Hal Prince has died
Hal Prince has died
#1Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:27am
Michael Paulson is reporting on Twitter
RIP what a life and career.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#3Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:34am
Just saw the news
RIP to one of the most important people in the history of the theater...
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#5Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:35am
https://twitter.com/MichaelPaulson/status/1156586654012006407
#7Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:37am
Here is the obituary
https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Hal-Prince-Legendary-Broadway-Producer-and-Director-Passes-Away-at-91-20190731
#8Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:43am
Wow. One of those people you just take for granted as being immortal. What an incredible legacy he has left behind.
#9Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:45am
One of those people you thought would just live forever. Simply a legend.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
#10Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:45am
This gave me a real "punched in the gut" feeling. RIP, Prince! Thank you for all your contribution to this world.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
#12Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:52am
Would reccommend a rewatch of the wonderful documentary Harold Prince - The Director's Life. I caught it on PBS a few months ago and opened my eyes to a lot of insight of his productions that I never would have thought about, redowloaded it just now to rewatch.
#13Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:54am
Wow. As I said, one of those people you thought would be around forever. I know up till the end of his life he would make unannounced visits to POTO and give directions and notes to cast members. A true legend.
#14Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:56am
I agree that he deserves a theatre named for him. 
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
jacobsnchz14
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
#15Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:12pm
Lot666 said: "I agree that he deserves a theatre named for him."
Can we just petition (again) to rename the Majestic? Poor guy won't even see the day if it were to happen.
Gizmo6
Broadway Star Joined: 6/16/17
#16Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:22pm
What a legacy.
The magic he created with the Phantom black box inspired so many, including myself.
#17Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:26pm
jacobsnchz14 said: "Lot666 said: "I agree that he deserves a theatre named for him. "
Can we just petition (again) to rename the Majestic? Poor guy won't even see the day if it were to happen."
That would be PERFECT.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Jarethan
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
#18Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:26pm
Lot666 said: "I agree that he deserves a theatre named for him."
Absolutely agree...it is amazing that hasn't been done already.
Harold Prince was certainly the greatest director of musicals in my lifetime (and I will bet ever). Just think that the same person directed the original productions of She Loves Me, Cabaret, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, the 1973 revival of Candide, which was incredible, Pacific Overtures (IMO the staging was the best part of that flawed production), Sweeney Todd, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and that cinematic staging of Show Boat which breathed major life into that old war horse.
I don't always love the fact that I am no longer young. One of the many things that makes that okay is that I was there for every one of those shows. I probably saw performances of the original productions on average 4 or 5 times, and they remain vividly imprinted in my brain as if I had seen them a week ago. I would doubt that any of the Phantom-dismissers on this board will EVER point to Prince's direction as a contributing factor to their dislike.
Then you think of the shows he produced, but did not direct: The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Fiorello, West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened. I doubt there is anyone in the history of the Broadway theatre who has played a pivotal role in so many classic Broadway productions. Even Sondheim was not involved with as many classics.
IMO Prince was involved in a few stinkers, including Grind, Merrily We Roll Along, and A Doll'sLife. I would even go so far as to say that his concept for Merrily was probably the key reason for its miserable failure in 1981. That said, there are stage images from Grind that I still remember vividly to this day, and they were Prince's ideas. I would also printout that NO ONE has ever had a perfect track record, and that his does about as close to that as possible.
The legacy that he has left on the theatre, and the revolutionary approaches he adopted in many shows, will certainly not be approached in my lifetime.
#19Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:53pm
Truly shocking. He could be the single most important influence on the Broadway theatre from 1960-1990, and his legacy still obviously continues to have a world wide impact.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Alex Kulak2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/11/16
#20Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:53pm
One of the greatest directors who ever lived. Broadway is what it is because of him. May he Rest In Peace
#22Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:00pm
To me, personally, Harold Prince was the theater. The first show I saw on Broadway was Sweeney Todd in 1979. I was stunned not just by what I heard but by what I saw. That stage was alive with theatrical inventiveness and energy. It instilled in me a love of the theater that's never left me. This one is particularly sad for me, but the tremendous influence Prince brought to the stage will live on.
#23Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:03pm
I hope they dim the lights tonight on Broadway for him.
#24Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:10pm
It is odd that I'm thinking how painful this will be for Sondheim? The two were so close, I think Prince was Sondheim's closest friend, apart from Mary Rodgers. This has to be devastating for him.
mamaleh
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/04
#25Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:12pmDimming the lights would be the least Broadway could do for him. He definitely deserves a theater renamed for him. What a life, what a legacy he leaves behind.
#26Hal Prince has died
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:24pm
joevitus said: "It is odd that I'm thinking how painful this will be for Sondheim?The two were so close, I think Prince was Sondheim's closest friend, apart from Mary Rodgers. This has to be devastating for him.
"
Didn't they fall out both personally and professionally after Merrily We Roll Along?
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