PHILLIPPE

Monsieur , stage name of Phillippe Talon. b. Alais, near Nismes; a confectioner; in busine in London, then in Aberdeen, disposed of his confectionery in a lottery at the Aberdeen theatre; travelled through England and Scotland as a conjuror under the name of Monsieur Phillippe; erected a temporary theatre in Glasgow 1840; while performing in Dublin learnt the gold fish trick and the ring puzzle from a Chinese juggler; played in Paris 1841 and in Vienna; at the St James’ theatre, London 1845, and at Strand theatre with his Soirées mysterieuses Oct. 1845; two of his most curious tricks were The hat of For tun at us and The kitchen of Para far agar am us; he always appeared in a fancy dre . T. Frost’s Lives of the conjurors (1876) 271–6; I.L.N. 4 Oct. 1845 p. 221 portrait ; F. Volant’s Alexis Soyer (1859) 57–9.