000- Dead of Night -Audition

Time to escape. Escape from now, from here, from yourself. Colombia invites you to voyage into the realms of the imagination. Each week we present adventures of men and women who escape into the misty land between the credible and the incredible.

Tonight's story of escape tells of a dummy with a wooden head and wooden arms and even a wooden heart, who served a master. Until one day this master heard him say, I've had enough of you.

I don't need you anymore. Escape now into the strange adventure of Eric Hickson and his dummy Toby. This is a story told backstage in many an English music hall in London, Cabaret, when the performers are sitting around waiting to go on, or when they finish their evening show.

Nobody ever knew very much about Eric Hickson, so many of the turns had played on bills with him. Mostly small time acts, but was only at the end of a long, difficult trail that Hickson reached the fashionable West End.

It was the night after Hickson's opening at the KitKat Club. The act which preceded his was just finishing. But instead of taking his position in the wings, Hixen was still sitting in his dressing room.

And his knee was his partner, Toby. A small wooden ventiliquis dummy with a painted face. I say, Hixen, I was holding you up. You're on in a minute. How are we? Of course you are. We've got a splendid house out there and I want to introduce you.

Wait, Bigeler. Well, we can't go on. What? We can't. It's quite impossible. What nonsense is this? You hear the answers are going on? It's Toby, Bigeler. Toby, he refuses to talk. Toby, you're dummy? Yes, I can't get a word out of him.