Austen Hurgon (1867 – 24 June 1942) was an actor, singer, theatre director and librettist for several successful Edwardian musical comedies of the 1900s and 1910s.

Early life

Born as Richard Cornelius Horgan in London in 1867 to Irish parents Timothy Horgan (1838 – c. 1901), a provisions merchant, and Helena ''née'' Callanan (1839–1913), he married Constance Aimee Hurst ''née'' Daniel (1872–1951) in London in 1900, at which time he gave his occupation as "stage manager". The two had a son, Richard Kenneth Hurgon (1902–1994).

Theatre career

Hurgon began his theatre career with the supporting rôle of Alberto in the musical ''Miss Wingrove'' (1905), with songs by Howard Talbot, which Hurgon produced and directed for

Frank Curzon Frank Curzon (17 September 1868 – 2 July 1927) was an English actor who became an important theatre manager, leasing the Royal Strand Theatre, Avenue Theatre, Criterion Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Prince of Wales Theatre and Wyndham's Theatre, a ...

, for whom he next directed ''

The White Chrysanthemum ''The White Chrysanthemum'' is an English musical in three acts by Arthur Anderson and Leedham Bantock, with lyrics by Anderson and music by Howard Talbot. First produced at the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, 23 April 1904, it opened at the Criterion ...

'' (1905) and ''

The Girl Behind the Counter ''The Girl Behind the Counter'' is an Edwardian musical comedy with a book by Arthur Anderson and Leedham Bantock, music by Howard Talbot and lyrics by Arthur Anderson (and additional lyrics by Percy Greenbank).Prince of Wales Theatre in London where, when Paul Rubens was indisposed due to ill health while working on '' Miss Hook of Holland'', Hurgon quickly replaced him and finished writing the book and directed the play. ''Miss Hook'' was another success, and he moved on to direct ''My Mimosa Maid'' (1908) for Curzon. However, '' The Three Kisses'' (1907) at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

and ''My Mimosa Maid'' failed, and his association with Curzon ended, his management having lasted for just four performances of the latter piece. Next Hurgon directed ''The Hon'ble Phil'' (1908) and ''Kitty Grey'' (1909) with music by Talbot at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

in New York.Austen Hurgon

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

For

C. H. Workman Charles Herbert Workman (5 May 1872 – 1 May 1923) was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was variously credited as Charles H. Workman, C. Herbert Work ...

he took over the management of and directed the failing musical ''

Two Merry Monarchs ''Two Merry Monarchs'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by Arthur Anderson and George Levy, lyrics by Anderson and Hartley Carrick, and music by Orlando Morgan Robert Orlando Morgan (1865 – 16 May 1956) was an English ...

'' (1910) at the Strand Theatre, the last piece that can be considered a Savoy opera.Austen A. Hurgon
British Musical Theatre website At the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few s ...

he directed the revue ''Hullo, Ragtime!'' and its sequels for

Albert de Courville Albert Pierre de Courville (26 March 1887 – 15 March 1960) (born in Croydon, England) was a writer and director of theatrical revues, many of which featured the actress and singer Shirley Kellogg, whom he married in June 1913. Career In abo ...

and wrote the libretti for the one-act operettas that were included in those revues during 1913. Hurgon wrote a pastiche of ''Hullo, Ragtime!'' as ''What Ho! Ragtime'', which was performed at the

Chiswick Empire The Chiswick Empire was a theatre facing Turnham Green in Chiswick that opened in 1912 and closed and was demolished in 1959. A venue for touring artists, some of the greatest names in drama, variety and music hall performed there including George ...

. In 1910 he directed

Ivan Caryll Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later ...

's ''

Marriage a la Carte ''Marriage a la Carte'' is a three-act Casino Theatre (New York City), Broadway musical comedy composed and written by C. M. S. McLellan and scored by Ivan Caryll. The play was staged by Austen Hurgon with musical direction provided by J. Sebastia ...

'' and

Leslie Stuart Leslie Stuart (15 March 1863 – 27 March 1928) born Thomas Augustine Barrett was an English composer of Edwardian musical comedy, best known for the hit show ''Florodora'' (1899) and many popular songs. He began in Manchester as a church organ ...

's '' The Slim Princess'' on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. For George Grossmith Jr. and

Edward Laurillard Edward Laurillard (20 April 1870 – 7 May 1936) was a cinema and theatre producer in London and New York City during the first third of the 20th century. He is best remembered for promoting the cinema early in the 20th century and for Edwardian ...

he directed the musical comedy '' To-Night's the Night'', which opened at the Shubert Theatre in New York in December 1914Plays on Broadway directed by Austen Hurgon
''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's p ...

'' and then at the Gaiety Theatre in London, opening in April 1915. He next directed ''

Theodore & Co ''Theodore & Co'' is an English musical theatre, musical comedy in two acts with a book by H. M. Harwood and George Grossmith Jr. based on the French comedy ''Théodore et Cie'' by Paul Armont and Nicolas Nancey, with music by Ivor Novello and J ...

'' (1916), which ran for 503 performances. Again for Grossmith and Laurillard he wrote the book with

George Arthurs George Arthurs (13 April 1875 – 14 March 1944) was an English songwriter, playwright, composer, author and screenwriter who contributed lyrics to several successful Edwardian musical comedy, musical comedies such as ''The Belle of Mayfair' ...

for '' Yes, Uncle!'' (1917), which ran for a very successful 626 performances. With Herbert C. Sargent he wrote ''Girl Wanted'' (1916) for the

London Opera House London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, Wearing, J. P.br>''The London Stage 1910–1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''
Rowman & Littlefield (2014),

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

while with George Arthurs he wrote the book for the musical ''Suzette''; the English version of the operetta '' Arlette'' (1917) at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. Opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, it was the last theatre to be built in Shaftesbury Avenue. History The theatre was ...

, with songs by Ivor Novello, and ''The Girl for the Boy'' (1919), an adaptation of Paul Gavault's ''La Petite Chocolatière''. He produced and directed Ivor Novello's comic opera ''The Golden Moth'' (1921) at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

and his own ''His Girl'' (1922) at the Gaiety, but both had only moderate success, and he retired. He died of cancer in Folkestone, in 1942 aged 73, leaving £11,584 15s 10d in his willEngland & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Richard Cornelius Horgan
-

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

and was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...

References

External links

The Austen Hurgon Collection

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

Theatre and Performance Collections
Plays by Austen Hurgon
Great War Theatre website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurgon, Austen 1867 births 1942 deaths English people of Irish descent English male stage actors English musical theatre librettists English theatre directors English musical theatre directors Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery