BARTON'S CIRCUS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1631, 24 December 1912, Page 10

BARTON'S CIRCUS.

OPENING PERFORMANCE;' Tlio hire of sawdust and spangles seldom fails to draw the public. Last evening linrtoii's Circus, not unknown in Wellington, returned to its pitch at tho foot of lower Taranaki Struct, and gave a performance which delighted a largo audience. Since this circus last appeared here its personnel has undergone a considerable change, with the happiest results. First ami foremost is a genuino star net provided by llanlcy, Marguercllc, ami Hanley, a lady' and two men gymnasts and strong people. Their appearance at once proclaim?;! them to bo advanced physical cultuiists, and their performance, which lias many original points, showed them to bo in the front rani; in their business. Margucrettn made nothing of holding one of the sturdy Hartleys up in the air hand to hand, and similarly caught Hanley, junior, as ho rushed through mid-air and held him suspended. This was apparently child's play to theso pcQplc. Margucrotte next planted a metal polo in her belt, and allowed one of the men to go through hazardous balancing feats at tho top. The climax was reached when tho tivo Hanleys ascended poles placed about 20ft. apart, nnd whilst levered against them, the ono gripped one end of a vopo with his teeth and the other held the other end round his neclc. whilst llargucrotte (who' must weigh 11 stone), making a loop in the centre, gyrated round in mid-air at an alarming speed. The act was heartily applauded. Another gifted performsr is .Miss Kath.lcen Baker, an attractive brunette, who did well and unostentatiously everything she attempted to do. Her performance on the high .trapeze was graceful and daring. Tho usual feats were done in an easy and refined style, and her picturesque posing on the ropo on her gradual descent to earth made a series of pictures of much athletic charm. Miss Baker was also very much at home on the tight and slack wire. There was no pausing or "faulting" for effect—there was something doinr; all the time. She appeared just as comfortable on her knees as on her feet on the wire, and commandeered much applause by playing the air of "Ah, die la morte" (from "II Trovatore") on a baritone brass instrument, whilst balanced on one foot, on the wire. Another clever lady is Miss Monn. Val, who in giving nn exhibition in the manipulation of the-stock' whip, ■cut the neck of a bottle clean off and nicked the lighted cigarette out of a man's mouth. She. is nn adept, too, at whip cracking whilst holding tho whip in either hand. Another accomplishment of this young" lady is trick cycling. Miss Babernio is a eontortionistic acrobat, who is billed as the "flesibl* marvel.'" She makes little ado about balancing her body on her chin and neck whilst she plays a ,tattoo on the crown of her head with the soles of her tiny foot.. "Ginger," a diminutive clown, made merry during this turn. The life and soul of the show is Happy Jackles, an excellent clown, who is ready with his quips and questions on all occasions. Provoked by the presentation of a banjo he sang, a comic song which smacked of a past seneration and which was heartily received." Master Lindsay, a boy contortionist," wriggled and twisted through a maze of hoops whilst balancing a glass of water on his. forehead; the Three Daltons gave a clever knock-about acrobatic turn, and "Frankino" did some astonishing flip-napninß and somersaulting on a galloping Barebacked horse; In "Pbmpey" (introduced by Mr. Wni. Baker), and "King" (managed by Mr.'Tybell) the circus possesfps two admirably-trained ponies. Mr. ]?." E. Barton supplied the inevitable bounding jockej- act, the three Dum-Dums did aeomedy jockey act, and the pony steeplechaso with monk-sy riders evoked hearty kujhter.- The end of the programme produced the whole'of tho company as ground and lofty tumblers, and there ;was nlso a high-jumping competition on horseback for local riders.