Ben Teal

Biography

Born in Eugene, Oregon and raised in San Francisco, Teal was a noted Broadway playwright and director. In the latter role, he was widely considered a tyrant, but enjoyed a long career on Broadway. After a serving an apprenticeship under the guidance of David Belasco, he wrote "The Great Metropolis" with George H. Jessop, that would become the first production of Abraham L. Erlanger (1859-1940) in 1889. He first directed on Broadway in 1896 and would soon become a staff director for Klaw [Marc Klaw (1858-1936)] & Erlanger's burgeoning company that would morph into The Theatrical Syndicate, formed in conjunction with theatrical mogul Charles Frohman, Al Hyman and William Harris--- the company would virtually monopolize Broadway and it's road show operations, until 1916. Teal staged many of the firm's musical extravaganzas and musical comedies. As a director he didn't win many friends among his troupes, he was explosive and prone to volatile outbursts but entrenched himself as a money-spinner to his employers. His most memorable success was directing the 1899 production of William Young's "Ben Hur." Other hits included "Sweet Nell of Drury Lane" (1900) and "The Wanderer" (1917). Teal died in 1917.