Ching Lau Lauro facts for kids

Ching Lau Lauro and Professor Ching were the stage names of a famous juggler and magician. He performed amazing shows in theatres and outdoors across London and other parts of England between 1827 and 1839. We don't know his real name, but people often called him 'Ching'. He was the first magician in Europe to do the 'aerial suspension' trick, where it looked like he was floating in the air! He might also have been the first to use a special bright light called 'limelight' in his shows. Plus, he was one of the first Western magicians to wear a Chinese costume during his performances.

Who Was Ching Lau Lauro?

His Mysterious Identity

Not much is known about the early life of Ching Lau Lauro. His real name is a mystery. He was probably born around 1806. His career was quite short, lasting from 1827 to 1839. He was able to bend his body in extreme ways for his acts. This suggests he was young and athletic during his performing years.

Ching Lau Lauro was also known as Professor Ching. People often just called him Ching. Even though he wore Chinese costumes, he was not actually Chinese. He might have been from Cornwall, England. His advertisements sometimes mentioned an act called "imitation of a Chinese juggler." He was described as "well-proportioned," meaning he was tall and fit.

A Possible Circus Past

Vauxhall Gardens where Ching Lau Lauro performed in 1827

Ching Lau Lauro's special skills suggest he might have come from a circus background. Many performers in Cornwall were travelling showpeople. They often performed at circuses and fairs. Some of these performers, like Ching Lau Lauro, were lucky enough to perform indoors in winter.

He performed "postures, equilibriums, evolutions and attitudes" at Vauxhall Gardens in 1827, 1828, and 1834. Many performers at Vauxhall Gardens had a circus background. This supports the idea that he might have started in the circus.

His Personal Life

Ching Lau Lauro earned good money from his shows. He was also sometimes very generous. In 1834, he gave £4 8s 6d to the York Dispensary. This money came from one day's performance. The Dispensary gave medicines to poor people.

The magician himself passed away in London in January 1840. This was not long after his last show. His performances needed extreme gymnastic skills. So, he was likely not an old man when he died. Newspapers called him "the celebrated conjuror."

Ching Lau Lauro's Amazing Career

Ching Lau Lauro was a top performer in Leeds in 1834

Ching Lau Lauro was very popular from 1827 to 1839. He started as a juggler. By 1834, he also became a ventriloquist and magician. His shows included "feats of strength and gymnastic exercises." In the 1830s, he called himself a "ventriloquist, melodist, naturalist and magician."

He could balance on two chairs in amazing ways. He could also dance a hornpipe (a type of dance) on his head! Later in his career, he even played the role of Agrippa on stage. This was likely Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a famous German magician from the Renaissance.

The Aerial Suspension Illusion

This trick was also called the Broomstick Illusion or simply Suspension. From 1832 or 1833, Ching Lau Lauro would juggle balls. While doing this, he would appear to be "sitting in the air upon nothing." This was a version of the Suspension illusion.

He added this trick as the main part of his show. Before him, no one in Europe was known to perform this illusion. It looked like he was floating without any support. This trick was similar to the "Ethereal Suspension" illusion. That trick was performed by Robert Houdin much later, in 1849. However, Ching Lau Lauro was doing similar amazing feats before anyone else in Europe.

His Exciting Performances

What His Act Included

Wolverhampton Assembly Rooms where Ching Lau Lauro performed his full show in 1834

Ching Lau Lauro started his theatre career by doing a few tricks between plays. But by 1834, he was performing entire shows himself. For example, he performed a full show at the Assembly Rooms in Wolverhampton.

His show had three parts. In Part I, he showed off mechanical devices. These included the Chest of Archimedes and the Column of Rosbach. Then he performed many illusions. These included "A Game at Whist," "Time Flies," and "The Magic Bottle."

Part II began with a ventriloquist act. He could also whistle different bird sounds. He would make funny faces and tell stories.

In Part III, he performed "feats of strength" as a "Chinese buffo." This suggests he wore a traditional Chinese costume for this part. This costume was better for acrobatics than the usual formal evening wear. His strongman act was followed by "gymnastic exercises" and contortions. The show ended with the amazing Aerial Suspension Illusion. In some theatres, he would not allow tickets to be sold for the gallery. This was because people might see how the illusion worked from up high!

Where He Performed

The Pavilion Theatre where Ching Lau Lauro performed in 1827

We know about his performances from old playbills and newspaper ads. In 1827, he performed at the Theatre Royal in London. He also played at the New Royal Pavilion in Whitechapel Road.

In 1828, he appeared at the Royal Coburg Theatre. He also performed at the Theatre Royal, Norwich. He was called 'the celebrated posture master and buffo from Drury Lane'. He performed at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Vauxhall Gardens. He also appeared at Sadlers Wells and the Adelphi Theatre.

Royal Coburg Theatre, where Ching Lau Lauro appeared in 1828

On September 15, 1830, he performed for royalty at the Brighton Pavilion. He also performed outside London. He played at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1832. He visited Leicester, Huntingdon, and Chelmsford in 1833 and 1834. In 1834, he performed in Leeds, West Yorkshire. There he showed his ventriloquism and "Surprising Feats." He was also booked for shows in Newcastle.

In 1835, he performed at the Theatre Royal in Derby. He was called the "Pacanini" (like the famous musician Niccolò Paganini) of magicians. He also performed in Repton, Belper, and Stamford. In 1836, he was booked for an outdoor show at Cambridge University. He also performed at the Hoop Assembly Rooms in Peterborough. After that, he had many shows in Bedford and Huntingdon.

In 1837, he appeared at the Adelphi Theatre in Dublin. In 1838, he was in Belfast and Carlisle. He also performed with Mons. Buck at Banbury theatre. After this, he went on a tour of Europe. He returned to England in early 1839. He performed in London's suburbs. On February 16, 1839, he appeared at Windsor Town Hall. He performed again with Mons. Buck in Northampton, Wellingborough, and Kettering.

His "farewell entertainment" was advertised at the Hoop hotel in Cambridge in November. This show had three parts: as a magician, then bird sound imitations, and finally as the Chinese Necromancer.

Limelight on Herne Bay Pier, 1836

First Herne Bay Pier where Ching Lau Lauro performed in 1836

On October 3, 1836, Ching Lau Lauro performed on the Pier in Herne Bay, Kent. This was part of a celebration for the new Clock Tower. This might have been the first time limelight was used outdoors for a public show!

A playbill from that time described it: "A new light called koniaphostic, by which the whole pier is overwhelmed with a flood of beautiful white light, in the midst of which Ching Lau Lauro will exhibit his feats in the character of a Buffo sitting in the air upon nothing, at the same time as performing various feats of juggling and standing on his head on a pole 20 feet high surrounded by showers of fire."

Images for kids

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  2nd Theatre Royal, Norwich where he played 1828

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  The Theatre, Leeds, where he played in 1834

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  Adelphi Theatre, Dublin, where he appeared 1837

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  Windsor Town Hall, where he performed 1839

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  Brighton Pavilion where he performed for William IV