THE SAWDUST RING

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1932, Page 3

THE SAWDUST RING

WIRTH'S CIRCUS OPENS

Backed by a half-century of experience in every part of the globe, and historically billed as "The Greatest Show on Earth," Wirths' circus and menagerie has returned to Wellington for a short season at tho Winter Show Buildings, John street. Because conditions of life and forms of entertainment have changed rapidly in recent years, each periodical visit of a great circus is observed with a ceiiain curiosity as well as for tho genuine pleasure of its entertainment. One becomes curious to see if the sawdust ring remains if the wild beasts excite the same thrill as hitherto; and in short to see if the circus has cute^ :s:;: 15 f°™uia° * ™ «•.

Wirths' Circus still upholds its claim to being a great show. The circus band with cymbals clanging time to the sound of moving horses, is gone, and its place is ailed by appropriate orchestral and band music which comes from an invisible and distinct.lv modern pauatrope But the romance of the sawIfiS is.. s . iv; lth us- Tno *'st rises from the flung leet of performing horses, attendffdtfa1, 1 s^rr^^t smau'S'surf 5 '° bC "^ ™m* ™

All the glamour of the circus is there and more, for Wirths' on this occasion have brought some amazingly clever and orteinal acts, the equal of which have probably never been.seen in this country. Outstanding among these is the troupe of Russian Cossack riders Sr e». PHT S3 a. S rodeo experts was not exnnf sfnw S ? d™ICe Dotices- Tlie borsesnot blow-going horses of the trye which clowns usually jump on and fall off, but vigorous dashing animals—attain a surprising speed around the small ring, while their riders show ™! n. c, outstanding feats of trick horsemanship. Whirlwind leaps and spins, and dangerous riding postures make this a-first-class turn! and one well worth witnessing. This act was accompanied by several picturesque costume dances and an impressive riding tableau as

Prominent (in a programme that was full of interest, were the Four Sylvesters, unquestionably ho cleverest and most highly-trained juvenile acrobats that have appeared here for many years. Two girls and two boys, they performed some remarkable balancing and tumbling turns, carrying their human burdens up and down steps nhilc in almost impossible positions. One slip meant trouble—serious trouble—hut the Sylvesters carried out their mffiriill turns with carefree abandon and gained very deserved plaudits. Another group of balancing turns of almost incredible skill and exactitude was shown by the Four Uessems, a. Quartet of men, whose strength and accuracy were such as to justify their billing as deflers of gravitation. Hair-raising to watch, one of the star turns was for one man to balance on his forehead a long pole, on the top of which another man was balanced on his head. The man below then took two unsupported ladders, one in each hand, and slowly ascended, one foot on each, while the crowd breathlessly watched the fato of the man on the top of the pole. The successful descent relieved the tension. This and similar deathdefying axis placed the Ucssems as premier balancers of their day. The Santey Duo, in a "human-propeller" act. was another original and dangerouslyclever item on the circus bill. Mounted on a swinging propeller-like contrivance far above the ring, one man preserved the babince while Ms companion, on the other wins of the propeller, performed acrobatic motions. Tho two then balanced on the respective "wings," keeping upright as the contrivance slowly turned over, and finally held on tightly while tho propeller flew around at a terrific speed, a very clever and hazardous act. A talented little contortionist was Miss Yvonne, who pleased her audience with a series of new and well-executed movements. Christo and Herman, too. were seen to advantage in a balancing and juggling act which showed an original line on this difficult art. The four Misses Wirth. beautiful and athletic, were introduced in a picturesque aerial act, "Les Quatre Hirondelles," in which the coloured spotliEht—another innovation in the modern circus was used with effect as the silver-clad figures sped around on a great chandelier, while their white robes filled out like the wings of giant moths.

A feature of (lie circus was tbe variety of the animal turns. Polar bears, brown bears, and lions and elephants were put through their paces in the great cage, and horses and ponies were introduced in many novel items. Miss Gladys pranced in on a . magnificent black stallion "Bobs II.," whom she controlled admirably through skipping and waltzing movements and through the fiery hoop. Later, Miss Gladys directed five white Australian ponies through some admirable military manoeuvres and sorting out intricacies, all of which reflected careful and accurate training. A troupe of beautiful black ponies were introduced in formation figures by Mr. P. Wirth, who appeared also in a jockey and trick riding act. Miss Doris staged a series of delightful tableaux witli her horse Queenie in classic pose, showing the result of painstaking effort in training. The performance was punctuated by the frequent appearance of clowns and jesters, whose painted faces and comic gestures added the necessary touch of farce to complete the enjoyment of the programme, and make Witths' a first-class show. The performanco was repeated last evening and at a matinee yesterday afternoon.