After years of entertaining audiences at the Clay House, one of Bermuda's female impersonators has hit the big time.

Mr. Mark Anderson -- or Sybil Barrington as he likes to be called -- has made a name for himself as one of New York's more respected female impersonators.

Disguised as such musical divas as Jennifer Holiday, Carmen McCray, Etta James, Vesta and Aretha Franklin, Mark is paving the way for other female impersonators in the Island.

Speaking from his home in New York, the entertainer told The Royal Gazette he started out cross dressing for Halloween as a teenager and parading down Front Street to the Disco 40 Nightclub.

"That was in 1986,'' Mr. Anderson said, "following that a group of us began having a talent show at the Ex-Artillery Club every year until someone started the drag shows at Clay House.'' Shortly after this he said he moved abroad to pursue a career as an impersonator.

"As a gay man I tried to do something in Bermuda, but with the way society looks down on people like me I found it was easier to move away,'' Mr.

Anderson recalled.

After moving to the Village in New York's Manhattan where he saw many of the top female impersonators strut their stuff, Mr. Anderson said he knew he was in the right place.

"I remember thinking to myself, hey I could do that,'' he said. "So I got my costume together and made up an act doing a Whitney Houston number in a contest and won.

"The next week I got my first booking at a club called the Two Potato in the Village and I have not looked back.'' Mr. Anderson will take his impersonations this Saturday to the world-renowned Apollo Theatre in Harlem and on Thursday -- the first day of Cup Match -- he is scheduled to perform at the famous Cotton Club.

The oldest of five children born to Ms Leonette Anderson, Mr. Anderson has certainly come a long way from his backyard in Somerset.

Mr. Anderson and his group the Illusions have done reviews at some of Manhattan's top clubs, including the Legs Diamond Playhouse, Copelands Restaurant, The Blue Angel Club, The Tattoo Club and the Blue Note Club which has hosted legendary acts like Gladys Knight, Eartha Kitt and the late Phyllis Hyman.

Mr. Anderson has also appeared in movies and television and will soon begin a tour with actress Ms Clarrisse Taylor who played the mother of Bill Cosby on the Cosby Show.

"Ms Taylor and I met at Casey's Club in Bermuda years ago,'' he said, "but when I moved to the States we ended up living practically next door to each other.

"She asked me to do an act for a party she was having and after seeing the group she liked us so much that she became our manager.'' Among the many television and films Mr. Anderson has performed in were the detective series "New York Undercover'', the "Richard Bey Show'', "Entertainment Tonight'', "Rolanda'', and the "Charles Perez Show''.

He has also appeared in a movie about a girl living in the fast lane called "Party Girl'', and a film due to come out this year about drag queens, starring Patrick Swayze, Robin Williams, Wesley Snipes and Rue Paul, called "To Wong Fu''.

Mr. Anderson said he had the honour of performing his legendary impersonation of Patti LaBelle at Pride Fest on the pier in New York's Harbour during the Gay Rights Parade held in June.

Describing the experience as "a far cry from the stifling attitude of prejudice he experienced while living on the Island'' Mr. Anderson said: "Living in New York you can be openly gay and be yourself.'' As far as his career goes he said he expects things to keep heating up for him and he intends to go all the way to the top.

"I never thought that I could do something I love and get paid for it,'' he said. "This queen is putting Bermuda on the map.'' IMPERSONATING PATTI LaBELLE -- Drag queen Mr. Mark Anderson (Sybil Barrington).