Sigmund Neuberger
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Sigmund Neuberger (or Sigmund Newburger) (25 February 1871 – 9 May 1911), who performed as an
illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...
under the
stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
The Great Lafayette, was the highest-paid magician of his time.


Early life and career

Neuberger was born in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, and emigrated to the United States in 1884. At the age of 19, he began performing in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
-style entertainment, and later began his career as a conjuror as an impersonator of the magician Ching Ling Foo. He adopted the name "The Great Lafayette", and made his first appearance in England in 1892. His excellent quick-change routines, as well as dramatic
illusions An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may oc ...
, such as his own "Lion's Bride" and "Dr. Kremer–Vivisectionist" illusions, made him very popular with audiences. He became one of the highest-paid performers in vaudeville, earning £44,000 a year (about £3.6 million in 2014 prices). By 1900, he was able to tour with a company of 40 performers, together with his magic show and a menagerie including a lion, for use in his illusions.


Theatre fire

Early in 1911, he began a tour of Britain. The pampered object of the Great Lafayette's affection was his dog Beauty, a perky
terrier Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary ...
given to him as a pup by fellow conjurer and admirer
Harry Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
. Beauty had her own suite of brocaded rooms, ate five-course meals, and wore a diamond-studded collar. Beauty died four days before the opening of a show at the Empire Palace Theatre in Edinburgh. After initial resistance from
Edinburgh City Council The City of Edinburgh Council is the Local government in Scotland, local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is Subdivisions of Scotland#Council areas, the second most populo ...
, Neuberger arranged for the dog to be buried in Piershill Cemetery. The Council agreed to provide a plot on the condition that Lafayette himself would be buried there upon his own death. Four days later, in a freak accident, Lafayette was performing his signature illusion "The Lion's Bride", when a lantern set fire to the set, which went up in flames within minutes. The audience, thinking that this was all part of the illusion, did not evacuate until the theatre manager signalled for the orchestra to play ''
God Save the King "God Save the King" is the national anthem, national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in ...
''. Many of the company, however, were trapped on stage when the
safety curtain A safety curtain (or fire curtain in America) is a fire safety precaution used in large proscenium Theater (structure), theatres. It is usually a heavy fibreglass or iron curtain located immediately behind the proscenium arch. Asbestos-based m ...
was lowered and jammed, leaving only a small gap at the bottom, through which a strong draught of air fanned the flames into an inferno. Lafayette himself had ensured that the side-doors to the stage had been secured, to exclude unwanted interlopers and prevent the lion's escape. Lafayette escaped but returned in a vain attempt to rescue his horse. He became trapped in the burning building and perished. Ten of his fellow players from the company were also killed in the fire. The theatre burned to the ground. The body of Lafayette was apparently soon found and sent to
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
for cremation. Two days after the fire, however, workers clearing the understage area found another body identically dressed as Lafayette. It transpired that the body at the crematorium was that of the illusionist's
body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
. On 14 May the urn containing the Great Lafayette's ashes was taken through Edinburgh, witnessed by a crowd estimated to number over 250,000, before being laid to rest in the paws of his beloved (and by then, stuffed) Beauty, at Piershill Cemetery.


Legacy

In May 2011
Edinburgh Festival Theatre The Edinburgh Festival Theatre (originally Empire Palace Theatre and later shortened to Empire Theatre) is a performing arts venue located on Nicolson Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is used primarily for performances of opera and ballet, larg ...
, built on the site of the Empire Palace, hosted the "Great Lafayette Festival", featuring magician
Paul Daniels Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', whic ...
, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Neuberger's death. The event included, on 9 May, a live webcast
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spe ...
held by the "Edinburgh Secret Society", led by co-founders Professor Richard Wiseman and Dr. Peter Lamont.


References


Further reading

* Robertson, Ian and Rutter, Gordon (2011) ''The Death and Life of The Great Lafayette'', New Lands Press, * Setterington, Arthur (1991), ''The Life and Times of the Great Lafayette'', (illustrated: Scott McLelland), Abracadabra Show Productions, Inc., Abraxas Publications. .


External links


Parting Glances: Beauty & The Great Lafayette

Funeral of the Great Lafayette at Edinburgh, May 14, 1911
Scottish Screen Archive, National Library of Scotland
Aftermath of the fire at the Empire Palace Theatre, with the charred remains of Lafayette's Lion
Scottish Screen Archive, National Library of Scotland
Images connected to the Empire Theatre Fire and The Great Lafayette's performance there
Capital Collections - Edinburgh Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Neuberger, Sigmund People from Munich German magicians American magicians 1872 births 1911 deaths Vaudeville performers Accidental deaths in Scotland Deaths from fire German emigrants to the United States