|
 If
you were lucky enough to visit the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco in
the late 1970s, chances are you’ve already seen Toni Attell perform, whether you
know it or not. When she put on whiteface and costume, Toni transformed into
Toad the Mime, one of the most famous street artists to ever perform in
Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery. Toni was a fifth generation San
Franciscan who was acting at the American Conservatory Theatre’s production of
“Hair” when she saw a story about Robert Shields who was a performing mime in
Union Square. Intrigued and inspired by his story, Toni threw caution to the
wind and decided to become a street artist for the throngs of tourists who
flocked to the city.
“What so intrigued me about this type of performing was that I
myself had a fear of silence,” recalled Toni. “But I’ve always believed in
facing my fears, so I put on whiteface I went down to the Cannery and did my
first street show. I think I made $10 dollars that day. I saw all these people
walking past me not caring, and I thought to myself, ‘No this can’t be
happening. This is worse than silence, because no one is even looking at me!’
 But
the next day she returned, bringing her favorite music with her and hanging her
costumes up in the trees. That day, she decided to dance and perform for
herself, moving through the air, leaping and jumping. She pushed into a
gathering crowd, flirting madly and started bringing people up on stage with an
imaginary rope. She lassoed a passerby and pretended to ride a mime horse
together. She brought someone else up on stage and had an imaginary gun duel.
Soon a crowd of 200 people had gathered around her…..and that’s the day Toad the
Mime was born. Before long, Toad the Mime’s popularity exploded. Soon
her face greeted passing motorists on a nearby freeway billboard and she graced
the cover of San Francisco Magazine, welcoming visitors to the city.
It was an exciting time to be a street performer in San Francisco. The hey-day
of modern street performers in San Francisco who worked alongside Toad the Mime
included wonderful artists such as Noel Parenti, Bari Rolfe, The Pickle Family
Circus, Ray the Juggler, Whitney Brown, Mark Pita, Bob the Puppet Man, the
Trumpet Man, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe, just to name a few.
“Robin Williams, Greg Dean, Professor Irwin Corey and Francis Ford Coppola were
some of the regulars who would join in and play with Toad during her shows. Many
other characters just came to watch,” adds Toni. She immersed herself
in the craft, studying with some of the greatest mimes of the time…Jean Louis
Barroult, Marcel Marceau, Carlos Mazzone, and her favorite mentor, the Japanese
mime Mamako Yoenyama.
As
the notoriety of Toad the Mime grew, so did Toni’s opportunities to perform in
some unique places. She opened for Bill Graham’s rock and roll shows, comedian
Steve Martin and Pink Floyd, eventually bringing Toad the Mime to Japan, China,
Africa, and Japan as well as 350 colleges in the United States.
 Toni also worked to train the clowns in Ringling Brothers and Barnum
& Bailey Circus, choreographed Kim Carnes’ video Bette Davis Eyes; and
worked on The New Laugh-In with Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra, Henry
Fonda, Shirley McClaine, Bea Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Wayland Flowers and many
other greats. Eventually, Steve Martin encouraged her to take off her
white face and come to Los Angeles. Toad the Mime had a great run for many
years, but now it was time for Toni to move on to Hollywood and become a
successful film and television actress. |