THE MERRY PARTNERS

An engaging biography focusses primarily on Harrigan and Hart, theatrical idols of the late 19th century, and takes more than a little interest in their profession, their fellow thespians and the disorderly age in which they lived and acted. How Harrigan and Hart got their start, how they met and how they prospered, how their audiences -- and critics adored them, and how they parted -- all this is the mainspring of the book and set against the riotous, raffish years in New York and the cities in which they toured, the type of play that won them popularity, and the slavish devotion of their followers. The productions themselves sound today like a madhouse with their bulging casts, gold- bergian mechanics and utter turmoil of action; their songs were all hit parade numbers of their day; Harrigan's family was completely incorporated into their enterprises; back-stage bickerings grew and exploded. Definitely a New York City item as well as a theatrical portrait, this reflects the energetic qualities of its subject.