Alexander Witkin (2 February 1907 – 17 December 1961), who performed as Afrique, was a South African singer and impressionist who starred in theatre in Britain and the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

The son of Russian Jews who emigrated to South Africa in the 1890s, Witkin was born in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

in 1907. He originally intended to study law, but then trained as a singer, making his debut in South Africa in 1927. In 1930, he performed at a Hebrew Order of David friendly society function in Johannesburg. "Alec Witkin", ''Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance''
Retrieved 10 March 2021 He emigrated to England, and joined the Vic-Wells Opera Company in 1931. His

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

allowed him to sing opera parts ranging from

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, with the result that he was able to imitate both Richard Tauber and

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

. In 1934, he auditioned for the Windmill Theatre as a variety act.Michael Kilgarriff, ''Grace, Beauty and Banjos: Peculiar Lives and Strange Times of Music Hall and Variety Artistes'', Oberon Books, 1998, , p.19 The owner, Vivian Van Damm, wrote that he picked him because of his stage presence, saying: "He had no act, no set routine. He came on dressed in a leopard skin, carrying a spear and made terrifying Zulu noises deep in his throat. From those small beginnings, we built up an act for him and very soon he had a ten-minute spot in each show and was a very big attraction." He regularly performed on the London

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

and cabaret circuit, performing impressions of singers and actors. One of his most popular impressions was of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

; although the

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said that it was "most undesirable and in very bad taste", he had no powers to prevent performances in nightclubs, though Afrique dropped the impersonation soon afterwards.Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , pp.167-168 Afrique made radio broadcasts on shows such as '' Variety Bandbox'' during the 1930s and 1940s.Search, "Afrique", ''BBC Radio Times Genome''
Retrieved 10 March 2021 He first performed at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

in 1936, toured South Africa with

Larry Adler Lawrence Cecil Adler (February 10, 1914 – August 6, 2001) was an American harmonica player and film composer. Known for playing major works, he played compositions by George Gershwin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud ...

in 1938, and appeared in the 1939 film '' Discoveries''. In a 1940

British Pathe British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

film clip, he impersonates

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, and singer Peter Dawson. He performed regularly in London revues and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

s through the 1950s, but became a heavy gambler.Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, ''Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts'', Robson Books, 1998, , p.2 He died in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

, London in 1961, aged 54, and was buried at Willesden Jewish Cemetery.

References

External links

*
Film of Afrique performing in 1940
''British Pathe'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Afrique 1907 births 1961 deaths South African impressionists (entertainers) South African Jews Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery South African emigrants to the United Kingdom