Interviewing Hal Prince….
As I was driving a little while ago, I heard a series of interviews with Hal Prince. THE PRINCE OF BROADWAY (this is the title of the biopic of Hal Prince that was playing on Broadway) and the man with twenty-one Tony Awards (more than anyone else for directing, producing and special awards) was reflecting on his six-decade career.
THE PAJAMA GAME, CABARET, FOLLIES, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF are just a few of the huge hits this master has been involved with. Starting as a producer, then pivoting to directing, perhaps his biggest claims to fame is the infamous relationship he developed with Stephen Sondheim. Their string of hits, including A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and SWEENEY TODD, changed Broadway forever.
Some of the things just made my jaw drop and I just had to share them with my readers.
- He does not believe in “workshopping” a new musical. He said that he was able to work with the composer team inside his office to work out the bugs in a new musical. He felt that any other problems that came up could be taken care of during the out of town try out.
- He said one of the easiest shows he has had to work on was PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. He staged the entire show in four weeks – and rehearsals ran only four hours a day! (Of course, PHANTOM is the longest running show on Broadway and has really not changed!)
- Nobody thought WEST SIDE STORY was going to be a huge hit, but it has returned over 1500 percent to its original investors!
Although THE PRINCE OF BROADWAY has closed in New York, Hal Prince is still considered Broadway Royalty.
Larry Little
Producer
