What are Pierrots?
Pierrot troupes were seasonal seaside companies of performers, dressed in white satin, pom-poms and conical hats, who used song, dance, comedy and banter; they performed generally in the open air (or al fresco) and mainly at seaside's, between 1890 and 1938. In outline, the history of the Pierrot concert party in Britain is as follows: Pierrot is a familiar character originating from Pedrolino in the commedia d’ell arte. For four centuries, schemas and lazzis to popular audiences on the streets and piazzas, using archetypal itinerant commedia troupes travelled the continent of Europe, playing-out the familiar characters within a loosely-arranged narrative structure. Characteristics of the popular entertainment form called the Italian Comedy brushed-off into more mainstream entertainments, as can be observed in Shakespeare (Andrew Aguecheek & Sir Toby Belch), Moliere (Mosca) and pantomime, but in the late nineteenth century, the character of Pierrot was given a distinctly British make-over by the English banjo entrepreneur Clifford Essex: having seen a highly-acclaimed production of ‘L’Enfant Prodigue’ at the Princess of Wales’ Theatre, featuring a family of silent pierrots. He was inspired by this show to create his own version of a Pierrot troupe in 1891.1
The Pierrot
Aesthetic
The primary identifying feature of the Pierrot was a “tasteful white costume,” which consisted of a “loose blouse, ornamented with pom-poms, the equally loose pantaloons, the natty shoe, [...] the black silk handkerchief which wound artistically round the head, and tied tastefully at the side, [...] surmounted by the conically-shaped white hat.”.. This remained the classic costume of the seaside acts, as illustrated by a variety of photographs of troupes such as Johnny Grove’s Royal Redcar Pierrots.2
Camp and Queering Pierrots
In their introduction to Camp: Queer Aesthetics and the performing reader Fabio Cleto writes “Camp is of unknown origins, and slippery in itself, being an adjective (camp, campy, or campiness), also in nominal use (camp), an abstract or adjectival noun (campness, campiness), an adverb (campily), a verb both transitive and intransitive (to camp, to camp it up), and an indifferently lowercase or capitalised lexical entry”3. The slipperiness of the word itself became even more clear when I started this research. All the initial searches brought up entertainment available at the seaside in camps and caravans, while the ‘camp’ I searched for eluded me, resisting my attempts to find preexisting connections between the Pierrot and Camp in a coastal context. But this speaks true to camps essence, often when something wants to be camp it fails miserably (a recent example is the 2019 Met Gala) unless of course it fails so badly that it reverts back into success (a recent example is the 2019 Met Gala). My failure to find explicit comparisons speaks to camp's subversive nature, a queer counter to the heteronormative zeitgeist.
Camp has always had a place in the queer community, its subversive being and theatrical nature is the embodiment of camp and gave it a space to thrive as a cultural being. In her book ‘Mother Camp’ Esther Newton describes it as “a system of laughing at one's incongruous position instead of crying” and what is the original Pierrot if not the sad clown. Therefore it is not unexpected that Queer artists have drawn from and become Pierrots. There are many but to name a few; In the 1970s there was the Spanish drag artist “Pierrot” and recently the Welsh Queer performer Oberon White performed “I, Pierrot” as a Pierrot for the 21st century.
Jean-Louis Barrault as Pierrot in Les Enfants du Paradis
We wish Pierrot the best of luck with this, his new venture. We think he deserves it. - from the album jacket 1980 | David BowieAshes To Ashes 12" (Disco Remix) - RCA Victor Oberon White, I,Pierrot, 2019
A common origin of the work comes from the French verb se camper which is “to post in an exaggerated fashion”, another historical marker from 1909 is the Oxford English Dictionary definition as “ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or homosexual”. Pierrot troupes were not uniform with each having their own acts but generally they performed acapella songs, sweet ballads and music hall routines as well as including Punch and Judy, a flea circus, comedy and circus skills. This exaggerated physicality and theatrics would fit perfectly with the aforementioned definition, and while Pierrots weren’t necessarily homosexual they definitely were Camping it up.
Camps ability to be anything and nothing makes it definitions varied and contradictory, many refer to Susan Sontang's “Notes on Camp”, though the work has been criticised it for its failure to recognise its origins as an embodiment of queer subculture. Mark Booth's work “Camp-toi: On the Origins and Definitions of Camp” is a useful reference point. Booth defines ‘camp’ as being an aesthetic of the margins. Since ‘camp’ originated in a subculture and not the mainstream culture, its status was marginal but it eventually became part of the mainstream as it grew more and more popular. Instead of symbolising sexual defiance, it was appropriated by all kinds of subversive cultures in order to present a challenge to the dominant culture. Here there is a link to the Pierrots beyond that of aesthetic and kinetic terms, Pierrots often performed outside, sometimes in wooden stages built on the beach, the physical margins of the land. Popular enough to be a feature of the season but not enough to occupy the halls and ballrooms of the higher, more formal entertainments of the seaside.
The original Pierrot embodied the struggle of post-revolution France struggling to secure a place in the bourgeois world. In early 20th Century Britain the Pierrot found a home at the Seaside but struggled to secure a place after the Second World War but now I wish the Pierrot the best of luck with this, their new queer venture.
Redcar Pierrots
In their introduction to Camp: Queer Aesthetics and the performing reader Fabio Cleto writes “Camp is of unknown origins, and slippery in itself, being an adjective (camp, campy, or campiness), also in nominal use (camp), an abstract or adjectival noun (campness, campiness), an adverb (campily), a verb both transitive and intransitive (to camp, to camp it up), and an indifferently lowercase or capitalised lexical entry”3. The slipperiness of the word itself became even more clear when I started this research. All the initial searches brought up entertainment available at the seaside in camps and caravans, while the ‘camp’ I searched for eluded me, resisting my attempts to find preexisting connections between the Pierrot and Camp in a coastal context. But this speaks true to camps essence, often when something wants to be camp it fails miserably (a recent example is the 2019 Met Gala) unless of course it fails so badly that it reverts back into success (a recent example is the 2019 Met Gala). My failure to find explicit comparisons speaks to camp's subversive nature, a queer counter to the heteronormative zeitgeist.
Camp has always had a place in the queer community, its subversive being and theatrical nature is the embodiment of camp and gave it a space to thrive as a cultural being. In her book ‘Mother Camp’ Esther Newton describes it as “a system of laughing at one's incongruous position instead of crying” and what is the original Pierrot if not the sad clown. Therefore it is not unexpected that Queer artists have drawn from and become Pierrots. There are many but to name a few; In the 1970s there was the Spanish drag artist “Pierrot” and recently the Welsh Queer performer Oberon White performed “I, Pierrot” as a Pierrot for the 21st century.
1980 | David Bowie
Ashes To Ashes 12" (Disco Remix) - RCA Victor
A common origin of the work comes from the French verb se camper which is “to post in an exaggerated fashion”, another historical marker from 1909 is the Oxford English Dictionary definition as “ostentatious, exaggerated, affected, theatrical; effeminate or homosexual”. Pierrot troupes were not uniform with each having their own acts but generally they performed acapella songs, sweet ballads and music hall routines as well as including Punch and Judy, a flea circus, comedy and circus skills. This exaggerated physicality and theatrics would fit perfectly with the aforementioned definition, and while Pierrots weren’t necessarily homosexual they definitely were Camping it up.
Camps ability to be anything and nothing makes it definitions varied and contradictory, many refer to Susan Sontang's “Notes on Camp”, though the work has been criticised it for its failure to recognise its origins as an embodiment of queer subculture. Mark Booth's work “Camp-toi: On the Origins and Definitions of Camp” is a useful reference point. Booth defines ‘camp’ as being an aesthetic of the margins. Since ‘camp’ originated in a subculture and not the mainstream culture, its status was marginal but it eventually became part of the mainstream as it grew more and more popular. Instead of symbolising sexual defiance, it was appropriated by all kinds of subversive cultures in order to present a challenge to the dominant culture. Here there is a link to the Pierrots beyond that of aesthetic and kinetic terms, Pierrots often performed outside, sometimes in wooden stages built on the beach, the physical margins of the land. Popular enough to be a feature of the season but not enough to occupy the halls and ballrooms of the higher, more formal entertainments of the seaside.
The original Pierrot embodied the struggle of post-revolution France struggling to secure a place in the bourgeois world. In early 20th Century Britain the Pierrot found a home at the Seaside but struggled to secure a place after the Second World War but now I wish the Pierrot the best of luck with this, their new queer venture.
Sometimes with whitened faces, ruffed suits and pom poms for day performances, and more formal attire for evenings, they performed on pitches on the beach (a wooden stage). They usually gave a morning, afternoon and early evening show from 10.30-11.00pm at the height of the season. Pierrots flourished in small resorts with little competitions from a weightier entertainment industry. But they could also coexist with more highly capitalised alternatives, and at Redcar, where cheap entertainment was in demand, they had clear advantages over evening theatre performances for the tripper audience.4
There has been numerous incarnations of beach entertainers including Smiler’s Men, Sam Paul’s Cleveland Cadets, Redcar Follies, The Scarleteers, The Waddlers, The Merry Jovials, Willets White Stars and probably the most famous and the most popular - Billy Scarrow’s Optimists who started performing in 1926 as the The Cosy Corner Entertainers near Coatham Pier.5
Billy Scarrow
Probably the most famous of the Redcar Pierrots. He opened his own pierrot show in Redcar in 1926 - the Cosy Corner Entertainers. He followed this by appearing with the troupe “The Song Demonstrators” on the Redcar sands in 1928. He re-opened his pierrot show again in 1931 as Billy Scarrow's Optimists. The Optimists continued every season through to 1939. Billy’s grandson has created a full account of his career which can be found at http://www.billyscarrow.co.uk/
Johnny Groves
Johnny Groves troupe were the first Pierrots to perform. Having worked as a minstrel and pantomime Dame in the 1890s he arrived in Redcar in 1900 Groves troupe was an all male group who would dress in the pom pom tradition and perform a number of variety acts.
After one performance in front of royals they were renamed Johnny Groves Royal Entertainers. They performed on the beach near the sites of Redcar Beacon and in Central Hall (more information on this in the music halls chapter).
Jimmy Lynton
Born 17th July 1887, he made his first appearance in Professor O’Dell’s Royal Juvenile Pierrots. In 1920 he appeared with his own troupe the Cosy Corner Pierrots played on the Coatham Pier before it was converted into the New Pavilion. Later in the decade he and his wife joined Billy Scarrow.
Alan Gale
Though not a Pierrot, Gale was a popular musician who was a prominent element feature on live entertain in Redcar and worth an honourable mention. Gale and his Wavelets were a big hit in Redcar playing to packed crowds on the promenade. The Wavelet costumes with there sparkling ruffled collars invoke a 1930s Pierrot in the ‘modern’ age.
Endnotes