Cape Town - It was daylight robbery for entertainer Alvon Collison, who discovered most of his stage wardrobe had been nicked.
And now the entertainer is appealing to any vintage and second-hand clothing shops to be on the lookout for his colourful stage costumes which were stolen at the weekend.
Collison, fondly known to his fans as “Mr Showbiz”, can’t be sure, but thinks the bag containing his stage wardrobe was pinched while he was loading equipment into his bakkie in the driveway of his Milnerton home on Sunday in preparation for his Mother’s Day Concert in the City Hall.
Velvet coats, sequinned jackets and waistcoats, and a favourite – a red jacket covered in diamante – are missing.
“My beautiful red diamante jacket – gone in one fell swoop,” he mourned.
Around noon on Sunday, Collison was preparing for the function, and his bag of costumes was among the coffee cups, koeksisters and urns to be transported to the function.
Collison said he turned his back for a few minutes and that was when the thieves might have pounced.
He did not notice that the bag was missing until minutes before rehearsals when he asked a singer to hang up his costumes.
He rushed back home, hoping the bag had been left behind, but found only a pack of pamphlets that had been in the bag, tossed over the gate into his driveway.
“They must have taken the bag while I was here at home – how else would they know where I live?”
On Monday, he was preparing to report his missing wardrobe at the police station.
Collison was devastated at the loss of his stage outfits, saying the thief had stolen his life.
“It’s not sentimental value, it’s my life,” said the award-winning entertainer.
“Can you see someone walking around in a large red, sequinned jacket during the day? Who else is going to wear it?”
Motivational shows are his forte, but he is also a popular showman who MCs social gatherings, including weddings, barmitzvahs and birthdays. He has performed in countless musicals and television shows. His highlights include performing at the opening ceremony of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at St George’s Cathedral in the presence of Nelson Mandela and for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu on his 70th birthday.
Used to having an outfit change between each number, Collison said his wardrobe at Sunday’s concert had been reduced to “two dreary outfits”, but he said he persevered with gusto through the three-hour production.
“I went into my depths to pull out my spirit and sing from my soul, and I got such warmth from the audience,” he said.
“I don’t know what they’ll do with my wardrobe – they won’t go to Cash Crusaders. I’m full of eina – there was just disbelief that someone would do this to me.”
Cape Argus