WIRTH'S CIRCUS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 105, 28 January 1920, Page 3

WIRTH'S CIRCUS

AN EXCELLENT SHOW

Tho average man. is, in all. things touching him personally, a ready subscriber'to tho good principle .of "safety first," but when he inspects a circus bill ho returns no favourable verdict ■unless ho is pretty well convinced that most of the performers are of the ether persuasion, and arc- engaged in the. fascinating business of putting safety hist. AVirth's Circus, which, opened its Arlington season in Cable Street, jester-. day, easily passes the percentage test for thrills; but it is not lacking/cither, in any of tho-other elements that make for < succciSL While quite a few of theturns are extremely darinj,', practically all-are distinguished by tlieir novelty, their cleverness, or by their beauty. Tho «n<mal training is a* wonderful as ever, and some of the horses and dogs exhibited show such a degree of intelligence that it is hard to recoguiso their kinship with the cab horse and the cur. It is no matter of surprise that the people flocked to yesterday's perform ances, or that they greeted with enthusiasm the cutortainnient uttered. '.'Extraord&iary" ia an overworked epithet that may, nevertheless, be applied with strict appropriateness to the performance of the Eddy Duo on the wire. The two acrobats, man tnd woman, are the very inequation of poise and skill. Tho wire is to them a place . for indulging in such pastimes as skipping and dancing; and if they were to content themselves with tlieir dainty terpsichorean feats, and do no Ji'Oie. the spectators would still be their debtors. ' Tho man, however, puts tho finishing touch to a marvellous turn by executing "flip-flaps" on. the wire. He also turns a forward somersault through a. beribboned hoop, and regains Jus footing with apparent ease. To the Zno Sisters liberal praise is due tor a "human aeroplane" act that, besides looking decidedly • risky, has points of beautv to commend it. The four girls hang 'by their tooth from straps attached to 'a revolving apparatus near tho roof, "and they whirl through the air with great rapidity. The beauty of Iho turn lies in a glorious colour eft»ct achieved with flowing drapery. The artists don long, loose robes of vivid line, and as the.v. are swinging through space tliey agitate the gauzy fabrics with a rhythmic, billowing motion that delights the' eyes. The impression created , is like that which one would expect from an ordered flight of gigantic butterflies. Tho Cevine Troupe gives another net that is full of colour and motion. The performers arc four ladies and two men. who do some remarkably neat concerted work upon tho wires! To see the lions and the elephants perform is the children's special delight; but it is not a little interesting to the grown-ups. 100, to'watch the king nt Leasts defer to a man armed merely r.-ith ai whip, or the hngest of animals meekly perform the bidding.of a creature it rould annihilato in a moment. The Hotis shown on this occasion were born at , Cambridge, New Zealand, five years ago.' They are taught to pose, to "hurdle" (after their own peculiar fashion), and to jump through a flaming hoop. With them travels a brown bear, thai has some comical antics in its brief repertoire. The elephants, are wonderfully clever. One has been taught to utter sounds that are not bad' apologies for "Yes" and "No." He employs this "yea-nay" vocabulary in answering queries from his t:ainc\ When not cimversing, ho indulges a taste for harmony by blowing on a mouih-organ; then, lie opens his month, and the trainer's head goes out of sight. The head is duly returned, and the trainer is fiiially picked up by his pupil and transferred to tho side of the ring. Miss Belle Oiira makes her first New Zealand appearance in gymnastics on tho trapeze. She is a plucky performor, ■well practised in her art. The star feature of her turn is a "dislocation" of extraordinary difficulty. The Three Plying Winslcills. also havo a lively trapeze performance to present. Some cf.the trio's achievements arc 'stupendous,, such a degree of address and judgment do they demand. It is,hard, though, to discriminate in point of merit behwen tho work of the. trapeze artists and, that of the Garcias. who are wonderful acrobats--and tumblers. The Rowland Family makes a moving coach and fnur tho scene of its acrobatic feats. Les Montforts cheerfully trace "the loop of ideath,'" which .seems to justify, its name. Extremely picturesque is the posing of the Bailey combination. Bv daylight or by limelight, the act is well worth seeing,- if only for the part that animals are made to play in the tableaux Mr. Bailey's dogs, in particular, seem to know the very expression that is re- I quired'of them. Clever horses aro Earl Dndlev oml ' Brisbane. Tlieir most remarkable accomplishment is dancing. There is a good deal of trick horse riditi"' on the iprojjramme. Tonoy T.ranfie'ld and Freddie Freeman cannot complain that tho spectator's attention wanders while they _ ride round . the ring, one man standing upright on tho otliei-V shoulders, and tho lower man standinir ui>right on tho liorse. ■ A tang of mystery is given to the entertainment by the inclusion of a "thought-rending" demonstration by tho Howards. Mrs. Howard, standing' blindfolded in the middle of the ring,'is very prompt in describing articles handed to her partner by people in all parts of the tent. The clowning of "Silly Dannv" and Danny's turn with the performing geese aro things that the children apnear- to enjoy thoroughly, ' A matinee and an evening performinm ■will lie given to-day, and tho menagerie will be open at the hours advertised.