BARTON BROS.' CIRCUS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1225, 6 September 1911, Page 6

BARTON BROS.' CIRCUS.

The eternal lure of tho sawdust and spangles attracted a large audience to the fout of Taranaki Street extension lastevening when liitrlon Bros. Circus held high carnival for nearly three hours. This is a neat, compact, and well-set-up show in every respect, which justifies all reasonable expectations. It was a pleasure born of a natural love for the horse, inherent in most people, that wo once more ga;:od upon the daring bound- , in.? jockey; the wild career vf the shapely lady rider, who dashes through fire and over hurdles in all sorts of graceful attitudes; tho plucky aerial acrobats who somersault over half a dozen ponies smilingly and listened to the rare old jokes, honoured for their antiquity, cracked by tho merry-faced clowns. To the blase person who awaits an absolutely new sensation to tickle his jaded palate the show will make, little appeal on account of the close relationship which one circus bears to another, but to those who enjoy a good horse show, a clever lot of riders, and a bevy of verv attractive lady performers, this bright little show will ."atisfy. It is good, too, to hear the laughter of tho children which chimed right merrily under tho canvas last evening at tho behest of the clowns. The programme, which is varied enough to pleaso the nicest taste, includes a set of lancers on horseback, a comic hurdle act, a hurricauo bar act by Miss Marguerite, a three-horse driving ace, a bounding jewkey performance, by Roy Barton, and an astonishingly clever performance by Tom Tom, said to bo the smallest and prettiest trick pony in tho world. Tom Tom's intelligence must stand unquestioned as he selected the clown with tho oldest jokes as an object of resentment. Master Lindsay, a boy contortionist, slipped ' sinuously through a number of small hoops without spilling a drop from tho glass of water poised on his forehead. Miss Gertrude Emery showed much skill and muscular agility on the trapeze, and handsome. "La Belle Zuida" won merited applause for her intrepid performance on the slack wire. The Alton Bros., with , a Chinese make-up, gave a smart acrobatic performance, which had a note of originality. Tho team includes Win. Dean, a former resident and native of Wellington, who is quite competent in his business. He is also the best of Barton's family of fun-makers, his combat de boxe with W. Work-y being the best of what is known in circus parlance as tho comic entree. Coco and Chico, the human chimpanzees, gave a highly diverting performance on a ladder balanced laterally on a bar. The get-up of the pair was almost-life-like, awl their business was distinctly amusing. A bouncing table act by the Warren Bros., a musical interlude by tho Musical Travers, and a juggling net by Alicia and Tasman were among tbo best of the vaudeville acts. A monkey jockey on a sprinting pony made food for laugh-, ler, and the. high jumping of two greyhounds was wonderfully good. The show concluded with a steeplechase, for local riders, in which the fun became fast and furious. The audience last evening included Lady Ward and a partv. ■ There will be a matinee performance this afternoon at 2.30 o'clock, when adults wi|l be admitted for one shillinc and children for sixpence. The programme, will be repeated again this evening.