Harry Grattan (c. 1867 – 25 September 1951) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

stage actor, singer, dancer and writer best known for his performances in

musical comedies Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

in the decades around 1900.

Life and career

Gratton started early as a child actor (along with his sister, Emilie), playing in ''

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

'' (1875), ''Slave Life'' (1875), ''Orson'' in 1876 (a show written for him and his sister by their father, H. P. Grattan), ''Little Goody Two-Shoes'' (1876) and ''Little Red Riding Hood; or, Harlequin Grandmama'' (1877). He played Captain Corcoran in the "Children's

Pinafore A pinafore (colloquially a pinny in British English) is a sleeveless garment worn as an apron. Pinafores may be worn as a decorative garment and as a protective apron. A related term is ''pinafore dress'' (known as a ''jumper'' in Ameri ...

" in 1879–80 at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

(Emilie played Josephine). ''The Era'' wrote that, in the role, he was "very successful indeed, and looked the character completely." As an adult, Grattan appeared at various

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

s. For example, during the Christmas season of 1889, he appeared at the

Avenue Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

in ''The Field of the Cloth of Gold''. With the advent of

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

, Grattan became a star of such musicals as ''

Morocco Bound ''Morocco Bound'' is a farcical English Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by Arthur Branscombe, with music by F. Osmond Carr and lyrics by Adrian Ross. It opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, on 13 April 1893, under the management of ...

'' (1894), ''

Go-Bang ''Go-Bang'' is an English musical comedy with words by Adrian Ross and music by F. Osmond Carr. The piece was produced by Fred Harris and opened at the Trafalgar Square Theatre on 10 March 1894. It ran for 159 performances. The show starred H ...

'' (1894), ''As in a Looking Glass'' (1897) and ''Jim the Penman'' (1897). In the new century, he starred in a succession of hit musicals, including: ''

The Messenger Boy ''The Messenger Boy'' is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Alfred Murray, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, with additional numbers by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens ...

'' (1900), ''

The Toreador ''The Toreador'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Harry Nicholls, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. It opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London, mana ...

'' (1902), ''

The Orchid ''The Orchid'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, a book by James T. Tanner, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, and additional numbers by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens. The st ...

'' (1904), ''

The Spring Chicken ''The Spring Chicken'' is an Edwardian musical comedy adapted by George Grossmith, Jr. from ''Coquin de Printemps'' (1897) by Jaime and Duval, with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank and Gross ...

'' (1905), ''

The New Aladdin ''The New Aladdin'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and W. H. Risque, with music by Ivan Caryll, Lionel Monckton, and additional numbers by Frank E. Tours, and lyrics by Adrian Ross, Percy Greenbank, W. H. Risque, ...

'' (1906, also choreographed by Grattan), ''Venus'' (1906), ''

Miss Hook of Holland ''Miss Hook of Holland'' is an England, English musical theatre, musical comedy (styled a "Dutch Musical Incident") in two acts, with music and lyrics by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens with a book by Austen Hurgon and Rubens. The show was p ...

'' (1907), and ''More'' (1915; for which he was also the lyricist). As a writer, he produced the book and lyrics for ''

Hitchy-Koo ''Hitchy-Koo'' is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922. Described by ''Variety'' magazine as a "hit song of 1912", the song was c ...

'' (1917), which was a success on Broadway.''Hitchy-Koo''
at the Internet Broadway Database, accessed 30 January 2013 and wrote the successful 1918 revue ''Tabs'', with music by

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

and lyrics by

Ronald Jeans Ronald Jeans (10 May 1887 – 16 May 1973) was a British playwright with a career spanning nearly 50 years. Early life Ronald Jeans was born in Oxton, Merseyside, the younger son of Sir Alexander Grigor Jeans (1849–1924), the founder and man ...

. He wrote (and sometimes appeared in) a series of revues, including ''Odds and Ends'', ''Erb and Emma'', and ''Mind Your Backs'' during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and into the 1920s, some of them produced by

André Charlot André Eugène Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French impresario known primarily for the successful musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He also worked as a character actor in numerous films. Early li ...

and some with the child star

Betty Bolton Betty Bolton (7 January 1906 – 2 April 2005) was a British actress, beginning as a child star during World War I and continuing her career in the 1920s and 1930s. She was one of the first performers to appear on early British television. Early ...

References

External links

review of Children's Pinafore, with Grattan playing Captain CorcoranNine plays by Harry Grattan on Great War Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grattan, Harry 1867 births 1951 deaths English male stage actors English male musical theatre actors