Kyoto was a British music hall artist, Alfred Sumner Croston
1895 November – agent Will Sley – Kyoto quaint burlesque Japanese speciality act
1895 December – Kyoto – Grotesque Japanese Puzzle – touring Britain. Contortionist.
1896 September 12th – advertising in The Era as sailing for Johannesburg on the Moor – neither Croston nor Kyoto nor any music hall artist on the passenger list however.
1896 – October – Johannesburg South Africa – Beverley & Pacey agents
1896 December – the Great African Puzzle, Funny Eccentric Japanese Speciality Act – in Dick Whittington, Darwen
1897 March – mixture of contortionism and acrobatics – agent Tom Pacey
1897 – May – Great and Original Kyoto – grotesque Japanese entertainer – touring Britain, advertising in The Era. Juggling act.
1898 – Grotesque Japanese entertainer
1900 – Japanese Speciality Artiste, Great Kyoto, and his performance consisted of contorting himself into all sorts of shapes.
1901 – Kyoto, the Japanese puzzle/marvel/contortionist
1902 – Kyoto concludes in Puss in Boots
1902 Croston marries Kate Pauline Vorstius, a 24 year old music hall artiste, in Lancashire, who went by the name May Geraldine, and performed as the Geraldine sisters with her sister Charlotte “Florrie”
1902 KYOTO Marvellous Grotesque Japanese Entertainer. Advertised alongside May Geraldine, comedienne and refined singer, through to 1910.
1903 – Kyoto “comedy Japanese entertainer, was exceedingly smart and up-to-date in his business” “who is said to be of Japanese nationality, and who is emphatically expert” Also juggling and conjuring.
1904 KYOTO, Comedy Japanese Entertainer
1905 March – Advertisement in The Era below – to avoid confusion with NT Kioto?
1907 Kyoto with his Japanese entertainment, including comedy, posturing and his clever dog. The Original Kyoto. Japanese Contortionist, bar none, also introducing the funniest Juggling and Conjuring Act ever seen
1908 “Kyoto” in a new and original comedy, “Japanese Potpourri Act,” introducing the mysterious Japanese box, contorition, burlesque, juggling, and conjuring ; also “Oto,” the only thoroughbred performing pug dog on the road.
1908 Kyoto and May Geraldine
1909 The Great Kyoto, Japanese juggler. The wonderful Japanese magician Kyoto, who has a smart pug dog, Oto, which does some amusing feats
1910 KYOTO, Japanese Contortionist, Conjuror, Dog, etc.
1911 April – WANTED. Fétes, Galas, by the Great Kyoto, sensational Japanese Contortionist, Comedy Conjurer, and Juggler. 15, Haslemere-avenue, Bridlington.
1911 April census shows 15 Haslemere Avenue was occupied by Joseph Beanland, aged 42, music hall comedian and his wife Charlotte Beanland, 35, Ernest 6, Charles 3, sons. Beanland was Croston’s brother in law.
Alfred and Kate Croston were lodging in Rushden, Northamptonshire
No further mentions of Kyoto as a performer or May Geraldine until 1929.
1920 – Alfred and Kate (May) appear as Mellin and Marlen “The school girl and the tabby” – best cat impersonator ever seen.
1921 Alfred and Kate Croston, both music hall artistes, are visitors in a house in West Derby, Liverpool
1929 May – June – KY-YOTO, Comedy Japanese Novelty Act. Conjurer, Juggler
1930 Mellin and Marlen and KY-YOTO the Great Japanese Comedy Wonder both advertised in the Stage
1939 July – Kate/May dies, aged 60.
1939 Alfred Croston is a widower, retired music hall artiste
1952 – Alfred Croston dies in Lambeth, aged 80
Ninjin 