WIRTH’S CIRCUS AND ZOO.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 883, 7 February 1907, Page 17

WIRTH’S CIRCUS AND ZOO.

OPENS AT AUCKLAND, FEBRUARY 26. The annual visit of -Wirth Bros’ circus and menagerie of performing wild animals has again come round. The circus has grown to such a size that the proprietors have adopted a policy of uniting a number of different kinds of entertainments under one management, for the one ticket. They not only give a genuine circus, but more than a circus, a combination of seven shows, viz.—a circus, a hippodrome, museum, vaudeville, menagerie, huge elephant herd, and grand oriental parade. Newly imported star artists have arrived from America and Europe, including the world’s greatest exponent on the tight rope or corde elastique, Hugh Lloyd, and it* is useless to attempt to describe what he can do. It would be easier to ask what can he not do, for he turns somersaults, jumps through hoops, and seems safer on the ropes than most people do on terra firma. He uses no balancing apparatus, and concedes a marvellous performance by turning somersaults while playing the violin, which does not cease playing. We can only say, go and see him. Roars of applause greet his performance everywhere. Mdlle Phillipina, the only somersault rider and boundary jockey in the world; Miss May Ringling, an equestrienne of unusual daring. The aerial department is in the hands of the world renowned “Flying Herberts,” the human skyrockets, and the Leon Sisters, aerial dental performers. In the hippodrome highly schooled horses and world’s champion high jumping ponies, camel races, etc., will take place. The museum contains many interesting curious freaks of nature. The Vaudeville, which is a new departure, will produce jiu jitsu wrestlers, Spanish dancers, musical comedy acts, wire walkers, equilibrists, and others in a bewildering jumb'e, for as many as nine different acts are going on simu'taneously at times. High jumping horses and ponies, including Playmate, 13 hands, the champion

high jumping pony of the world, and Maori, the New Zealand champion, in exciting contests. The menagerie, which includes many trained wi'd animals, is now one of the largest travelling :n the Australian States. The elephant herd is a feature this year, performing wonders for such ungainly beasts.

My Christchurch Dramatic Correspondent writes The wal s of the new Theatre Royal are beginning to rise. Sometime before the present year of grace has run its course, I suppose, the Theatre now in course of erection will be formally opened by His Worship the Mayor, or Sir Joseph Ward, or somebody, and the usual speeches will be made, and the usual healths will be “honoured.” And then the present T.R. will retire into the background and take a back seat for ever more. Some interesting memories cluster round the o’d house, too. It was there that the late Wm. Hoskins reigned, once upon a time, away back in the dim. and distant seventies. This colony has. never seen the equal of Hoskins as. an actor, and possibly never will see it. The chron icles of the ancient building, which now does duty as a Theatre Royal, would make interesting reading. . . Since my last the MacMahons have inaugurated another season at the Royal, with, the much-advertised and be-postered “Price of Sin.” This piece is in four acts, and all Of them as brimful of sensation as a to-be-continued-in-our-next. As the virtuous hero our old friend Chasl Blake has a congenial part. How, as a young officer who has charge of regimental trustmoneys to the value of he is tempted by the wicked Bpothman to squander the same in horse-racing, and how (as a matter of course) he backs the wrong ’un; how the villainous Boothman then tries to give him away for stealing the money entrusted to his keeping ; how the bt|witching heroine (Miss May Granville) refunds the misappropriated coin and so saves the hero from penal servitude, and foi s that bad Boothman; how the latter is eventually clean bowled (lbw), and shot dead (in the last act), all this and a heap more the plot of the piece reveals, and when the curtain falls for the last time the audience gives a long sigh of relief, and rejoices that virtue is rewarded in the good old fashioned way, and that vice is vanquished, as it invariably is (in melodrama). On Friday night there will be a change of bill, when “The Rogue’s Daughter” will go on. This is the Adelphi drama the Australasian rights of which are held by the Messrs Macmahon, and report speaks very highly of it. More concerning it anon. . . I dropped in to the Opera House last Saturday evening just in time to hear the fag-end of a ditty by Mr Bob Lloyd, and the applause which greeted the singer on his exit. Miss Millie Bertoto followed with “My Merry Automobile,” which the little lady sang with any amount of vivacity and “go.” Miss Millie has greatly improved since I ’ast had the pleasure of hearing her. Miss Rosie Bertoto sang something sad (and rather long), but appeared to please her audience. Then came the popular Percy Denton, whose make up as a Scotchman (in a black face and carroty hair), set the house laughing at once. He was recalled until he declined to come on any more. Master Norman Mudford, a young shaver of about ten years of age, sang the ballad “Teach Me to Forget,” very prettily. Percy Denton’s illustrated song “Just a Little Rocking-Chair and You,” went sp’endidly, the pit-boys joining heartily in the chorus. Then “The Apollo Belvidere” appeared, and posed as “The Dying Gladiator,” “Atlas,” “Mercury,” and a heap of others. Billed as “The Living Bronze Statue,” the Apollo’s turn is modelled on that of “the Modern Milo.” The Driscol's met with a great reception,

and the Bicknell’s performance was so much appreciated the house would hardly let them go. The clever pair are off to South Africa directly, so that it is to be feared we shan’t see them in this colony again for a long time to come.

Writes my Hawke’s Bay correspondent :—Do the public like melodrama ? and the answer is easily given in the affirmative, judging by the excellent houses that the Holloway Dramatic Company drew during their three-night season here at the Theatre Royal this week. The pieces staged: “The Coal King,” “Shadows of a Great City,” and “Under Remand” were all produced with strict attention to all matters of detail, and showed convincingly that the hand of a, past master in the art had been assiduous in his efforts, though Mr C. Holloway did not face the music. Signs of his work were apparent in the productions, as is the case with all melodramas, there was a terrible number of improbabilities opposed in the construction and development of the plots. But still the good old public cheered, and consequently appreciated the exponents of the various characters ; what always puzzles me, and I suppose will do so to the end of my time, is why are all the villains addicted to wearing black hair, and the comic men red ditto; this is a fallacy, which does not find -room to rest in the every-day life, for some of the hardest lots I have ever struck were men with hair of a light hue. a nd some of the few of mankind were of the clan whose hair and whiskers were of an inky hue. As regards the latter’s breed, they were real white fellows, the only thing that was black about them being their hirsute appendages. But this departure is only by the way. Miss Beatrice Holloway as usual was charming, her sweetness of manner and artistic displays drawing forth hearty recognition from patrons,. though other leaders of the Company Misses Conray, Russell, and Gourlay ably assisted in the support of Miss Holloway. Mr R. nman was an ideal juvenile lead, his fine voice and good figure helping to fill the picture with good effects.. Messrs Godfrey J^ e r S , On Tait ’ Frank Kennedy, Milton Welch, and J. Hesford, all did yeoman service in their different portrayals. It set me guessing when I saw Mr Hesford appear—guessing this way—to think how old he was, for it is quite 32 years ago since I first saw Hesford in the old- Princess Theatre, Dunedin, and though I was only a youngster then, he at that time gave the appearance of well set man. * * * * Great tales are told of Wonderland • -A-htierson’s latest venture in the theatrical line. Thousands were spent in the outlay, but the management is credited with having cleared initial expenses within the first two weeks. A large scope on the Bondi beach, Sydney, has been given up to the mysteries of Wonderland. Business people, on leaving the city, . flock out to Bondi, where their families await them; Gipsy teas are partaken of in the grounds, and then. the whole evening is spent in viewing the wondrous sights. Even then people depart without having seen half there is to see. Manly is deserted, except for continental bathing purposes, and Wonderland draws the crowd like a magnet. Mr. Anderson’s latest move to satisfy Sydney lovers of the romantic and sensational is the engagement of the scion of Russian bureaucracy and her amorist, over whose adventurous flight from the Czar’s dominions the Australian papers have been making such a fuss.

The new theatre in Christchurch has been registered under the Companies Act, with a proprietary of three. Of these Mr G. G. Stead possesses an interest of Mr R. M. McDonald and Mr P. A. Herman *** * . Mr Dudley Clinton, here some time since under contract to Mr George Musgrove, has been specially engaged by Mrs Fiske, the famous American actress, for her New York season, to play the Rev.. Matthew Phillimore in Langdon Mitchell’s comedy “The New York Idea,” which has obtained a phenomenal success. » * * * Says Mr David Belasco, the well known American manager: “The secret of stage greatness is listening with your eyes; opportunities are always to be seen by the man whose eyes are wide open.” » * * * The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal made by Mr Harry Rickards against the judgment of the Court of King’s Bench in the action brought against him by Ferdinand Glinseretti, manager of a troupe of acrobats, for breach of contract. In this case it will be remembered that Mr Rickards was charged with breach of contract because he refused to carry out an agreement on the ground that the troupe referred to was not in all respects the same as when he engaged it. A verdict was given against him, and damages were assessed at In connection with the strike on the part of mus’c-hall artists, musicians, and employees, three halls have been hired in London by the strikers, who propose to provide star entertainments. Nightly performances are being given in 14 of the barred halls. . * * * It is a remarkable fact (writes Mr George- Tallis) that every successive week of “Mother Goose” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, has been better, from a box office point of view, than the preceding one. Never during the whole of the period has there been enough room in the theatre for all those who applied for. admission, and people are turned away at every performance. It seems a pity to interrupt such a notable run before it has reached its legitimate end, and Mr J. C. Williamson is therefore endeavouring at present to arrange for a postponement of Mr Julius Knight’s opening at Her Majesty’s Theatre (which was originally fixed for next Saturday) for a week or so in order that the season of “Mother Goose” mav be prolonged. * * * * At Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, where the same conditions of crowded audiences and immense public apprecia-

tion have prevailed since Christmas, “Parsifal” has entered upon its final performances. For the rest of Miss Tittell Brune’s successful season in that city some of her most peculiar revivals will be staged until the pantomime succeeds to the tenancy of Her Majesty’s Theatre. Miss Brune hersef will be occupied during March with a round of visits beginning with Hobart from the 4th to the 15th of that month, after which she will make her first appearance at Bendigo (from the 16th to the 23rd). On the 25th, 26th, and 27th she will be at Ballarat and thence she will go to Melbourne for an eight or ten weeks season, beginning at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Easter Saturday.

Mr Jul’us Knight has arrived in Melbourne and received quite an ovation when he appeared in the dress circle at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the evening. His company, with whom rehearsals for “Robin Hood” have a'ready commenced, consist of the fol'owlng players from England :—Misses Marion Gray, Katherine Elbert Orton, Dorothy Sidney, Mary Godfrey, Messrs Leslie Victor, Reynolds Denniston Hubert Willis Gordon McIntosh and Herbert Bentley. In addition to these Mr J. C. Williamson has engaged several Australian actors to support Mr Knight during the tour, chief among whom is the popular Mr Harry P’immer, who has been transferred special y for the purpose from “The Squaw Man” Companv.

The popularity of the _Waldron-Hum-phr’es Company in New Zealand continues to be maintained at a remarkably high level. “The Squaw Man” in particular proving a very certain drawing card. The company are due back in Sydney on March 16th for a seven night’s season of “Cigarette” at the Theatre Royal there. Eastertime will see them at His Majesty’s Theatre, Brisbane, as the holiday attraction, and after a short season there they travel round to Adelaide.

“Peter Pan” seems to be a wonderful money maker, for the latest advices from London indicate that its third revival there at the end of December was a huge success. Though the piece had scarcely begun its run at the time the theatre was already booked right up :o February, and so great was the rush to see it that a course of daily matinees had to be initiated. At he same time the shops had taken note of the boom and everywhere in London Peter Pan toys, crackers ,and postcards were to be seen prominently displayed in the windows of the retail houses.

Mr Andrew Mack is leaving San Francisco on his Australasian tour on the 20th of this month (February), so that he will arrive in New Zealand in ample time for his opening at Wellington on Easter Saturday. He is bringing a full company, which he describes as even stronger than the previous one, and several new plays including “Miles Aroon” and “Eileen Asthore, ” as well as all the established favourites in his repertoire.

At a meeting of the leaders of the dramatic, profession at the Garrick Theatre, in London, Mr John Hare, who presided, said that the suggestion to endow an Irving Theatre would necessitate a public subscription of and prominent members of the profession were agreed that that was impossible. He proposed that a statue of Irving should be erected —there was an almost definite promise of a site in one of the chief thoroughfares of London—by subscriptions from the managers, actors, actresses, and dramatists of the United Kingdom and America. This was agreed to. Miss Ellen Terry, however, is not satisfied with this, and has received much influential support for her plan to establish a national memorial in the shape of a museum, library, and picture gallery on the lines of the Shakespeare memorial at Stratford-on-Avon.

Miss Priscilla Verne, the Australian comedienne, who has been in America for three or four years, returned to Sydney by the Sonoma the other day. She has the acting rights of several musical comedies and other pieces, the production of which she will endeavour to arrange for locally.