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Auguste:
For every joker there must be a "jokee", someone to be
the victim. Thus, it did not take long before the
fun-loving, joking whiteface clown found a target for
his pranks. This type of clown became a common side-kick
and often a scene-stealer for the whiteface. How the
name "Auguste" came to be used is a matter of
conjecture.
It is known that the word
is a German colloquialism for peasant or clod. But
legend has it that an early circus performer played a
joke on his employer by appearing in front of a German
audience wearing the most outlandish, ill-fitting
clothes he could find. The resulting roars of laughter
and applause were accompanied by shouts of "Auguste". So
it is said that the term came to be associated first
with the clothes usually worn by the August
rather than with the type of makeup. The clothes are
either too big, too small, or a combination of both.
Today, circus people use
the term "Auguste" to describe a personality type rather
than the outward appearance. Whether he is a grinning
simpleton or a ragged tramp, he is an Auguste if he is
the butt of the joke. . . . someone else's or his own.
In the modern era, several Auguste superstars have
studded the galaxy of clowndom. The Auguste who
personified the famous Bertram Mills Circus in England
for many years was Nikolai Poliakoff, known to thousands
of British children as "Coco". Coco's trademark was his
wild red wig which would stand on end at the touch of a
hidden control.
Another of the most famous
Augustes during the first half of the 20th century was
Adrian Wettach, known as "Grock". He was one of the few
clowns to b equally successful both on stage and in the
circus ring. His stage shows consisted of an
uninterrupted one-hour performance, including a skit he
made famous consisting of a hilarious attempt to play a
miniature violin. At first he seemed unsure what he was
supposed to do, then achieving some horrendous squawks,
and finally ending with a virtuoso performance. |
