In 1985, one of the most celebrated theatrical partnerships in history was commemorated with a musical that opened on Broadway. Although “Harrigan ‘n Hart” was reviewed as dull and aimless by critics and audiences, the collaboration of Ned Harrigan and Tony Hart was far from fruitless.
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The contribution of Harrigan to the arts is quite incomparable; he would not be considered as a founding father of modern American musical theatre otherwise.
His career started as a comedian in minstrel shows and variety entertainment before he found his niche in the production of multi-act plays that were composed of not just singing and dancing, but also physical comedy. In the late 19th century, he wrote plays that evoked the sentiments of the thousands of immigrants in New York at that time.
But it was not until Harrigan’s partnership with the actor Hart, along with a significant contribution from musical director David Braham, that Harrigan reached immense success.
The musical comedies they made featured characters and scenarios of the everyday lives of the lower classes of New York during the 1870s. Harrigan found the majority of the elements of his plays by observing and eavesdropping on the streets and social clubs.
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Aside from the plays’ themes, their collaboration laid the groundwork for what would become the American musical comedy form. One particular technique they innovated was the use of songs to signify the progression of stage actions.
Broadway would not be where it is now if it were not for Harrigan and Hart.
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