Bonzer Words!: May Wirth
Paula Wilson presents a brief biography of May Wirth, a circus artiste who was the best bare back rider in the world.
Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au
When the crowd at Madison Square Gardens responded with delight to her bare-back riding routine, May Wirth knew she had made it. What could be bigger than top billing as 'The Australian Wizard Rider, the Champion of all times' by Barnum and Bailey's Circus?
It was a long way from the small town of Bundaberg in Queensland where May was born in 1894. With both her parents being circus performers it was only natural that May started out at an early age preparing for the ring. Her father, gymnast John Zinga, coached her in the techniques required to make her debut as a contortionist at the age of five.
Her parents' relationship was pretty volatile and in 1901 they split up. May was taken under the wing of Marizles Wirth Martina, a member of the famous Wirth Circus family. Marizles took May in as a family member and so began her training as a serious performer.
It was a huge change for May who had been severely neglected by her parents. One of the first things Marizles did was to shave May's head to cure a nasty infection. Imagine the devastation she would have felt seeing her dark locks of hair fall to the floor. But the positives far out weighed the negatives. Now May was well fed and clothed. She received regular schooling although this was not something she thought of as a positive. The circus ring, where she learnt all aspects of the circus world, was her preferred environment, not the classroom.
Marziles could see May's potential and took over control of the training which would lead to May becoming the best bare-back rider in the world.
The Wirth Circus traveled throughout Australia with May continuing to perfect her act. At fifteen she was one of the star performers at the opening of the 1911 season. She performed daring somersaults upon the back of a galloping horse.
Marizles felt it was time to take on the big time so, along with Marizles daughter Stella, they traveled to the Americas. Once in the United States May performed for John Ringling, the owner of the legendary Ringling Circus.
It was in the following year while with Barnum and Bailey's, May performed her unbelievable feats before the discerning audience at Madison Square Gardens. All the hard work had paid off, but her career was just getting started.
She crossed the North Atlantic to become the number one attraction at London's exhibition center the Olympia for the opening of the 1913 season. It was a season in which she would appear before English royalty at a gala performance; Marizles was ring mistress and Stella a co-performer.
All the time May's reputation was growing with her now known as the 'foremost circus equestrienne in the world.'
Although at her top May did not forget her roots, returning to Australia for the 1915 season with the Wirth Circus. The troupe had become the Royal Martin Wirth Family, and again May was the star, performing daring routines upon a white horse.
Opportunities were limited in Australia so it was back to the United States where they joined Ringling Brothers and appeared in front of huge audiences. Circuses were an extremely popular form of entertainment in the early twentieth century and Ringling Brothers were bringing in crowds of over ten thousand spectators a day at Chicago's Coliseum.
Although Marizles had controlled most of May's early career fellow performer Frank White took over as manager and in 1919 May and Frank were married.
May remained with Ringling Brothers except for the years between 1921 and 1923 when she appeared at local fairs throughout the country. She also joined up with another circus during this period and at the end of each season May would set sail for the European circuit.
May's popularity and talent were so respected that she appeared at the Chicago Opera house during 1931 in the opera The Circus Princess. The stage was transformed into a circus ring and May accompanied by other riders and their horses would thunder around the very limited arena.
May decided to retire in 1937 at the age of forty-three. With her husband she settled in New York. A short while later they moved to Florida where in 1964 she received the ultimate honour of being elevated to the Circus Hall of Fame. May died on 18 October 1978. She was eighty-four.
© Paula Wilson
