Samuel Lazar (1838 – 14 November 1883) was an Australian theatre manager, producer of pantomimes and operas, and occasional actor.

History

Lazar was a son of theatre manager

John Lazar John Lazar (1 December 1801 − 8 June 1879) was an actor and theatre manager in Australia. He was Mayor of Adelaide from 1855 to 1858. History Lazar was born in Edinburgh, a son of Abraham Lazar, stockbroker, and his wife Rachel née Lazarus ...

, and as a child frequently appeared on stage in his father's productions, as did his sister Rachel (c. 1827–1897), who married Andrew Moore, and was mother of theatrical agent John Moore. He served as clerk to Burnett Nathan, then for Gabriel Bennett of the firm Bennett & Fisher. In 1867 he and Bennett had a third share (with J. M. Wendt and John Temple Sagar) in building Adelaide's Theatre Royal in

Hindley Street Hindley Street is located in the north-west quarter of the Adelaide city centre, centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street, Adelaide, King William Street and West Terrace, Adelaide, West Terrace. Th ...

, which he managed. He faced insolvency in 1871. His big break came in March 1875 when he took J. C. Williamson and Maggie Moore's play '' Struck Oil'' to the Queen's Theatre, Sydney, which he enlarged and refurbished, then back to Adelaide's Theatre Royal. He returned to Sydney, where he was involved in building the new Theatre Royal, of which he was lessee and manager from December 1875. James "Jem" Booty was his distinguished treasurer until 1878, when their relationship broke down. :The second theatre of that name, it was built at the corner of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and Castlereagh streets on the site of the old Prince of Wales Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1872. Opening night of the first production,

Henry James Byron Henry James Byron (8 January 1835 – 11 April 1884) was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor. After an abortive start at a medical career, Byron struggled as a provincial ...

's '' Daisy Farm'' on 11 December 1875, was attended by some 2700 patrons. He had a major coup with ''The Old Corporal'', Eduardo Majeroni's first role in English, which opened 24 April 1876 to great applause. He produced several Christmas pantomimes in the 1870s, notably those by

Garnet Walch Garnet Walch (1 October 1843 in Broadmarsh (Tasmania) – 3 January 1913 in Melbourne), was an Australian writer, dramatist, journalist and publisher. From 1872 on, he became very popular as author of numerous pantomimes, burlesques, melodramas ...

and

John Strachan John Strachan (; 12 April 1778 – 1 November 1867) was a notable figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto. He is best known as a political bishop who held many government positions and promoted education from common sc ...

. In July 1876 Lazar made a rare acting appearance as ''Chrysos'' in

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

's comedy '' Pygmalion and Galatea'' starring Eleanor Carey, and was well received. He also played Sir Anthony Absolute in Sheridan's ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of the T ...

'' in 1880. This theatre struggled financially until its chief competitor, the Victoria Theatre itself was destroyed by fire in August 1880. Lazar maintained the lease until 1882, his last production being the pantomime ''Sinbad the Sailor'' which ran from 27 December 1881. The theatre then came under the control of J. C. Williamson,

Arthur Garner Arthur Garner (born 8 February 1851) was a theatrical entrepreneur, active in Australia. He was part of the partnership often dubbed "the Triumvirate" at the time, Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove, between 1881 and 1890. Background Garner was bo ...

, and

George Musgrove George Musgrove (21 January 1854 – 21 January 1916) was an English-born Australian theatre producer. Early life Musgrove was born at Surbiton, England, the son of Thomas John Watson Musgrove, an accountant, and his wife, Fanny Hodson, an act ...

. After some months of exhibiting aberrant behaviour, Lazar was in February 1882 admitted to Dr. Arthur J. Vause's (previously Dr. G. A. Tucker's) private lunatic asylum at Cooks River. where he died in 1883. He never married and is not known to have any children. His sister Victoria Lazar (c. 1838–1926) inherited the lease of the Theatre Royal. She married Simeon Moss in 1885.

Other interests

Lazar was a keen follower of horse racing, and was an excellent billiards player, not being disgraced in a match against John Roberts, jun. on that champion's first Australasian tour. He wrote the libretto for a musical ''The Beast'', a bound copy of which, undated and unpublished, is held by the

Mitchell Library The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the City Council public library system of Glasgow, Scotland. History The library, based in the Charing Cross district, was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a ...

in Sydney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lazar, Samuel 1838 births 1900 deaths Australian theatre managers and producers Australian male stage actors 19th-century Australian businesspeople