THE LONDON CIRCUS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1649, 13 June 1887, Page 2

THE LONDON CIRCUS.

The London Circus, which is to open here on Tuesday, has appeared at New Plymouth, and has been very favorably reviewed by the local Dress. We notice that the company included in all some 28 performers, so that it is unusually strong in numbers. The Otago Daily Times, in a lengthy notice of the troupe, writes of it as folio ws :—Meesrß.: — Meesrß. Herbert and Fitzgerald's circus, which opened on the Market Reserve, pioved to be an entertainment thoroughly worthy of support. There was a tentful of spectators, who seemed well pleased throughout, While one or two really remarkable items in the performance evoked enthusiastic applause. Some of the acts wpre familiar here, but good, such as the contortion feats of Signor Bartelli, formerly khown as " the snake man " or " the boneless man." The extraordinary elasticity of his joints and sinews well jtstify &uoh a title — in fact, some of his convolutions are too startling to be exactly pleasant to look at. Mr. Organ, too, seems to have peculiar powers as an animal educator: All the horses he introduced were marvellously well trained, and the great " see-saw act" to which a couple of them were broken, was certainly the most ext raordinary feat ever performed by horsrs in DuneHn, or perhaps anywhere else. It was simply the well-known game of seesaw played by horses precisely as it is played by children, and with perhaps less timidity than will be displayed by most children on their first essay at the game. A bcoad plank was laid across a central support in the usual way, and the most experienced of the fourfooted plnyers cautiously ascended this to the balancing point, where he tilted over the other end of the plank for the ascent of his companion. The latter having got hie footing, the first horse backed slowly, and the game commenced and was continued for some minutes, the horses finally bringing the plank to an exact balance, and each remaining poised in tnid-air. The applause at the conclusion of this feat was tumultuous. The performance of Molci, the 1 human cartridge,' and Ohmy, the trapezist — a, performance similar to that now being given by the variety company at the Lyceum— did not eventuate quite successfully. The lady was fired with considerable velocity from the mouth of the gun and " cannoned " hard against the trapezist who, however, failed to hold her, and she dropped into the net. She was up again though unhurt, and the pair went through a clever performance on the double trapeze. Another remarkably clever but indubitably lisky performance was accomplished by Mr, T. L. Herbert upon the" Bwinging trapeze. Standing, kneeling, and sitting, he maintained his position on the bar when a'j full swing, and without any hand hold. Among other items were clever displays of bareback horsemanship by Messrs. P. M. Rogers, A. Herbert, and J. Cook, equally clever juggling feats by Messrs. T. L. and J, Herbert, and an " equitation act" by Madame Leon. Mr. Organ's troupe of five Bronco horses went through a variety of. queer exercises with singular obedience, and the trainer especially bit the fancy pf the audience with his pretty little piebald pony "Commodore," evidently a star among four-fgoted artists. The appearance of a roan horse who sat in a waggon and drove himself calmly round the arena with the reins in his mouth brought the entertainment to a close,