Grock

Grock [ Karl Adrien Wettach] (1880–1959), the supreme clown of his generation, for many years a much-loved star of the British music-hall. Born in Switzerland, he toured as a boy with a circus, changing his name when he appeared in a double act (with Brick). He later appeared in Berlin, and in 1911 was engaged by Cochran for the Palace Theatre in London. His clowning was so expressive that it needed no words. He was constantly at the mercy of inanimate objects: any chair he sat on would collapse and entangle him; his enormous double-bass case would be found to contain a tiny violin; when he began to play the piano he discovered he was wearing thick gloves, and was delighted at the improvement in his performance when he removed them. An accomplished performer on at least 20 instruments, he made his hour-long act a series of musical excerpts, which at first he failed to grapple with but finally, to his own simple delight, managed to master. He always wore the same make-up and costume, a pale, egg-shaped face with a large red mouth, a massive tail-coat with collar and tie, tight trousers, clumsy boots, a bowler hat, and a bald wig. He played in London almost continuously up to 1924, mainly at the Coliseum, after which he returned to the Continent, giving his farewell performance at Hamburg in 1954.