Professor Goodhear
The wizard “Professor Goodhear” is likely to be a resident local to Ballarat, one of many Australians inspired to emulate the magic of Robert Heller (whose Ballarat season was in early 1870).
Goodhear is first noted in 1871 when he gave a performance at the Alfred Hall in his ‘Temple of Magic’ on January 24. He claimed to be a conjuror with Indian experience, whatever that might be. A single night’s performance indicates that he was an amateur. The Ballarat Star, whose reporter admitted that he did not see the full performance, indicated that the stage setting looked rather poor, and that Goodhear’s “ability in sleight of hand is greater than his acquaintance with the art of speech, and his entertainment thus lacked the embellishment of the usual oratory interpolated by the more famous wizards…. What we saw contained nothing novel, but … what we saw done was done cleverly.” The small size of the audience was blamed on a lack of publicity, but the tricks, which were similar to those in Heller’s repertoire, were ‘accorded no stinted applause.’
Goodhear is first noted in 1871 when he gave a performance at the Alfred Hall in his ‘Temple of Magic’ on January 24. He claimed to be a conjuror with Indian experience, whatever that might be. A single night’s performance indicates that he was an amateur. The Ballarat Star, whose reporter admitted that he did not see the full performance, indicated that the stage setting looked rather poor, and that Goodhear’s “ability in sleight of hand is greater than his acquaintance with the art of speech, and his entertainment thus lacked the embellishment of the usual oratory interpolated by the more famous wizards…. What we saw contained nothing novel, but … what we saw done was done cleverly.” The small size of the audience was blamed on a lack of publicity, but the tricks, which were similar to those in Heller’s repertoire, were ‘accorded no stinted applause.’
The Ballarat Courier (Jan.25) branded Goodhear as “a newly-fledged imitator of Mr. Heller.”
The Alfred Hall, on Curtis Street Ballarat, was built in a considerable hurry, in order to greet Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh, for the very first Royal visit to Ballarat in 1867. It continued in use for almost a century, closing in August 1956 when the new Civic Hall was opened.
Goodhear is next mentioned briefly in mid-February 1871, in connection with a court case involving the Police vs. George Truscott, who was accused of allowing disorderly persons (thieves and prostitutes) to assemble and remain on his premises, the Canterbury Music Hall. Goodhear was giving an entertainment in the Hall at that time.
The ‘Canterbury Music Hall’ appears to be an inflated name for some local licensed room ‘in the Main Road’ previously named the Great Britain Hotel, and George Truscott was initially summonsed for allowing theatrical representations without permission, though the bench dismissed that case. Truscott continued to be hauled before the courts on various charges of disturbance, keeping a house frequented by vagrants, and other minor offences, so he does not appear to have been an entrepreneur of any note.
Aside from these short appearances at Ballarat, Goodhear is unknown at present.
