David Land (22 May 1918 – 22 December 1995) was an impresario and theatre producer, best known for having developed the early careers of

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Early life

Land was born 22 May 1918 in London to Polish Jewish immigrants. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he volunteered with the Royal Army Service Corps.

Career

At the end of the war, he launched a career in

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

, producing concerts for stars whose careers had been established during the conflict including the singers

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

and Anne Shelton and the bandleader Stanley Black. He then became the European agent for the Harlem Globetrotters and the agent for the

Dagenham Girl Pipers The Dagenham Girl Pipers are a female pipe band based in Dagenham, Greater London. The band was founded in 1930, and toured extensively as a professional organisation before and after the Second World War, with several members performing during ...

. With Joe Collins, he staged one of the first London gigs of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. In the late 1960s, he formed a working partnership with the property developer Sefton Myers. Their joint venture signed

and Andrew Lloyd Webber for three years, paying them a living wage to develop new projects. Within a year, they completed '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. After the success of ''Superstar'', Lloyd Webber and Rice's contract with Land and Myers was bought out by impresario

Robert Stigwood Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...

. As part of the terms of the deal, Land took a senior role in Stigwood's company. In this capacity he co-produced the theatrical versions of '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Superstar'' and '' Evita''. He continued to act as Rice's agent until Land's death in 1995. Between 1983 and 1991, Land was chairman of the Young Vic. He bought the

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal, Brighton is a theatre in Brighton, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806 the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assent fo ...

in 1984, reviving its fortunes to become the most successful regional theatre in the UK. After his death, the family sold the theatre to Ambassador Theatre Group in 1999. He founded the David Land Arts Centre and Studio Theatre, which provided rehearsal studio and workshop space for professional and amateur theatre companies. Land had offices in

Wardour Street Wardour Street () is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north from Leicester Square, through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street. Throughout the 20th century the street became a ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Awards

In 1994, Land received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

Personal life

He married Alexandra Zara in 1945 and had one daughter, Lorraine, and one son, Brook, whose wife, Anita, is daughter of the theatrical talent agent

Leslie Grade Leslie Grade (3 June 1916 – 15 October 1979), born Laszlo (or Lazarus) Winogradsky, was a British theatrical talent agent. In 1943, he co-founded the Grade Organisation (also known as Lew and Leslie Grade Ltd) with his elder brother, the impres ...

Death

David Land died on 22 December 1995. A memorial concert was held at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, on 5 March 1996 at which

Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' at the West End’s Palace T ...

Marti Webb Marti Webb (born 13 December 1943) is an English actress and singer, who appeared on stage in '' Evita'', before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show '' Tell Me on a Sunday'' in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, " Take T ...

Colm Wilkinson Colm Wilkinson (born 5 June 1944), also known as C. T. Wilkinson, is an Irish tenor and actor who is best known for originating the lead role of Jean Valjean in ''Les Misérables'' (in the West End and Broadway) and for taking the title role i ...

and

performed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Land, David Impresarios 1918 births Businesspeople from London 1995 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Service Corps soldiers English Jews 20th-century English businesspeople