AustLit

Following his split with Roy 'Mo' Rene in 1925, Nat Phillips put together The Whirligigs Revue Company and formed a new onstage partnership with Jack Kellaway as Stiffy and 'Erb. The troupe presented mostly old Stiffy and Mo revusicals, with a few new works inserted into the repertoire. Stiffy and 'Erb would also appear in one or more sketches staged during each evening's first half vaudeville programme, with other members of the company performing the usual fare of songs, dances and specialty acts. The Brisbane Courier writes of their debut performance at the Empire Theatre in 1926 (in At the Grand) : 'Mr Nat Phillips was the central figure in the many and varied comedy scenes, but able assistance was lent by Ern [sic] (Mr Jack Kellaway). Both comedians proved more than equal to the task of sustaining a liberal flow of laughter' (18 October 1926, p17).