Welcome

 Welcome to Threw the Hat,  a blog about Australian Juggling History.

Here you will find links to photos and articles/stories about Australian Jugglers and those who visited Australia..

You can search the site or browse the tags on the right hand side if you are looking for a particular juggler.

Please credit the site if you are using any information you find here

Enjoy your visit and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments

Please note; I post sporadically due to time constraints. I work as a teacher and I tend to post more when on holidays.

Thanks to everybody who has visited or given feedback.

Leann

Cinquevalli on the right. (author's collection) 

Harry Tsuda in Australia 1916-17

  

 

Harry Tsuda was an exceptional equilibrist and balancer who toured Australia in 1916-1917, as one of many American performers who came during the early years of the war.  Harry seemed assured and confident in all he did. This was necessary due to the incredible balancing feats he performed. He gave candid and probably not quite candid interviews to the press and certainly lived up to the reputation of his famous mother, the notorious Adele Purvis Onri.

Harry claimed 1885 as his date of birth on his passport and the place as San Francisco. The same passport had a hand written note which said ‘My father died when I was three and I am unsure if he was a citizen’. Sometimes Harry said he was born in Japan, but usually he gave the US as his native land.

Harry said in interviews that his father was a rich man from Tokyo who sent him to university in the US. After trying  to complete degrees in dentistry and engineering, the pull of athletics was too strong, and he decided on a vaudeville career. This could have been true, but it is hard to reconcile with the fact that he performed in London in 1902, as little Tsuda.

Whilst in Australia, Harry also talked about his mother, Adele Purvis Onri. She was the daughter of well-known English circus proprietor Henry Brown, and performed around the world doing a serpentine dance and juggling on a spherical ball. Harry recalled that he gained his ability to smile while performing difficult feats due to Adele’s coaching. She would stand on the side of the stage harassing him as he balanced, with heckles such as ‘ Look at that face, surely he’s been to a funeral’ ‘ I suppose he just can’t smile’.  As a result Harry spent hours in front of a mirror practising smiling whilst balancing on a sphere. A modern interpretation might be that Adele was a bullying stage mother, but it was probably an acceptable practice considering vaudeville and circus culture at the time. 

Harry performed with Adele in London in 1902-03 and also in the United States in 1906-07. Soon he began a solo professional career as Tsuda, the Japanese balancer. His act evoked applause, gasps and shock. He thrilled every audience that saw him.

 In Australia, a Melbourne newspaper gave an in depth description of his act;

Tsuda places a large white sphere on top of a table, climbs on the sphere, drags up a chair, climbs on it, takes up another chair surmounts it, and then begins to do all sorts of difficult acrobatic feats… bringing his work to a climax by balancing himself head down from the top of a swaying pile while he picks up a handkerchief with his teeth.

According to newspaper accounts ‘ He was ‘as much at home head downwards as most people are in a normal attitude’. His daring feats had audiences holding their breath and cheering wildly when he safely returned to stand on the stage.

Harry arrived in Australia, at the invitation of Ben Fuller, in July 1916. He opened in Sydney then proceeded to Melbourne where he was ‘loudly applauded.’ By September he was in Perth and described as ‘a past master at making you hold your breath’ . Harry’s act was  different for Australian audiences and this ensured his popularity. He gave several interviews and in one he addressed some of the issues of contemporary society.

 It was sixteen years after Federation and the White Australia Policy was a plank of the new constitution .Australia was at war, and there was a rising fear of an ‘Asian invasion’.

Harry was very intelligent and addressed these fears and whilst doing so subtly played the racism of his white audiences.

‘ I think it can be claimed with all sincerity that the Japanese are thoroughly in sympathy with British institutions and ideals… I can assure you the thinking Japanese are not anxious to transplant Japan into either California or Australia but seek only to broaden their own views in order to continue  the enlightenment of their countrymen.’

This is a rare instance of an Asian performer speaking on the issue of race at the time.  

Harry’s tour coincided with the tour of juggler Archie Onri, who was engaged on the Tivoli circuit.  Archie may have been a relative of Adele, but neither man acknowledged this, although they performed at least once  in the same city at the same time.

In December 1916 Harry went to New Zealand and remained there until February 1917. In March he reprised his act in Sydney and performed in regional areas of the state. In April he was described as a ‘very small Japanese’ who performed ‘one of the most novel and exciting turns presented in vaudeville.’

In May he returned to Melbourne and in June was in Queensland where ‘his principal act of balancing two ordinary chairs on a sphere at hair raising angles and then balancing on the backs of each by his hands with feet in the air simply brought down the house.’

After almost a year in Australasia, Harry returned to the United States. He told Australian reporters that a dramatic role was waiting for him, but he soon resumed the balancing act.

Harry maintained a solid vaudeville career in the United States and continued in balancing until 1926. In October that year he was performing for a small independent circuit in Pennsylvania when he fell. He died in hospital a day later from a broken neck. 

Harry was a well liked and extremely skilled performer who was very popular in Australia. His photograph is a reminder of this extraordinary artist’s visit during the trying years of World War one. 

 

 

The Great Cestria.

 

Cestria or Carlo Cavalli, the Italian acrobatic waiter, was one of many jugglers who came to Australia during World War 1. He was in the country for over 10 years and in that time worked for all the major vaudeville chains and circuses.

The diminutive Carlo was born in Torino Italy in 1883. By 1906 he was working in English music halls as a juggler and acrobat. When he arrived in Australia in 1916, under engagement to Fuller’s vaudeville, he was 33 years old, of medium build standing 5ft 1in tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Carlo, who often travelled under the name ‘Cestria’ was an acrobat and juggler. He was accompanied by his wife Anna, who also performed in the act. Cestria was the star, who began the turn on stilts, performing somersaults. He then juggled with various household items such as potatoes and had the audience throwing potatoes to him from the auditorium. It was an entertaining, humorous and participative turn.

In September 1916, he appeared in Queensland ‘ on stilts throwing all sorts of somersaults with a double on a table.’ In October he travelled to New Zealand and then returned to Australia in February 1917. This was the standard touring route for Fuller’s international performers at the time. 

In Melbourne that year he was described as ‘ a diminutive comedy man of exceptional ability’.

By November 1917 he had joined the Tivoli circuit and remained with it until at least October 1918 when he performed at the Tivoli Sydney.

His turn at this time consisted of a 20 minute act, featuring himself and his wife, Anna, as a maid. The turn opened on a drawing room scene with four tables with white table cloths. Upon the tables were plates and fruits and props such as cigar boxes, a top hat, a bucket, a saw and an axe. Anna entered the stage dressed as a maid and dusted the tables, Cestria followed on stilts, dressed as a waiter, and started tumbling. Then he pretended to saw off the wooden stilts with the saw, after which he resumed tumbling and juggling with the fruit on the table. At this, Anna exited the stage. Cestria then proceeded to juggle three china eggs whilst wearing the top hat, which had a hole in it. The eggs passed through the hole to the juggler to produce a comedic effect. He then juggled twelve cigar boxes, dropping and picking them up for more comedy. Anna then returned on stage whilst the juggler placed a fork in his mouth. Anna threw potatoes at him whilst he proceeded to catch them with the fork. Anna and Cestria then threw potatoes at the audience encouraging them to throw the potatoes on stage so that Cestria could catch them. After some time of being pelted with potatoes the juggler put on the bucket and waved a white flag, giving up. 

After catching the potatoes, Anna walked off stage and then started to throw various vegetables and fruit at the juggler, with each one getting larger. Cestria, as the waiter, caught them on the fork in his mouth. Finally , a dummy, looking like the waitress, was thrown at him on stage, and he would catch this too on the fork, finishing the act on a comic high note.

After three years of solid employment in Australia, Cestria and Anna took the act to Western Australia. They were preparing to leave for the Northern Hemisphere. Most of Australia had seen their turn and they were not getting much work in the major vaudeville chains. Unfortunately, shipping accommodation at the end of the war was limited due to the need to return troops from Europe to Australia, so Carlo and Anna found themselves stuck in Western Australia. They spent almost two years in WA performing in various vaudeville theatres and in Eroni’s Circus. During this time they received warm reviews from the press which described the act as ‘uproariously funny’ and ‘remarkable for its cleverness.’

By 1921 it seems that the duo had decided to remain in Australia. That year they performed in South Australia, Sydney and Queensland. In March in South Australia the reviewers described Cestria as ‘a wonderful tumbler, juggler and balancer… at his best as a comedian.’

In Sydney, in June, they performed at Fullers as Charles and Anna Cestria, ‘tumbling over and under tables and chairs’ the newspapers described their tricks as ‘some of the best of their kind’. 

However, it seems that there were some people in Australia who were imitating the act and in July 1921 Carlo Cavallo copyrighted an act called ‘Cestria the acrobatic waiter’ with the Australian government. He claimed that he had performed it since 1906 in England and asserted dramatic rights to the original work. 

However, this did not discourage the imitators. In October 1922 whilst working for Colleano’s Circus in Victoria, Carlo wrote to the government complaining about an imitator called De Car who was performing as the ‘acrobatic waiter’ for Fullers at the Bijou in Melbourne.

Carlo claimed; ‘I advised him personally five or six times to cut it out and he will not take any notice ‘. Carlo added that he had also advised both Musgrove, (who ran the Tivoli) and Fuller, (who managed Fullers) about the issue. Neither man acted on the advice. 

Carlo was understandably furious. ‘ I had to join the circus’ he wrote, as he could not gain employment on the vaudeville circuit ‘ because they have this man instead of me and he is working cheaper.’

The Australian government also did not act on his complaints. 

Whatever problems Carlo had with Fullers seem to have been resolved by 1924 because he worked with them during that year juggling ‘cigar boxes and soup plates.’ His act was described as ‘twenty minutes of uproariously funny comedy with clever juggling and dare devil acrobatic stunts.’ In July that year, a dog, Prince, was added to the act.

However by 1925 the Great Cestria was not as popular and from this time until he left Australia, his main performances were in minor regional vaudeville chains, circuses  and yearly pantomimes.  His act was always warmly greeted wherever he went and his ‘true vaudeville touch’ and ‘wide experience of stagecraft ‘ were recognised.

In 1928, Carlo Cavallo, aka The Great Cestria, left Australia for England. He arrived in September 1928 in Liverpool and does not seem to have appeared in Australia again.

Lew Hoffman- Hat Juggler in Australia 1915-1916

 Lew Hoffman, American hat juggler toured Australia and New Zealand for eight months in the early years of World War 1.

Lew was Russian and born in 1888 to Israel and Hannah Hoffman. The family, including at least one sister,  arrived in the United States via New York from England in 1893 when Lew was 5. He remained an ‘alien’ according to US authorities until he applied for naturalisation in 1937. It seems the family may have been one of many who fled Russia after the assassination of Tsar Alexander and the subsequent pogroms against the Jewish population, as Lew listed his 'race' as Hebrew when he returned to the United States from Australia in 1916. 

In 1915, Australian theatre manager, Ben Fuller, visited the United States searching for talent for his Australasian vaudeville circuit, known as Fullers. He saw Lew perform during this visit and invited him to tour. Lew accepted, and when he arrived in New Zealand in August 1915, he was a 5 foot 10 inch, 28 year old professional hat juggler with brown hair and brown eyes.

Lew began his tour in New Zealand and stayed there between August and September 1915. The critics called him ‘an expert manipulator of the most awkward articles from a jugglers point of view’ and described his work as ‘neat and sure’.

In October Lew travelled to Sydney. In a brief interview after his arrival he stated that he had worked in a hat factory as a youth, which may have explained his affinity for the prop. He also complained about the difficulty in getting hats repaired. He explained that they needed stiff brims and that his ‘bouncing’ of the hats damaged them so they were no longer usable. Presumably a milliner in Sydney quickly resolved his problem.

Lew was primarily a hat juggler and advertised as ‘The American hat maniac’. He dressed as a tramp complete with ‘grotesque makeup’ and juggled bell top hats and rubber balls in a totally silent act. In Australia he juggled 5 hats and bounce juggled 4 balls. His hats were of different shapes and sizes and he built the tension by firstly manipulating 2 hats and reaching a climatic finish when he whirled 5 hats around his body. He relied on comedic pantomime to engage the audience.

Hoffman’s turn was very well liked in Australia. He received ovations in Western Australia and was compared to W C Fields in skill and comic ability. His costume certainly resembled that of Fields who had toured Australia in 1914. Hat juggling was not common in Australia at the time so Lew's tricks were original and new to many audiences. Unusually for a Fuller’s performer his pictures were featured in many major, non trade, publications during the tour. This indicated that he was a well liked professional.

He remained in Australia until May 1916 and appeared in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. Upon leaving Sydney he returned to his sister’s house in Philadelphia where he continued a successful career as a juggler.

Wilfrid Dubois in Australia and New Zealand 1916-1917

Juggler Wilfrid Dubois arrived in Australia in July 1916 and spent almost a year performing on the Fuller circuit in Australia and New Zealand.

Wilfrid was born in Quebec Canada in January 1892. Later that year, his father Joseph moved to New Hampshire in the United States taking Wilfrid with him. The family remained in New Hampshire and Dubois senior became a US citizen in 1898.

Wilfrid was employed sporadically before coming to Australia. He was not a household name in American vaudeville, so a long tour to Australia was a guarantee of steady employment. In 1916 when he applied for his passport, he was a slightly built, 24 year old, with brown hair and brown eyes,  looking for adventure and opportunity. 

Dubois travelled to Australia via the Sierra from San Francisco in June 1916. By July he was appearing in a Red Cross benefit for the war effort in Brisbane Queensland, it was a long way from the bustling cities of America. 

After touring Queensland, Dubois headed to New Zealand, where he was applauded for the novelty of his tricks which included juggling tennis racquets, clubs, wine glasses, hats and billiard balls.

From New Zealand Dubois headed to Sydney’s National Amphitheatre. He sauntered casually on stage dressed in flannels, an eyeglass and a straw hat,  carrying a suitcase and a tennis racquet and proceeded to juggle the hat, tennis racquet and a ball. His casual demeanour defined the act. He not only used his hands, but his feet and head to manipulate the props and his dexterity and novelty were noted by the press. One of the highlights of his turn was a difficult balancing trick. He balanced an orange perched on a rod on his forehead, at the same time he twirled a triangle with a glass of liquid balanced on a cane in his right hand whilst juggling two oranges in his left. It was an amazing and unique feat which was much appreciated by audiences.

Dubois was a small man but he had a pleasing personality and a comedic air which struck a chord with audiences. Notably he was mostly  billed as either French or French Canadian, possibly to avoid confrontation about America’s non participation in the war.  His performances were very well reviewed in both Australia and New Zealand during the tour.

He visited Adelaide, Melbourne, and finally arrived in Fremantle in May 1917, where he got involved in an escapade which illustrated his youth and adventurous spirit.

Dubois, with other theatricals, including juggler Uno Togo, were arrested for cruelty to animals after an ill-fated riding expedition. The performers, none of whom had much riding experience, hired some horses for a jaunt. The horses, according to the actors, ran out of control, resulting in a disturbance where six horses were wildly racing down the main street of town. When returned to the stables, one animal was limping. 

In the subsequent court case, Dubois and his friends denied racing the beasts. They also denied charges of cruelty. The magistrate believed them, holding that the problem was the rider’s inexperience and that no malice was intended.

With this last adventure, Dubois headed home to the United States. He continued his career and became well known in juggling circles. Dubois married 19 year old Joyce Smith in 1920 and continued living in New Hampshire. He passed away in 1972. 

The Great Henri French- the handsomest man in vaudeville.

 The Great Henri French, described as the handsomest man in vaudeville by an Australian reviewer, spent over 10 years performing in Australia and New Zealand in the early 20th Century. He was a juggler, a magician, a unicyclist and a heart breaker.

According to Henri, (sorry), Great Henri French, the name he gave to US authorities, he was born in Belgium on Christmas Day in 1876. He grew up in a circus and learned all the circus skills, making his first appearance on a bicycle when he was two years old.  He learnt juggling, cycling, acrobatics, wire walking, and trapeze. But Henri preferred to stay on the ground, as the trapeze did not suit his skill set. This early training ensured his versatility which was always a noted feature of his act. 

In 1900 Henri arrived in New York and began performing on the variety stage. His black hair, brown eyes and 5 ft 6 inch stature combined with a strong French accent attracted the ladies. Variety Magazine noted in 1906 that he had a ‘first class show’ which was performed with grace and gained much applause, particularly from the women in the audience.

His act at this time focused on riding on a single bicycle wheel and juggling various objects. He juggled plates, eggs, hats, umbrellas, performed some magic tricks and impressions. His skill was in the diversity of the turn. It was part juggling, part magic part comedy, part acrobatics, part clowning, and all Henri charm. 

In 1908 Henri married 17 year old  Ethel Smith in Pennsylvania. They had two children, Henri Syracuse, and Harry. The family moved to New York and in 1912, the ‘Great Henri French’ renounced his allegiance to King Leopold, swore he was not a bigamist, and applied for US citizenship.

Shortly afterwards, in 1913, the same Great Henri French, arrived in Australia.

He made his first appearance at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney. He was described as more of a ‘surprise packet’ than sensational, but certainly something new. Dressed in a suit with tall hat and a single eyeglass, he rolled onto the stage perched on a single small wheel of a bicycle. (an improvised unicycle). He whirled around the stage and wobbled around imitating a drunk. He did some conjuring and juggling tricks and a trick with an egg and plate. In the latter he threw an egg in the air and repeatedly caught it on the plate. Then he broke the egg demonstrating that it was real. However, the most impressive part of his turn, according to a Sydney reviewer, was a display of roller skating on bicycle wheels. Two skates were attached to two small bicycle wheels and Henri gracefully glided around the stage to much applause.

It seems he fulfilled a six month engagement with the Tivoli. He performed as the intoxicated genius in Melbourne, where in July he appeared with Lucy Gillett, and he also appeared in Adelaide and returned to Sydney in September. 

The next year he began working for the Fullers circuit. In early 1914 he was performing in regional towns in Queensland to great applause. In these performances he had a female assistant who stood by whilst he tossed a monocle from eye to eye, juggled plates, coats, eggs and ‘any old thing’ with comedic charm. On one occasion he was preparing to twirl a glass of water in a wheel using a stick, whilst perched on his version of a unicycle. Something went wrong and the whole apparatus, including Henri,  collapsed,  soaking the juggler, his assistant and the stage in water. However, Henri picked himself up and completed the trick successfully. The reviewer said the audience was in his corner for the whole show.

In 1915 Henri travelled to New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand were both involved in World War One and young vaudevillians were signing up, but Henri, a foreigner, was too old to serve.  He stayed in New Zealand during the war, with the lack of young performers providing good opportunities for him. He appeared on the extensive Fullers Circuit and alternated his work there with appearances in his own touring company. In New Zealand he added impersonations to his turn. He performed as an old man Franz Liszt, and as an intoxicated French landowner. The New Zealand reviewers quoted a Sydney report that described him as ‘remarkably good looking.’

In June 1915 Henri performed for an hour at Wanganui. He began by doing some sleight of hand work and juggling. Then he showed the audience in a comedic manner the secret of some magic tricks. This was followed by a musical turn with Henri playing the Marseillaise on a mandolin. He then performed feats on the unicycle, did the glass of water in a wheel trick and sent the audience home satisfied and happy. In 1916 Henri introduced whistling and sharpshooting into his act.

By this time he had developed his own touring company which included Miss Rose Blossom, and a dancer Elsie Simpson. In 1916 Henri married Elsie and the pair had a son. They called him Henri.

Henri senior was not ignorant of the vicissitudes of war. . He often used his French and Belgian background to gain applause and sympathy. In 1917 he remarked to an audience that his father had lost all his horses to the army, and later that year he appealed to the patriotism of the crowd by citing his European heritage. He also participated in Red Cross fundraisers and patriotic recruiting drives for the cause.

Henri’s appearances in New Zealand were popular, and his abilities were well reviewed. However, his wife was not as impressed as the audiences. In August 1919 she appealed to the court for a divorce from her husband.

Elsie’s testimony presented a picture far from the jovial comedian that appeared on stage. Elsie said that she and Henri lived in a caravan and spent most of their days travelling either by cart or by express train. Henri refused to give her money despite her contribution as a singer and dancer to the show. Elsie explained that in June 1919  she had received some letters outlining Henri’s adultery. Apparently, he had fathered two illegitimate children whilst married to Elsie. When she confronted Henri with the evidence, he threatened to kill her and the child and said he would leave the country before providing for the pair.

Henri also appeared in court. The New Zealand Truth described him as clean shaven and ‘sartorially seductive’. He wore a blue suit with a white Stetson hat, salmon pink socks with fawn topped leather boots, a ‘sporty’ tie with a sparkly pin and a buttonhole decorated with violets. He topped this with a green handkerchief which he twisted whilst addressing the court.

Henri claimed in a strong, probably exaggerated, French accent that he could not afford to pay Elsie the 2 pounds in maintenance that she requested. His neck was injured when he ‘fell off the wheel’  and he could not work. When he could work, wages were sporadic and unreliable. He readily admitted his adultery and his two other children. He stated that he thought Elsie was aware of the situation as their mother was a member of their company. It is clear that these two children were born in New Zealand and were not his two children in the United States.

The court ruled in Elsie’s favour and she eventually divorced the colourful Henri.

Henri remained in New Zealand for about a year. He returned to the stage in late 1919 and in early 1920 was performing impersonations. He supported the Australian juggler, Collino, during this time. By late 1920 he was juggling again.

The juggler spent most of the early 1920s travelling, but he made several appearances in Australia. In May 1921 he toured the New South Wales coalfields with a two and a half hour one man show that included impersonations, juggling, his intoxicated on a wire act, trick cycling, magic, a wooden sulky wheel and a pet monkey called ‘Peanuts’.

Later that year he travelled to South Africa and in the next three years he travelled around the world including India and Madagascar.

In 1924 Henri’s sister asked Australian magazine ‘Everyones’ to locate her brother. Madame De Vigny stated that their aged father was very distressed at his son’s long silence, and asked that any reader who had news of Henri forward the information to the family in France.

In 1925 Henri reappeared in Australia with an act that included a dog and a young boy assistant who was his ‘son’. Which son was not specified. Unfortunately the dog was run over by a truck and had to retire from the act.  In 1926 he performed extensively in regional Queensland towns. His act included juggling, the ‘drunk on a wheel’, impersonations and magic and his assistant continued to be a ‘juvenile boy.’ One of his most applauded tricks at this time was balancing a ‘pint’ bottle on the edge of a plate, throwing the bottle in the air and catching it on the palm of his hand.

In November 1926 the trade papers reported that Henri had married Irene Hordern in Brisbane. There seems to be no record of this marriage.

After 1930 there are no references to Henri French in Australia. It seems he went to India and settled there. In 1938 his first wife Ethel stated that she was divorced and did not know the location of her ex-husband.  

During the Second World War, English newspapers reported a cabaret/entertainment venue in Lahore India run by Henri French and it seems that Henri died in India around 1950

Henri French was defined by his charisma, his charm, talent and versatility. One of the most talented vaudeville artists of the early 20th Century, his adventures took him around the world. His family was extensive and descendants still thrive in the United States, and possibly in Australia and New Zealand. 

Charles Ancaster- plate spinner and juggler in Australia 1922

 Charles Ancaster, best known as a plate spinner, came to Australia and New Zealand in 1922, with plates, bottles, hats and clubs.

Charles, it seems, was born in Brussels around 1896, and his birth name was Charles Alfonso Ancaster Harson (see endnotes) . He later told Australian newspapers that he ran away to the circus as a young man,  a story that was often told by jugglers at the time. Charles' version had a twist. His father, catching him at the circus, sent him to Japan with some medical students with the aim of becoming a doctor. When he returned to England, war was raging. During the war , he learned how to juggle.  Charles claimed to have served five years in the army, but newspaper accounts have him juggling in English music halls in late 1917. By the end of the war he had a reputable juggling act and in 1921 was employed by Moss Enterprises. His wife, 19 year old Agnes, was living with him at that time.

In 1922 Charles sailed to Australia, seemingly without Agnes. After a brief stop in Sydney in March, he played New Zealand in April and May, spinning plates, and juggling hats and clubs. He was billed as the 'inebriated juggler' and affected a 'keystone' manner to entertain the audience. New Zealand reports say that he 'danced' 12 plates on a table. 

 In June 1922 he arrived in Australia for a five month tour.

Charles was working for Fullers, the second tier Australian vaudeville circuit, the Tivoli being the premier circuit. Fullers had an extensive chain which included many regional towns and cities. 

The juggler began his tour in Melbourne. He was well received in the city, but not a sensation. The general view was that he was the highlight of a long and satisfying series of turns, His juggling was praised as 'adept' and unique, but he was not a superstar. 

 In  Newcastle, a regional city, he 'danced ' 9 plates. One trick which drew  notice was his bottle juggling. He manipulated bottles around each other in mysterious ways, at one time making one bottle revolve around the side of another for several minutes. As he was  the 'inebriated' juggler, bottle spinning was probably a good match for his persona. 

Charles' trip to Australia did not cause any major stir, but it was solid act, regarded warmly by reviewers and audiences. When he returned to London he continued his career and his plate dancing was memorialized in several videos such as the one below from 1938.

He passed away in 1965 in London. 

BIOGRAPHICAL ENDNOTES; 

Charles Ancaster with wife Agnes is on the 1921 UK census living in Wales and working as a musical artist for Moss Empires. born c 1896.

Charles Alfonso Ancaster Harson  (variety artist) with wife Agnes Ancaster Harson on a shipping manifest to the US in 1947. (this seems to suggest his birth name was Harson.) 

There is also a hand written note on a shipping list with the name "Harson" over the name Ancaster. 

There are several other relevant references.