Hassard Short

Hubert Edward Hassard Short (15 October 1877 – 9 October 1956), usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director, set designer and lighting designer in musical theatre who directed over 50 Broadway and West End shows between 1920 and 1953. while theatre writer John Kenrick described him as a "groundbreaking director and choreographer".

After 25 years acting on stage and in films, Short turned to directing and designing in 1920. He made many innovations in stage lighting and design, including the first permanent lighting bridge (Music Box Revue, 1921) and first the use of a revolving stage in a Broadway musical (The Band Wagon, 1931). He continued to direct until 1952.

Early life and acting career

Short was born in Edlington, Lincolnshire into the English landed gentry, the elder son of Edward Hassard Short and Geraldine Rachel Blagrave. He left school aged fifteen to seek a career on the stage. He made his first acting appearance in London in 1895 before being brought to New York City by producer Charles Frohman in 1901, where he continued to appear on stage until 1919. In this production an electrician operated overhead spotlights above the stage from a bosun's chair, the first of Short's many innovations in stage lighting. In 1921 he staged a historic Shakespearean pageant with many of Broadway's leading men and women in a fundraiser for Actor's Equity.

Short adapted well to the more limited budgets of the 1930s by staging revues, including many collaborations with producer Max Gordon and choreographer Albertina Rasch. He staged the groundbreaking 1931 revue The Band Wagon on double revolving turntables, allowing rapid scene changes. Short continued to work into his seventies: he staged a successful revival of Show Boat in 1948, and staged and did the lighting for the revue, Make Mine Manhattan (1948). The last show he worked on was My Darlin' Aida, which opened in 1952. Short retired to the south of France in 1952, and died there in 1956.

Year opened Title 1921 Music Box Revue 1925 Sunny 1931 1933 As Thousands Cheer 1934 1935 Jubilee 1937 Between the Devil 1939 1941 Lady in the Dark 1941 Banjo Eyes 1943 Something for the Boys 1943 Carmen Jones 1944 Mexican Hayride 1945 Marinka 1946 Show Boat (revival) 1948 Make Mine Manhattan