The Great Lafayette
| The Great Lafayette | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sigmund Neuberger 25 February 1871 Munich, Germany |
| Died | 9 May 1911 (aged 40) Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Cause of death | Theatre fire |
| Resting place | Piershill Cemetery, Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Illusionist |
| Years active | 1890–1911 |
Sigmund Neuberger, (or Sigmund Newburger), was born on 25 February 1871 in Munich, Germany and died on 9 May 1911 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was otherwise known as famous illusionist the Great Lafayette and was the highest paid magician of his time.
In 1890, at the age of 19, Neuberger emigrated with his family to the United States, where he began his career as an imitator of Ching Ling Foo. He became one of the highest-paid performers in vaudeville, earning £44,000 a year (about £3.6 million in 2014 prices). His excellent quick-change routines, as well as dramatic illusions, such as his own "Lion's Bride" (lady to lion) illusion, made him very popular with audiences.
The pampered object of the Great Lafayette's affection was his dog Beauty, a perky terrier given to him as a pup by fellow conjurer and admirer Harry Houdini. 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, 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 fault in a lamp above the performer caused a fire. The elaborate set 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. Many of the company, however, were trapped on stage when the safety curtain 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.
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