Trio two sweet looking baby dolls and a man, conjurers, followed. The girls sing and dance and do some magic stuff, the man talking while he performs his manipulations and illusions, most of the stunts bedecked with whiskers, and finished with the flag trick, displaying several large American flags, taking them off to good noise.
One. The Sharrocks are mind-readers, mental telegraphists or any term that may be preferred to describe the people who can apparently read each other’s minds. Not since the ays of The Zancigs have a mind-reading couple played New York who could eclipse the Zancigs memory until the Sharrocks showed at the Palace this week. The Zancigs were remarkable, for their rapidly and correctness – the Sharrocks are wonderful in the same ways. The Sharrocks had to overcome the handicap of the “No.2” position on a long bill that called for the removal of the Weekly Review to the closing position. They did it. Owing to the composition of the program, The Sharrocks were unavoidably placed there, but closing the first half is their spot on any bill, if not placed in the second half. The turn has a sketch opening in “one,” a faking gypsy fortune telling tent, with the man the spieler and the woman the worker. The turn contains comedy throughout, with a solid laughing finish. Following some talk at the opening, Mr. Sharrock goes into the audience, Mrs. Sharrock remaining blindfolded upon the stage. Sharrock moves quickly up and down the aisles. Mrs. Sharrock calling out a mass of articles he touches or looks at. This has not been uncommon among mind-readers, but it’s the way this couple work. Even the wise ones are more mystified than any others ever caused them to be. Tuesday night in the extreme rear orchestra seat a spectacles auditor handed Mr. Sharrock something. Even the operator had to ask what it was. Mrs. Sharrock, 100 feet or more away, on the stage, could not possible have heard the remark, but almost more than man could answer, Mrs. Sharrock had called out “A clinical thermometer.” The suggestion of a plant for this is very remote. Hardly anyone seated could see it, excepting a few standing near, and at the time Sharrock was on the rush to the left-hand orchestra aisle, from the center one he had just finished. If in concentration or anything they have evolved in system or otherwise, to cue or tell, either one of them ever thought of a clinical thermometer, they must be marvels of record ingenuity. Returning to the stage, Mr. Sharrock drops down his gypsy tent, and they prepare to depart. Mrs. Sharrock berates him for going through a crowd like that and coming back empty handed. He replies, as they exit, that he went through right, showing eight or ten gold watches on chains as his booty. The Sharrocks make an excellent vaudeville number that can’t possibly fail.
The Kuma Four, a Jap magical act, closed. The billing is misleading, as all of the magic is performed by a single Jap. It’s mostly cabinet work, smoothly handled and mystifying to the uninitiated. Two of the best of the class of tricks is a levitation and a trunk trick. In the latter the magician, probably Kuma, announces he will have a girl step forth from a trunk clad in the national colors of any country named. It’s been done before but is handled with real showmanship by Kuma.
Joveddah, using a full stage oriental setting, mystified and puzzled the patrons. He is a Hindoo [sic] and a wonderful showman. While Joveddah goes through the audience picking up questions, asking for descriptions on coins, the “princess” sitting on the stage blindfolded answers almost before the question is asked. For a finish he is asked to sing a number, which he does, displaying a fine operatic baritone.
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.
Merlin, the card sharp, playing a sort of low comedy version of Nate Laipsic’s veteran vehicle, produced a very telling youth as a supposedly volunteer assistant, and his speed and wit kept it alive and at times humming, which was big in view of the psychological coma of the house of the house.
Grotesque Illusionists. This act ran 12 min., full stage, special set, closes in one. Two men doing illusions with comedy. They feature “Felix” Mind Reading Duck which is a member of the team in animal costume. Not particularly funny and received a light hand this afternoon.
14 Mins.; One.
The Princess is introduced in the usual “pitch” by an assistant. Both are garbed in Hindu or Indian attire. She is seated upon the stage while he works through the house, using a telephone like contrivance to get questions from people seated at a distance from him. The answers are usual stock remits, and come in quick succession to the male’s verbal requests which (——) ‘ cueing. If this is the method it is cleverly handled. No coin reading or describing articles in the routine.
27 min f.s. Spl. Set. This act makes a big flash and all three principals are clever show people, producing an illusion act that pleased all the way through but did not get much for their finish.
