One of the most iconic Broadway producers and directors of all-time passed away in 2019. Harold “Hal” Prince was synonymous with Broadway during the second half of the 20th century and was involved in some capacity with more than 80 productions from 1950 to 2017. Moreover, he produced or directed some of the most successful musicals in American theater history, including Fiddler on the Roof, The Phantom of the Opera, and Sweeney Todd. His 21 Tony Awards is the most received by an individual in multiple categories.
“Farewell, Hal,” wrote Andrew Lloyd Weber, who worked with Prince on two musicals, in a touching tribute. “Not just the prince of musicals, the crowned head who directed two of the greatest productions of my career, Evita and Phantom. This wonderful man taught me so much and his mastery of musical theater was without equal.”
Below is a closer look at the career of the legendary Broadway director and producer.
Began His Broadway Career as An Assistant Stage Manager
A New York City native, Prince took an early interest in theater as his parents often brought him to Broadway shows. He participated in the student theater group at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from the school in 1948. Two years later, he worked as an assistant stage manager to producer and director George Abbott for Tickets, Please! He was also assistant stage manager for Call Me Madam (1950) and stage manager for Wonderful Town (1953).
His First Tony Award (The Pajama Game)
Prince first ventured into producing in partnership with Robert E. Griffith in 1953. The duo purchased the rights to the novel 7 1/2 Cents, which depicted a strike in a pajama manufacturing facility with a humorous spin. Both Prince and Griffith came up in Broadway under the tutelage of Abbott and had the veteran not only adapt the novel for the stage, but also direct the show.
Despite the inexperience of the show’s producers, as well as its choreographer and composers, The Pajama Game exceeded all expectations at the box office in 1954. It later won the Tony Award as Best Musical of the Year, and Prince won for Producer of a Musical. Although he produced iconic Broadway productions Damn Yankees (1955) and West Side Story (1957) in subsequent years, Prince didn’t earn another Tony Award until he won Producer of a Musical for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962).
Started Directing in 1962
Although he primarily produced and directed musicals, Prince gained his first directing credit for the play Family Affair (1962). He began regularly directing and producing plays following this and often served as producer-director, as was the case with Cabaret (1966), Follies (1971), and Merrily We Roll Along (1981).
Prince won his first Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for She Loves Me (1963) and won the award in six of eight years from 1967 to 1974. He last won the award for Parade (1998) and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Prince kept directing and producing well into his 80s. He won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical for Lovemusik in 2007.
Pioneered the Concept Musical
Prince’s legacy is about more than the awards he received throughout his career. Company, a show he directed and produced in 1970, was among the first concept musicals. Written by Stephen Sondheim, the play didn’t have a linear plot and was instead a series of short vignettes focusing on a central theme. There are now many well-known concept musicals in which a theme, as opposed to particular plot, drives the narrative.
Popular examples of concept musicals include A Chorus Line (1975), Cats (1981), Starlight Express (1984), Avenue Q (2003), and Assassins (2004).
His Work in TV
Prince didn’t limit his artistic endeavors to the stage. He was associate producer for film adaptations of The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees and directed Something for Everyone (1970), A Little Night Music (1977), and the TV movie stage play Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982).
His Final Production (Prince of Broadway)
Two years before his death, Prince directed his final Broadway show: Prince of Broadway. The show, which debuted at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on August 24, 2017, celebrated his six-decade career with standout numbers from celebrated musicals like Company, A Little Night Music, Cabaret, West Side Story, and Fiddler on the Roof. The show ran for 76 performances until its closing date on October 29.
While Prince of Broadway didn’t win Prince another Tony, the production was a success with more than $4 million in ticket sales and average capacity at 89 percent. It also garnered attention from the Drama Desk Awards and Outer Critics Circle as a nominee in multiple categories. In addition, Tony Yazbeck won Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show at the Chita Rivera Awards.