33-5,p10

EXPLANATORY PROGRAMMES

ESSMANN, JUGGLING WAITER - ST. GEORGE'S HALL, LONDON, SEPTEMBER 1908

(This review is reprinted from Stanyon's Magic, an English publication which appeared from 1900 - 1919.)

Stage set to represent a Restaurant: several small tables loaded with bottles, plates, vases of flowers, etc.; also the usual furniture, chairs, hat stands, fems in pots, etc.

Performer appears attired as a waiter, carrying a cloth and proceeds to polish up the plates, bottles, etc., then commences juggling.

Plates... Takes up two plates, one in each hand, bottoms of plates resting on the palms of the hands. Turns hands upside down bringing them to their original positions quickly, plates do not fall: this is repeated several times, various movements such as passing the plates over the head, etc. The effect depends upon the property of inertia and quick movements to bring the force into play.

Bottle... Full-sized champagne bottle thrown up by the neck (one tum) and caught bottom of bottle on the back of hand: reverse, and neck of bottle caught on back of hand and balanced in that position, and various other movements, the best being where left hand passes bottle behind back under right arm and over the forearm, dropped and on the point of striking the floor when the right hand reaches out quietly and catches it by the neck. Throws bottle in the air, one turn, and catches it with forefinger in the neck. Bottle placed on the seat of a chair.

Bottle and Basket... Picks up bottle basket in the left hand, chair in the right hand and jerks bottle from chair into the basket.

Silk hat, Open umbrella and Two Balls... Throws the lot, finally catching the hat on his head. Hat placed on seat of chair.

Tricks with lighted match. cigar, candle. etc...

Strikes match and throws it up alight (one turn) and catches plain end in mouth: lights candle with match then puts match in pocket alight: the latter move, as always, creating considerable amusement. Lights cigar at candle then throws up candle out of stick (one turn) extinguishing candle by catching lighted end in the candlestick. Picks up chair, jerking hat from seat (one turn) on to head then throws hat, cigar and umbrella.

Hat and Cigar... Hat held crown up in right hand, cigar laid on crown of hat: both objects thrown in air (one tum) hat caught on head and cigar in mouth. Hat jerked from head, caught and balanced on umbrella, thrown up caught and balanced by rim on nose - a clever move. Juggles with open umbrella, hat and a cigar: hat caught on top of open umbrella: hat thrown from top of umbrella and caught on head: hat jerked from head on to peg of stand.

Two glass bottles... Throws up and catches the one on the side of the other, balancing the one on the other in a variety of positions and the usual movements.

Flower Stand (small table). Flower Pot and Tree... Removes tree from the pot, takes up the three objects and juggles the lot.

Pig and Plate... imitation suckling thrown up. caught and balanced on plate in a variety of positions, finishing by catching the piglet nose on in the centre of bottom of plate, striking his legs and causing him to spin round rapidly on his nose - very funny effect.

Three Cigar Boxes. .. The three boxes stacked (flat) one on top of the other, thrown up, apparently all loose, and caught ends on, one on top of the other. All pulled together by a cord, or elastic, passing through the lot.

Six Cigar Boxes and Lamp... Six full-sized cigar boxes are first stacked flat one on top of the other, a large lighted lamp being placed on the to\ of the pile. The pile is then balanced on a stick, the.

boxes being knocked away with the stick, one at a time, from the bottom, until only the lamp is left balanced on the stick. Lamp is then thrown up (one turn), caught and balanced on stick.