Salon Diabolique

Event Information

Venue(s):
Salle Diabolique

Price: $.25; .50 parquet

Event Type:
Chamber (includes Solo), Variety / Vaudeville

Performance Forces:
Instrumental

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
8 June 2011

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

09 May 1864, 8:00 PM
10 May 1864, 8:00 PM
11 May 1864, 8:00 PM
12 May 1864, 8:00 PM
13 May 1864, 8:00 PM
14 May 1864, Matinee
14 May 1864, 8:00 PM

Program Details



Performers and/or Works Performed

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 08 May 1864.
“HELLER’S NEW GRAND MYSTIC THEATRE AND SALLE DIABOLIQUE. . . . HELLER’S Recherche Pianoforte Solos, which alone are worth the price of admission.”
2)
Announcement: New York Post, 09 May 1864.
“Robert Heller, at his hall 585 Broadway, promises during the week to perform all the rope-tying tricks of the Davenport brothers—both of their public and private séances—and even to take a coat off a man’s back while he is tightly bound up with strong ropes, and he has compounded a new word to express his feats, which he calls ‘hyper-spiritual.’  But all this does not at all affect the popularity of the Davenport boys, who nightly attract to the Cooper Institute vast crowds, who appears to be as much mystified as on the first night of their performances.”
3)
Announcement: New-York Times, 09 May 1864, 4.

4)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 09 May 1864, 7.
“The varied ‘ Manifestations’ of the Davenport Brothers, including the tying and untying, the mystic hands and the irrepressible trumpet, will be done more quickly and more astonishingly by ROBERT HELLER in addition to his usual MARVELOUS ILLUSIONS, HIS VARIED TOURS D’ADDRESSE, HIS ADMIRED PIANO-FORTE SOLOS, HIS STRAGE SUPERNATURAL VISION.”
5)
Announcement: New York Post, 12 May 1864, 2.
“Robert Heller continues his exhibitions every night at 585 Broadway.  Under the title of ‘Spiritualism Made Easy’ he professes to do all the Davenport feats.”
6)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 14 May 1864.

7)
Review: New-York Times, 16 May 1864, 5.
“The Wizards, who came in hordes a few weeks ago, have now, for the most part, taken flight to other regions. Robert Heller alone retains the field and intends, we believe, to keep possession of it permanently, as Houdin does of the French Metropolis.  Judging from the admirable success that has attended his performances so far, there seems to be but little doubt of his perfect ability to command a large share of public patronage, and to place his ‘Salle Diabolique’ in the regular category of permanent places of metropolitan amusement.  Mr. Heller’s tricks are as surprising as any we have ever seen performed, while some of them are peculiar to the gentleman, and therefore, of special value.  They are always executed with ‘neatness, economy and dispatch.’  We lack the vocabulary for speaking critically of the wonders performed, and, in fact, to analyze a feat of legerdemain would be as useless as to describe the combustion of gunpowder.  They are both startling phenomena, and leave a distinct perfume of brimstone on the senses.  What we can discuss more rationally is the manner in which Mr. Heller amuses as well as astonishes his audiences.  Wizards, as a general thing, do not talk well.  They speak too much, and say too little.  In spite of the black coat, too, there is generally an air of the booth about them.  A fussy and chattering reminiscence of the days when they had to ‘gag’ people into the show, clings to their manner, and makes it tedious and sometimes offensive.  Mr. Heller is a complete exception to this rule.  He comports himself with the propriety of a Puseyite, and his ‘choker’ is immaculate.  His jokes are numerous, his puns atrocious, his small talk amusing; there is not a dull moment, in fact, from the opening of his entertainment to its close; and not a vulgarity is uttered during its continuance.  This is why he has succeeded in obtaining audiences that are not only large but unusually fashionable.  Moreover, Mr. Heller has positive excellencies as a musician, which add largely to the charm of an evening passed in his establishment.  He has few equals as a pianist, and we should hesitate to name any one as his superior except Mr. S.B. Mills, who is admittedly the best performer we have in the country.  Every evening Mr. Heller plays a couple of solos with a perfection of touch and execution that leaves nothing to be desired except an encore, and this, we may as well add, is never conceded. The musical programme will be altered to-night; the magical part of the entertainment remains the same as heretofore. We advise our readers to pass a couple of hours in Mr. Heller’s pleasant and well managed establishment.  They will confirm all we have written in his praise.”
8)
Review: New York Clipper, 21 May 1864, 46.
“Heller, the magician and musician, has the field to himself at present.  When he first came here, he was not brought before the public in such a manner as to attract their notice and secure their patronage, and for two or three weeks it was ‘tight papers’ with the ‘tricky man;’ the public either did not know of his presence, or if they did they had no idea what he was capable of doing, so they slighted the sleight of hand man, and he performed before poor but honest and appreciative audiences. Then a change was made—Hingston, who had just “put through” Artemus Ward, carrying him successfully and alive through bands of red Indians, snow drifts, wolves, and Mormons, was taken on to work up Heller, and the first object thereafter that met our gaze was “A Strange Man on Broadway,” and as the passers by had to stop and read about this curiosity, the next thing they did was to seek out the original, and this they soon ascertained to be Heller, the man of magic and the man of music, whose soirees are now very liberally attended by the beauty, fashion and first and second families of New York.  On the 14th, we noticed in the streets a procession of live men, but they were not soldiers; yet they bore a martial air, and banners they did bear aloft.  It was a brigade of Heller’s fellers, on the war path, or toe path rather, informing the good people that Heller was around, and would be happy to see them at his ‘Salle Diabolique’ in Broadway.  Heller not only does tricks, but also plays the piano like the devil.  Go to Hellers.”