WHELAN WHISPERS.

NZ Truth, Issue 88, 23 February 1907, Page 4

WHELAN WHISPERS.

THE MASTER-MIMIC Tells of His London Experiences.

Everybody m Australasia who loves a good show knows Albert Whelan, the remarkably clever mimic and comedian, who made his greatest hit as Ichabod Bronson, m "The JBellc of New York," as he .himself explains below ; therefore there is no need to apologise for the reproduction of the following : "I'll bet you never heard of anyone else, barring Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde, who has gone through as strange an experience as I have. It is not every man who can say that he once parted voluntarily with hia identity," observed Mr Albert Whelan to a "British Australasian" interviewer. "It happened m Australia. Mr J. C. Williamson was running 'The Belle of New York.' The principal part. Ichabcd Bronson, Was being played by that clever artist. and downright good fellow, the late Oscar Girajrd. Now, it's a curious thing, he was an American, and I'm a ; Melbourmte, not related m. any way whatever, and yet we might have been' twjn brothers. He'.was. , tall aiyl thiri, lam tall and thin. He was bfack-hairejl, I ■am ditto ; but the queerest thing of all was, We were mighty alike- m face. Rude persons y have e^'Jed «.$ lantern-jawed. That, as ;p<rf» \cai\ see, is a calumny ; but hextfas." ' — --? ■• - •

"I am coming to it. We even wore ' the same size m shoes, agd I stepped into his. One day he fell ill, and could not nlav. WpJJ^vou can't do Hamlet without thfTDiine : it meant close up, and an end- 16- the season. Gerard Coventry. . /who was stage-' , managing, saw . the , way oiit. I;• trot: into poor Oscar's cioth.es, which fitted ;me very Well, followed MS, makeup line for line, imitated his voice, and mannerisms (that Was the advantage of being a mimip by trade.), and weht on and plated his part." . • ■ ' ■.' • • • The extraordinary thing about it was that outside thosa of the theatre staff who Were m the sdcret, riot a soul found it out. The papers next day came out with glowing notices of Girard's performance !, Fbr obvious reasons* of business it Was riot wise to tell the truth, ana so for several weeks I ceased? altogether to be Albert Whelan, ard became another man entirely. Then poor Giraicd died, and the un'ders-tudv oatnfe into his own. It was geilerally admit? ted to have heeh one 1 : of the m.oSJb marvellous instances' 6f substitution m the theatrical wbrlfl, ..' A well- . ' known American nYanacrer here m •■ London, on seeing mv phottifcraph as Bronson, Absolriteiv' refused to cre*Ht that it was not Girard- in. the pai';, and. what is more, w-on't bfrlieve it to this day !" .'-.•'.* * >•'':'• ' »' '• "My start m Londoti badrti quaint side to it. I wertt--td -aii.'&g"eht. He said,- 'My boy, miriiicry is dead." As far as the halls .are conce.ipd; the mimic is a back number.' . i bepi-ed v the lffaft of his piano fbr three minutes; I rindertook t6' convince .him to the contrary m 'that' tirrie', or say ftood itt6ririiri£. ' l-[eajb ddwri '-ithd -giivb hirii . imitations ■ of Rutland Barriri?,tpn, .Chlr^vin, and L&wton. Flo stopped me under' two tfiihutes arid a i half, and said I would do. I tharikqd him .; he inscribed -my name and address m an impressive, ledger, and I withdrew." , • ' "Oh , I just wanted to iiftpreSs him, and dissipate some of , hiS • conventional prejudices. Two hours 1 ; later, as I was sitting at hotnc trnn'-'oVfelr some, music, his manager dri3.ve op m a cab. He said, 'You go on to-night at the' Empire.* I said, 'Look here; if it Was a Well-known hall' I wouldn't mind •; but 'what'is the' Empire ; I never heard of it. Where js it ; what sort of a ]ilac£ is it, any* way V He nearly had paralysis. You see, ' I had only just, landed, and I Was Very fresh arid; green, He 1 broke it to me gently,; more inaor- | row than m anger, that the Empire I Was one of London's most Wagger halls and that I bright, as it ivere, to kneel down arid. take off my hat for the chance. When at. last this had .sufficiently sb-tlced into mv intelligence I went out and bought a cab or two, and. hustled ' for band parts. I got them all upside. do*-vri, , and several of those I. did get were missine-. subse-mently -irilbst of the condufctor's renjarks Vere _.fire* peatable, .but— l opened." I .-."J' came far one pi£ht, and stayed ! two months. And since thfeh, as I 1 am booked for quite a year' ahead, I think I have fairly- demonstrated that mimicry is n,ot played out." • "I don't wish ever for - a better audience than a London oae. I. am ! quite sure of one -thing-t-tiie least jfbrm of vulgarity is fast vanishing from the music hall stiige 1 ; ttfefme- . ment m every direction is takiire its ;place. The day of the frowsyv red.nosed. non-comic comedian, with thc doubtful joke and the risky song, is altogether over. It used to be' rather a dubious claim to professional honor to be a variety artist; nowadays it is an earnest of originality ond advancement. . . . The Austrhlii.n is a popular newcomer, who has never bjeen .'barred' m any way ; indeed, if II may speak fircrin personal experience, he has found 'welcome' on the mat and the door ajar. And most of us have walked right m, haven't we ?"