TINY TOWN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1541, 10 September 1912, Page 8

TINY TOWN.

AND ITS CLEVEB PEOPLE,

The phrase "quality, not quantity" may ba fixed'very aptly.to Tiny Town and the clever little people, who, under the direction of Mr. Beaumont Smith, opened their Wellington sea-son:at the Town Hall last evening with one of tho most interesting entertainments seen here for a very long tiine.' The fame of Tiny Town had evidently'preceded the advent of its peop e, for the Town Hall was well-filled.' Tlincitizen's ".pr.Tiuy 'Town are midgets, not dwarf,freaks.'but-perfectly'formed, minntitre people, ranging in height from' 2 feet 7 inches to 3 feet''lo/inches, and in age l from' 21 to 57™, They are , bright and intelligent, and their entertainment, a sort of combination of ■■vaudeville' and circus, is an excellent one. The first part of the show, which was thrown open to the public an hour before the commencement ol the entertainment proper,- consists of a walk through.Tiny Town, a side-show at the back of the big hall. A diminutive policeman ("Mr." Armstrong), aetat 55, and 3 feet in height, stalks about with much ponip and circumstance, and bj "moving on" the public in true policeman fashion, prevents the traffic from congesting at the various centres of attraction. In the "publishing office" of tho "Tiny Town Times" Sits Mr. Hayate- Hassid, editor, who is 57 years of ngc, and tho smallest man of the company, being only 30 inches high. Mr, Hassid speaks eight languages, is a comedian of the species "light, and his "Tiny Town Times'" is an interesting publication. Then there is Miss Hansi Andre, a charming little lady, of engaging personality and a vivacious conversationalist, who sells postcards in the village, and afterwards proves herself to be one of the stars of the vaudeville programme. A newly-married couple, Mr. and Mrs.. Arthur (tho lattor*s stage name is Hiss Honka), also come'in for a large share of popular interest, and happiness is writ large' upon their smiling faces. "Mr. Arthur (aetat 2-1, and 34 inches high) is an expert ring master, while Mrs. Arthur, whose age and height arc tho same as her ' husband's, is a clever equilibrist and equestrienne. Then there is a strong man—to wit, Mr. Alfonzo, aged 26, who though only 38 inches high, performs feats with solid-looking weights and barbells which would tax the muscular agility of not a few grown-ups, and adds to this accomplishment some touches of acrobatic comedy in association with Mr. Pompeo (30 years, 35 inches), a clever jockey. . The company also includes a contortionist (Mr. Morello, 21 years, 36 inches), who literally ties himself. in knots, the weird effects produced by his contortionist feats being enhanced by the green, scaly, glittering,; snake-like "skin" he.wears; a juggler of commendable skill, Mr. Fred (22 years, 42 inches); a dainty little dancer and musician (Miss Isabel, 22 years, 31 inches); Miss Anita, a plump little wire-walker (27 years, 30 inches); and Miss Paolo, a graceful circus rider (25 years, 31 inches). Mr. Andres Zeynard is in charge of the Midget Circus, and is their trainer. Ho ia an Austrian, and his father was a trainer of midgets before him. Hβ is the patriarch and ruler, so to speak, and his august permission was necessary before Mr. Arthur and Miss Ilouka were united in the holy, bonds. They wanted to-marry at 20, but had to wait four-years, said Mr. Zeynard. Their affections stood the test of time, and they were duly wed in Adelaide. After a tour of Tiny Town, the members of the audience took their seats for the entertainment proper. The little company was first presented to the public, individually, by Mr. Arthur. Of the performance generally, the honours, it must be said, fell thick upon Miss Hansi Andre, who sang her soubretto items very engagingly, also took part—the principal part—in a daring wire-walking "turn" with Miss Isabel, and again with Miss Ilonka this versatile little lady contributed items on the dulcimer. A feature of the programme was- the introduction of tho bridal couple. This was quite a spectacular ftffair. The, bridegroom (Mr. Arthur) preceded the bride, who stepped out very prettily from tho interior of a huge wedding eake, which was wheeled on to the platform, and opened to tho accompanying strains of the Wedding March. A troupe- of miniature ponies also tako part in the ontortainment. Miss Andre, on a dooile white pony, performs a sportin" jockey act,"ana Mr. Arthur, who is a great lover of animals, puts his two educated ponies through a variety of tricks. These ponies also figure in an attractive double-backed equestrian .act by Mr. Pompeo and Miss Paoln. Miss Ilonka, on a clever little chestnut pony, and neatly habited in riding costume, also contributed a graceful riding act. The Tiny Town season w ill extend over a week, with two performances daily (matinee and evening). _ Some improvement -might with advanta»e be made with regard to the stage arrangement at the Town Hall during the Tiny Town season. The circus ring is placed in a special staging (usually requisitioned for boxing tournaments), directly in front of the hall platform, and if the whole of the items wore carried out in the circus ring, there would be no cavil at the arrangements. But a number of the items are staged on the platform proper, not in tho circus ring, with the result that that portion of the audience which sits directly in front of the cirrus staging is unable to see these itemt, for the edge of the circus ring is higher than the level of the hall platform. This was a distinct hardshio .to that section, aswab quite evident.b"y the general craning of necks—some of the. eager ones even stood such displays as the contortionists turn, which was an excellent one, could it have been seen. It is suggested m the most perfect Eolution of the difficulty, thut during the first part of the programme !i temporary platform might bo placed athwart the pirt'iis rinj, and removed for tlie circus in tlie second part.