# RIP Harold Prince **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [July 31, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929 "2019-07-31T15:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/1 "2019-07-31T15:52:24Z")
[Harold “Hal” Prince, legendary Broadway producer and director, has passed away at the age of 91.](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Hal-Prince-Legendary-Broadway-Producer-and-Director-Passes-Away-at-91-20190731) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/2 "2019-07-31T16:54:46Z")
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 _his_way. 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](https://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat_new/d.php?id=2463865) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/3 "2019-07-31T17:02:13Z")
A link to some [tweets](https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway-Mourns-The-Passing-Of-Hal-Prince-20190731) about his passing. I can add Hal Prince’s name to the celebrities whose deaths made me cry. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/4 "2019-07-31T22:02:09Z")
I can’t begin to estimate how many Hal Price productions I’ve seen over the decades. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/5 "2019-07-31T22:10:28Z")
If you haven’t seen the Great Performances documentary made about him, it’s worth a watch. [Available in full online](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/harold-prince-the-directors-life-full-film/9138/?button=fullepisode). ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/6 "2019-07-31T23:40:56Z")
Truly a legendary figure. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/7 "2019-08-01T13:06:56Z")
A poster on All That Chat summed it up best: > [@](#): > > John Milton wrote of Shakespeare: > > Dear Son of Memory, great heir of fame, > What needst thou such dull witness of thy Name? > Thou in wonder and astonishment > Hast built thyself a lasting Monument. > > Hal Prince is on that level. And Hal Prince personally won 21 Tony Awards as Best Director/Best Producer. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/8 "2019-08-01T13:23:32Z")
For those who don’t know it, a Broadway tradition is to dim to lights on the threatres when a true legend dies. All the lights on Broadway went totally out two and a half weeks ago, on Saturday July 13th. Coincidence? Yeah, right. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/9 "2019-08-01T13:50:18Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > For those who don’t know it, a Broadway tradition is to dim to lights on the threatres when a true legend dies. > > All the lights on Broadway went totally out two and a half weeks ago, on Saturday July 13th. Coincidence? Yeah, right. 😕 What does July 13 have to do with Hal Prince? 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. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-harold-prince/837929/10 "2019-08-01T13:53:30Z")
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.