FITZGERALDS' CIRCUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXX, Issue 12262, 5 January 1904, Page 4

FITZGERALDS' CIRCUS.

The circus proprietor no doubt has worries and problems to deal with, but he need never vex himself with the question of public taste. The appetite jor the joys of the sawdust ring Keeps its keenness. 'iiie taste for intellectual entertainments is subject to fashion and caprice; the admiration of physical prowess and the love for demonstrations of mastery over the brute creation remain as permanent'pleasures with Anglo-Saxons, supplying proof, if proof is asked for, of the virility of the race; whilst the accompanying buffoonery is'sure of appreciation from successive generations of small boys. A well-conducted circus need not be feared by fathere and mothers, nor looked at askance by the accepted guides of the people. 1 itzgerald's circus comes within this category. It commands the patronage of all sections of the community, as the result of a good reputation that dates back from its first visit to Otago in 1895; and by what was seen and heard on Saturday night, when the huge, tent on the Oval was crammed with an appreciative and orderly crowd, the management is as competent as ever. The Messrs Fitzgerald understand their business, and the heads of departments are up to their work. One improvement upon the ordinary circus is in respect to the music. The performances by Herr Von der Mehden and his orchestra ate inter-eating, because of the ■wise selection of good music as distinguished from the usual rattle of rubbishy galops and marches, and also because the p'pyi: v. is.r.itely kept down and some atte..x...! nrveu *to harmony. Saturday nig. ,- ■ gramme consisted of 21 acts. Sou.-. tUese were of the usual and inaepai;.j!tf character'; the staple lines of a circus programme were faithfully provided. Coming to the features of the show, more or less the subject of "option on the manager's part, we notice finst the pretty display by five loose horses, these beautiful animals obeying Mr P. Montgomery's spoken directions and forming up in a number of pictorial tableaux, besides executing several intricate, evolutions. The public in Dunedin have never seen a better display in this line. The Olympic acts of Miss Katie Montgomery also call lor commendation. The high jumping was another net w«U worth seeing, pnd the mock donkey business proved interesting because worked up most humorously and olaiiCriiatr- with more pains than .-usual. The audience were thoroughly pleased; too, with Mdlle. Nellie Dagmar's riding and her novelty of two performing terriers that walked in and 6ut of the horse's legs tis he pranced round, whilst Gilleno's musical specialties and the comic horizontal bar business by the Morattos, who are from France, evoked loud applause and shouts of laughter, and Manzoni's troupe of perfectly trained dogs went through a lengthy performance with unfailing cleverness. Besides these doings the audience saw three specialties. Mdlle. Onra deserves particular praise in this connection. This young lady, who comes from Wolff's circus in Capenhagen, walks the tight wire. Gifted with the form of a sculptor's model, and exceptionally graceful, this lady is a picture in herself, and her performancewas distinguished by its sureness, its variety, its freedom from indelicacy, its excellent by-play, and its scenic harmony. The feat was distinctly attractive and un- • common.: Then there was Dr Gordon, the strong man; he threw about heavy ■weights as mere toys, displayed a chest inflation said to measure twenty inches, and wound up by carrying an ordinarysized horse, said to- weigh 8701b, up a ladder to the height of perhaps sft. He is certainly a marvel. Lastly came the' Flying Meteors, -imported from- Berlin. There are two of these. One swings on a high trapeze; the other takes off from a tower, ■ catches his mate's hands, times his spring from that position to grab his own trapeze, twisting round to do so, and thus regains his pedestal. Then, as a climax, the chief-performer goes through this act blindfolded, with <a handkerchief over his eyes and a sack about his head. It is a risky act, but there is a net in case of accident. We have only to add that the seating and tent arrangements are satisfactory.—("Otago Daily Times.")