WIRTH'S CIRCUS

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 13, 17 January 1922, Page 3

WIRTH'S CIRCUS

A SPLENDID SHOW.

So long as human nature continues as.it is, so long will the circus keep its charm for young and old. There is something in the atmosphere of the ring, tho .sawdust, the tent, the lights, the uniforms, the animals, the band itself even, that neither "movies," vaudeville, nor drama can ever supersede. The circus must appeal to some primeval element in man, something reminiscent of the nomadic life his ' far distant forefathars pursued, for the very announcement that the circus is coming starts a thrill in the community which proves an irresistible attraction;to the big tent. So ty was with Wirth's at their opening in Wellington last night. The high cost of living is reflected in the circus as elsewhere,, yet the big tent or the reclaimed land vvm full for the first performance, and it may be said right away that the same performance was well worth while. In their whole career in Australasia Wirth's have probably never put on a better show. In a crowded ■couple of hours and a-half there is never a slack moment. Out of a programme of over a scare of acts it would be difficult to single out any for special mention, so high is the standard throughput. There are all the items no self-respecting cirens would ever be without; the fine horses, the equestrian feats of ladies and gentlemen skilled in thair profession, tli6 performing lions and elephants and bears, the acrobats and tumblers, the clowns and comedians,, beloved of the email boy, and an infinite variety of other feats combining the best of vaudeville with the freedom of the arena. Perhaps the most striking feature of the whole performance is Apdale's Zoo, a weird and wonderful collection of trained dogs, bears, monkeys, ant-eaters, and the king of them a11,."a big baboon, with an extraordinarily natural gift of com-, edy. While the performing animals are gome: through their tricks, the big fellow plays the clown, romping round with his mates and setting the audience in paroxysms of laughter. He is a whole act in himself. Then one might mention the Aerial Lloyds, a troupe of American ■bar and trapeze artists—one of whom does a triple somersault in the air; the Uyeno troupe of Japanese acrobats, doing aU manner of feats with astonishing gract1; the Mighty Maldoon, who combines comedy with his equilibrist turn; Miss Ethel Wirth/ in a clever equestrian act; Alfred Clarke, who somersaults from the ground to the back of a galloping horse, and tops it off with some riea^t juggling fronv horseback as his mount canters round the ring ; Miss Belle Onra, in.an excellent turn on the trapeze, and the finale of a six-horse picture act by F. Freeman. The whole performance is well-balanced, and runs without a hitch from start to finish. There will be a matinee every.afternoon,-as well as an evening performance, and the menagerie will be ope»i a.t popular prices between 4 .md S o'clock, when the animals will be fed. ;