Final answer:
The special effects in the excerpt refer to early stage techniques used to enhance performances, including comical props, unique sounds, and projected animation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The special effects performed by the soloist in the excerpt are examples of early stage special effects designed to captivate the audience with visual and auditory elements that enhance the performance. These effects include the use of props like immense shoes and plaid vests for comical exaggeration, or the unique sounds created with glass bottles and graduated brass tubes played with resined fingers.
Additionally, the reference to a magic lantern where figures moved illustrates an early form of projected animation. This form of special effect has evolved throughout the history of performances, as seen with the more complex effects managed by the Master of Secrets in medieval times, who created illusions like fire and flying, and the use of Deus-Ex-Machina in Greek plays, which provided a dramatic resolution through mechanical means.
These techniques share the common goal of engaging the audience and contributing to the spectacle and theatricality of a performance. They not only caught the attention of audiences but also served to communicate stories and emotions in ways simple dialogue could not.