Talk:Ching Lau Lauro

Limelight
First person to appear in the Limelight? Now that is a great hook but I wonder if the source is reliable enough as I suspect the first use of limelight would be recorded in books of drama/chemistry history. Victuallers (talk) 11:16, 27 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Covent Garden Theatre had limelight for the first time indoors in a theatre in 1837 according to its Wikipedia article. But Ching Lau Lauro possibly used it for the first time in an outdoor performance, on Herne Bay Pier in 1836. This is advertised in a handbill which is recorded in Mike Bundock 2000 (see bibliography), and the original is in the possession of Herne Bay Historical Records Society. There is no doubt about the date of the handbill as it announces the laying of the foundation stone for the Clock Tower, Herne Bay which dates it at 1836. And it's not being used as a hook. But thanks for the heads up that I forgot to include the word "possibly" in the header (it was already included in the main text and the infobox and is now in the header). Storye book (talk) 12:10, 27 December 2013 (UTC)

Madame Rossini
The main act which accompanied Ching Lau Lauro at Herne Bay in 1836 was Madame Rossini, a tightrope walker who also used fireworks and lights: see File:Herne Bay Museum 090.jpg. In the search for the identity of CLL, it is worth looking at the slight chance that the two performers may have been connected in some way besides being professional colleagues. She performed until at least 1856 in Bradford. It is interesting that CLL apparently died in London, and all the Rossini deaths in the next few decades following 1840 are in London. This is just one avenue of enquiry, but it would be interesting to know more about Madame Rossini anyway. Storye book (talk) 17:41, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

Lauro Cecconi (1807–1892)
The following items are my shared research notes on a possible candidate for the real identity of Ching Lau Lauro (known as Ching). Note: references for Cecconi are below. References for Ching are in the article.
 * (1) Similar names: The stage name "Ching Lau Lauro" is a fake Chinese name which sounds not unlike Lauro Cecconi, bearing in mind that Chinese names have the family name first and personal name last. In the England and Wales register of births, marriages and deaths, Lauro Cecconi is the only person with the first name "Lauro" recorded as living in the UK at the same time as Ching - and they possibly share roughly the same birth year sometime between 1806 and 1808. "Ching Lau" could be a Chinese name, but Lauro is an Italian or Spanish name, so that part of the name could be Ching's real name.
 * (2) Birth and death dates: Ching is likely to have been born around 1806, and according to the UK Census 1881 and 1891, Cecconi was born in 1807-1808. Ching's death notice appeared in identical form in several newspapers in January 1840, saying that Ching Lau Lauro had died in London in the previous week, but giving no further details. This was unusual, as such death notices always gave at least a date of death and a location. So it is possible that the notice was published in order to formally end Ching's use of his stage name, and thereafter he would revert to his own name, or use a different stage name. Therefore Cecconi's long life does not disqualify him as a possible candidate for Ching's real ID.
 * (3) Venice connection: Cecconi was born in Venice, Italy, and in Ching's early acts he was appearing in the costume of a buffo from Venice.
 * (4) Cecconi could have been in UK by 1827 when Ching's career began: Cecconi is first recorded in the UK 1838, already an army bandmaster, so is likely to have joined the army in his youth. This means that he is likely to have entered the UK early enough to have performed as Ching from 1827.
 * (5) Both men liked mechanical inventions: Cecconi was an inventor who patented improvements for certain brass musical instruments. Ching had a similar type of mind and skill, dealing with mechanical magic boxes and with other tricks.
 * (6) Cecconi played clarinet and Ching sang: Cecconi had a lifelong career as a bandmaster in the Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards). In those days it was permissible and possible to belong to the army part-time and to carry on a separate career at concurrently. Hence the possibility for Cecconi to tour as Ching during the summer for a decade while he was young. It was normal for regimental bands to tour the country giving concerts and Cecconi did this successfully in East Anglia and London between 1853 and 1857.
 * (7) Both men called themselves "Professor": Ching was known as Professor Ching, and in the 1881 Census Cecconi called himself a professor of music. Storye book (talk) 10:41, 31 July 2020 (UTC)

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