He produced or co-produced tons of classic Broadway musicals, like West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, and directed some classics, like the original productions of Cabaret, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera. He even directed some opera–the first Madame Butterfly I ever saw was a production he’d directed that was shown on PBS. (You can find it on YouTube, but the video quality’s not terrific.)
Auf Wiedersehn…a bientot…good night, Hal. You left your mark for the ages.
Hal Prince produced so many Broadway musicals. He knew what worked and what didn’t.
Cameron McIntosh once fired him from producing Phantom of the Opera because Hal wouldn’t do it hisway. A week later CamMac came back and rehired him. The rest is history.
I met Hal at stage doors a few times. He was not only named “Prince,” not only considered “The Prince of Broadway,” but he was also a Prince of a man, willing to stop and talk with fans.
You left your mark on the world, Hal. RIP. We will miss you.
That leaves John Kander and Stephen Sondheim still around from the old school.
ETA: Here’s a link for Talking Broadway’s All That Chat. As someone stated, Broadway should turn off their lights and keep them off for a month.
I wish they would rename a theatre in honor of Prince, preferably the Broadway since that name is so generic. And the next show set to open there is West Side Story.
Well, maybe that was the date of the beginning of the “short illness” that caused his death. And I still think it’s an amazing coincidence that is occurred right before his death.
Theater lights were dimmed last night for 15 minutes in tribute to this legend.
What does July 13 have to do with Hal Prince?