Harold Prince
Harold Prince
Harold Smith "Hal" Princeis an American theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-known Broadway musical productions of the past half-century. He has garnered twenty-one Tony Awards, more than any other individual, including eight for directing, eight for producing the year's Best Musical, two as Best Producer of a Musical, and three special awards...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTV Producer
Date of Birth30 January 1928
CountryUnited States of America
lyrics musical plenty
Lyrics can't do what they do - or should do - when you're creating a musical with rock lyrics. There's plenty of room for rock musicals, just not all rock musicals.
artistic died fills information movements theaters
All these actors who died before I was born, all the theaters and the artistic movements - all that stuff fills you up and makes you feel like you're the inheritor of all this information and of all its passion.
agree ask audiences beforehand hope taken wants willing
Audiences are very willing to be taken somewhere, and to ask an audience beforehand what it wants is probably, I think, a mistake. Much better you should tell them what you want and hope they agree with it.
excited gone occasion reaching theater
I really like reaching out and seeing the audience - they're potential audiences! And on occasion I can make them excited about going to the theater again, if they've ceased or gone less.
One thing is certain: We can't go back. The musical will never be the same as it was.
basically direct feeding needs project specific time track work works
I'm on a single track here - I work to direct what I want to see onstage. I basically have been feeding my own needs - to be working on a specific project at a specific time, and fortunately more often it works than fails.
charge costumes directing george hire looked props shows took visuals
When I started producing, it was George Abbott directing and he would let me do the scenery. He just wanted to know where the doors were - the entrances, the exits; the tables, the props - and then I would hire the designer. I took charge of the visuals - scenery and costumes and so on. And, the shows looked wonderful.
class guy intelligence
It's a terrible shame if you're born the brightest guy in your class. If you're not, then you have to hustle-and that's good.
remember advantage because-i-can
Nothing is staged exactly as it was, because I can't remember - and I consider that an advantage.
running stars guarantees
A star may guarantee business, but the tradeoff is a very short run.
moving responsibility successful
I got successful awfully quick, and I wanted it... But I do think there is responsibility to move the musical theater form forward. I think you always have to be aware of the work that came before and build on that.
want directors extravagant
I wouldn't want to be just pigeonholed as an extravagant director.
memories past done
I have a terrible memory because I'm not interested in the past. It's done, it's done.
glad
I'm always glad to see somebody rethink something rather than reproduce something I did.