#1
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:27am
Michael Paulson is reporting on Twitter
RIP what a life and career.
RIP what a life and career.
#3
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...
RIP to one of the most important people in the history of the theater...
#5
Posted: 7/31/19 at 11:35am
#7
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
Updated On: 7/31/19 at 11:37 AM
#8
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.
#9
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
#10
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.
#12
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.
#13
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.
#14
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
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
#15
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.
#16
Posted: 7/31/19 at 12:22pm
What a legacy.
The magic he created with the Phantom black box inspired so many, including myself.
The magic he created with the Phantom black box inspired so many, including myself.
#17
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
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
#18
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.
#19
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.
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
#20
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
#21
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.
#22
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:03pm
I hope they dim the lights tonight on Broadway for him.
#23
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.
#24
Posted: 7/31/19 at 1:12pm
Dimming 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.
#25
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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