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Years ago, while teaching college courses in the History of American Musical Theatre, my research exposed numerous instances of innovation in the art form (“this was the first time…”) as theatrical technologies, along with musical styles and forms, evolved. I began to “collect” such phrases, which later included people, theatrical venues and other occasional oddities, into the collection and organized the data chronologically. |
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At this site, we focus on historical firsts. Innovation creates history, and this is a collection of innovative events, decisions and inventions. Among other things, the collection includes initial appearances of popular shows, songs and performers. Here, you’ll find descriptions of theatrical firsts in America from 1665 to 2000. Each “historical first” appears in bold type. |
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Generally, the New York opening is considered the finished form of any work (even if subsequent changes occur during the New York run). For the sake of maintaining some historical perspective, this site covers events through the 1999-2000 season. |
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Ongoing additions to the site include textual entries and pictures of people and theatrical venues. One project will soon offer links to audio files of songs in the public domain; other improvements may occur as they are invented or suggested. |
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We owe much to those who have assisted in the development and presentation of this material. Please see our “Cast & Crew” page. To everyone who appears there, I offer my deepest thanks. |
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Perhaps you will find something here that will initiate your own research. You might want to have an item considered for inclusion at the site (if so, please contact me). You might wish to correct an error that you find here (if so, by all means contact me). You may even find items that will pique your curiosity and motivate you to seek answers. We hope that this site will bring you closer to the theatrical art form that has proven time and again to be our most beloved: the musical. |
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Wayne Hamilton, MFA 2009 |
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Thank you for visiting FirstOnStage.com, a web site that was literally decades in the making. We hope you find the information here useful in your classes, in your research or in exercising your intellectual curiosity. If so, we hope you’ll make a donation to help support FirstOnStage. This information comes to you quickly and easily without the cost of expensive textbooks or hours of searching for the proverbial needle in the digital haystack. Your gift will enable site developers to provide ongoing enhancements, including additional textual content, pictures and audio files. PayPal will safely and securely process the transaction. Thanks for your interest and your generous support! |
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October of 1869 saw the first same-stage performances of (Edward) Ned Harrigan (1845 - 1911) and Tony Hart (1857 - 1891), later to become musical theatre icons. Their first show was a variety show sketch written by Harrigan. The first rung on the ladder to fame and fortune for Ned Harrigan and Tony Hart came on May 31, 1875 with The Donovans, a comic treatment of a real-life event. Harrigan played Michael Donovan and Hart, in drag, of course, played Norah Donovan. Soon afterward, in 1876, the duo took over management of the Theatre Comique. On January 13, 1879, they hit their stride with the opening of The Mulligan Guards' Ball. A plethora of similar farcical pieces followed, populated by ethnic characters from the streets of New York, until their last Broadway performance together in Cordelia's Aspirations closed late in 1883. After the two parted company, they never achieved a success that rivaled their careers together. Ned Harrigan was the playwright half of Harrigan and Hart. He quit school at age 14, partnered with Tony Hart and developed their act into a full-length musical entertainment. Harrigan and his father-in-law, composer David Braham, wrote more than 200 songs in their twenty years together; though the songs were known worldwide in their day, none has maintained popularity to the present. Tony Hart, because of his youthful face, consistently played the female characters in Harrigan's pieces and delighted audiences with his humorous depictions of 19th century women. Though their work was always humorous, it also showed a realistic picture of the city and its people, providing an important contribution to the evolution of the American musical. The characters in Harrigan's sketches were the immigrants that poured into America after the Civil War. An innovator, Harrigan included realistic elements based on the rivalries (especially Irish vs. Blacks) that evolved in that period. The realism was furthered by Harrigan's use of local color and songs about life in the neighborhoods of New York. Some sources claim that Harrigan and Hart were the first to employ African Americans in place of whites in blackface in their shows. On August 31, 1885, Ned Harrigan opened in a revision of Old Lavender, his first production outside his partnership with Tony Hart. Movie impresario George Lucas had selected young Mark Hamill to play the role of Luke Skywalker in his first three classic Star Wars films. Hamill subsequently tried his hand on the lyric stage when he debuted in the four-performance run of Harrigan 'n Hart in January of 1985. Although his portrayal of Tony Hart was his one and only musical role, Hamill has four other credits in Broadway straight plays. The book was written by Michael Stewart, the music by Max Showalter and the lyrics by Peter Walker. Joe Layton directed.
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October of 1869 saw the first same-stage performances of (Edward) Ned Harrigan (1845 - 1911) and Tony Hart (1857 - 1891), later to become musical theatre icons. Their first show was a variety show sketch written by Harrigan.