Henry Thomas "Harry" Nicholls (1 March 1852 – 29 November 1926)
Gilbert and Sullivan Archive, 7 October 2004, accessed 26 September 2018. was an English actor, comedian, songwriter and playwright, popular during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

. As an actor, he appeared in music hall, Victorian burlesques and

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 ...

. He was perhaps best known for starring in the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

's annual Christmas

pantomimes Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

, alongside

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

and Herbert Campbell and as the author of long-running musicals at the Gaiety Theatre.

Biography

Nicholls was born in London and was educated at The City of London School."Harry Nicholls", ''The Stage'', 2 December 1926, p. 22 As a youth he worked as a clerk in a railway office and spent some time as an apprentice auctioneer. He became interested in acting and made his stage debut in 1870, acting in provincial theatre where he achieved little success. His London stage debut followed on 3 October 1874, when he played the part of Honeybun at the Old Surrey Theatre in Joseph Stirling Coyne's farce ''Did You Ever Send Your Wife to Camberwell?'' Nicholls remained at the theatre for two years. Early in his career, he also played Don Andres in '' La Perichole'' with

Selina Dolaro Selina Simmons Belasco Dolaro (20 August 1849 – 23 January 1889) was an English singer, actress, theatre manager and writer of the late Victorian era. During her career in operetta and other forms of musical theatre, she managed several of ...

's company. He next moved to the Royal Grecian Theatre in Shoreditch. There he met the music hall comedian Herbert Campbell, and the two formed a professional union. Nicholls married Lucy Jane Pettitt, sister of the dramatist Henry Pettitt, in 1878 in Islington, and they had three children. In 1879, Nicholls was engaged in a short contract at the Folly Theatre where he played comic roles in ''The Dragoons'', ''Lord Mayor's Day'', ''The First Night'', and ''Heavy Fathers''.

Drury Lane and Adelphi

Nicholls joined the

company in 1880, and his act together with Campbell became one of the standing features in the

's elaborate

until 1893. A reporter for the ''South Wales Daily News'' considered: "a Drury Lane pantomime was never complete without the assistance of Mr Harry Nicholls." Among the dramas in which Nicholls appeared during those years were ''Pluck'' (1881), ''Human Nature'' (1882), ''A Run of Luck'' (1885), ''Pleasure'' (1886), ''The Armada'' (1887), ''The Royal Oak'' (1888), ''A Million of Money'' (1889), ''A Sailor's Knot'' (1890), ''The Prodigal Daughter'' (1891), and ''A Life of Pleasure'' (1893). In 1886 the composer Isidore de Lara wrote an operetta entitled ''Minna; or, The Fall from the Cliff'' with Nicholls in mind and created a role especially for him. In 1894, Nicholls became contracted to 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 ...

where he appeared in, among other pieces, ''Fatal Card''.

Writing and later life

Nicholls was a popular songwriter and author; he collaborated with

William Lestocq William Lestocq (born Lestock Boileau Wooldridge; 1852 – 16 October 1920) was a British theatre manager, playwright, and actor.(20 October 1920)William Lestocq (obituary) ''New York Tribune''(20 October 1920)William Lestocq is Dead ''The Evening ...

to write a three-act comedy, ''Jane'', that first played at the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, London, in 1890. It starred Charles Hawtrey,

Henry Kemble Henry Kemble (1 June 1848 – 17 November 1907) was a British actor. A member of the famed Kemble family, he was the grandson of Charles Kemble. Life He was born in London, the son of Henry Kemble, a captain of the 37th Foot, and educated at Ma ...

Lottie Venne Lottie Venne (28 May 1852 – 16 July 1928) was a British comedian, actress and singer of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, who enjoyed a theatre career spanning five decades. Venne began her stage career in musical burlesque before moving into ...

and

Charles Brookfield Charles Hallam Elton Brookfield (19 May 1857 – 20 October 1913) was a British actor, author, playwright and journalist, including for '' The Saturday Review''. His most famous work for the theatre was '' The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906). Brookfie ...

. He later achieved great success at the Gaiety Theatre with the

Edwardian musical comedies 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 Ame ...

A Runaway Girl ''A Runaway Girl'' is a musical comedy in two acts written in 1898 by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls. The composer was Ivan Caryll, with additional music by Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Aubrey Hopwood and Harry Greenbank. It was produced b ...

'' (1898)"Obituary: Noted Comedian", ''Aberdeen Press and Journal'', 30 November 1926, p. 3 and ''

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

'' (1901). Nicholls appeared at the Gaiety in the role of Hooker Pacha in the long-running musical ''

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. The story concerne ...

'' (1900). He was engaged by a touring theatrical company and undertook a six-month tour of South Africa in 1902. In 1910, Nicholls was elected as a warden at the

Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers is one of the livery companies in the City of London. The Guild of St James Garlickhythe, the company's predecessor, named after the church where it was founded, was formed in 1375. The organization ...

. Nicholls died at his home, 31 Birch Grove, Acton Hill, London, on 29 November 1926, aged 74."Famous Comedian Dead", ''The Western Gazette'', 10 December 1926 He was buried in Old Chiswick Cemetery.

Notes and references

Sources

External links