ROLL UP, ROLL UP

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 918, 11 March 1930, Page 14

ROLL UP, ROLL UP

WIRTH'S COMES TO TOWN SOME OUTSTANDING ACTS An elephant dancing an Irish jig on a barrel . . . men somersaulting from foot to foot . . . others, with the precision of automatons, performing triple somersaults as they swing through the air . . the most fearless woman in the world, poised on one hand on the top of a slender, 30fit pole ... and the clowns ... Wirth's Circus is back >n town — “bigger, brighter, better than ever.” “Roll up, ladies and gentlemen, roll up!” has almost a romantic call. No one can resist it, nor the glamour of the sawdust ring. The atmosphere of the tent, the persistent orchestra, the prancing horses, are childhood memories which must be revived when the circus comes to town. And there is only one Wirth’s, whose patrons are legion. Last evening Auckland voted it an excellent show and flocked to the old dock site to pay homage to daring feat and extraordinary agility, to watch the lions ’n tigers ’n everything, to applaud the spangled girls, who seemed to delight in risking life and limb, to laugh at the clowns who filled in the odd moment while the acts were being prepared. On a programme containing approximately 24 turns there was something to please everybody. Those who had grown too sophisticated to laugh at clowns could laugh with the youngsters who laughed at them; if one tired of horses there were the lumbering elephants; if one act palled there were others more sensational to follow.

Most of Wirth’s acts are new to Auckland, and in such an array of circus talent it is difficult to give pride of place on the programme. There are three outstanding turns—the Three Anconas, the Lias Troupe and the Flying Lamars. Each is amazing ir» its own way. For spectacle and sensation tho Lamars are unbeaten. Three men and one woman execute the most astonish ing double, triple and twisting somersaults as they fly through the air on trapezes. Every motion is performed with extraordinary grace and precision. One member of the troupe swings high on his trapeze, turns a triple somersault in the air, catches the swinging arms of a partner and then swings back to his own trapeze again . . . That at least surpasses even Edgar Wallace’s attempts to chill the blood. “ GO AND SEE THEM ” Next there is the Lias Troupe—six athletic fellows to toss each other about like pieces of indiarubber. Their evolutions and revolutions are too intricate to describe . . . go and see them. The Anconas are worthy of their publicity—the balancing wonders. Nothing to them, one 'would imagine, was impossible. The pretty little woman of the trio stands on her head on the head of one partner, while the third member of the party tosses quoits on to her legs. Then she scales up 30ft of slender pole, which is supported on the shoulder of a lusty male companion and performs more astonishing balancing feats than one ever dreamed of. And then there is Claudia Alba, who must have jaws of iron and the strength of Hercules. Hanging by her legs from a horizontal bar she bears the weight of a 2441 b cannon with her teeth. To make matters worse (for her) somebody explodes it. But that is only a small part of what this strong woman can do. One could go on writing indefinitely of this varied show. There are performing brown and Polar bears —“the greatest in the world.” Nobody will dispute that. Miss Eileen May controls a herd of elephants as though they were friendly puppies. They conclude the act by gathering her up in their trunks and carrying her out of the ring. Mr. Alfred Clarke juggled on horseback with more apparent ease than most of the people who juggle while they are standing still. The Klarkoskies, of whom Mr. Clarke seemed to be a relative, skipped on and off the back of a galloping horse; Miss Dorris and her golden statue horse posed beautifully with the rigidity of the statues they were supposed to represent, and Miss Gladys put several horses through their drill, in addition to making one dance and skip. There was little Peter, two foot nothing, and a tall opposite, whose head seemed to be up where the trapeze artists started their acts, and several more comical folk, who depended on grotesque make-up for most of their humour.

And so on, and so on . . but “the -eatest show on earth” wall be in full ving for the rest of this week.