Harold Prince: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Hal Prince produced and directed the Broadway musical from the brisk farce comedies of the 1950s to the dark, image-driven "concept musical" of the 1970s and the spectacle era that followed. His map runs from his mentor George Abbott's workmanlike craft to European epic theatre, and out through Sondheim, Lloyd Webber and the directors who inherited his toolkit.

The Kynda mix for Harold Prince

• Key Influence · The Pajama Game by George Abbott (1954). Prince began as Abbott's office boy and stage manager, and co-produced The Pajama Game with Robert E. Griffith at 26 — Abbott directing. Abbott taught him pace, clarity and the ruthless editing of a scene, lessons Prince repeated for decades as the foundation of his craft. The partnership continued through Damn Yankees and Fiorello!, and Prince named Abbott the single formative teacher of his professional life.ced only by his own later turn to directing.
• Influencia Obscura · Oh, What a Lovely War! by Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop (1963). Littlewood's bitter pierrot-show treatment of the First World War — music hall numbers, projected casualty statistics, performers addressing the house — is the direct structural ancestor of Cabaret's Kit Kat Klub framing device. Prince saw British and European work during his travels and borrowed the idea of a seedy entertainment running commentary on catastrophe, the device that made Cabaret a turning point for the form.
• Local Roots · Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser (1950). The Manhattan-born Prince came up inside the Abbott-era Broadway machine that produced Guys and Dolls: Runyon's New York, Loesser's wit, and a professional culture of out-of-town tryouts and fast rewrites. It is the high-water mark of the comic book musical Prince served his apprenticeship inside before turning against it, and its craft standards shaped everything he produced in the 1950s and early 60s.
• Beyond the Medium · The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill (1928). Brecht and Weill's cabaret-sour songs, direct address and refusal of sentiment are the imported engine of the American concept musical. Prince's Cabaret transplants Weimar Berlin and its ironic musical commentary wholesale; Sweeney Todd's chorus narrating a moral fable and Evita's Che addressing the audience are both Brechtian devices naturalized for Broadway houses that had never been asked to think that way.
• Peer · Pippin by Bob Fosse (1972). Fosse was Prince's closest rival as a director with a total visual signature, and the two careers interlock: Fosse choreographed for Prince's early productions and later filmed Cabaret, reworking the show Prince had staged. Pippin's leading player and vaudeville frame show the same Brecht-derived toolkit Prince used, pushed toward choreography where Prince pushed toward architecture.
• From the Canon · Cabaret by Harold Prince (1966). The hinge of his career: Prince's first fully realized directorial vision, with Boris Aronson's tilted mirror hanging over the audience and a nightclub emcee commenting on the rise of Nazism. It converted him from Abbott-trained producer into the auteur-director of the American musical, and established the method — a metaphorical environment, a presentational frame — he reused for twenty years.
• Key Collaborator · Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (1984). Sondheim was Prince's defining partner across Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along — six shows that redrew the musical. Sunday is the work Sondheim made immediately after their partnership ended, with Lapine, showing what the composer's preoccupation with artists and making carried forward once the Prince collaboration closed.
• Legacy · The Lion King by Julie Taymor (1997). Taymor inherits the Prince premise that a musical's staging is its meaning: a unifying visual metaphor, openly theatrical devices, and no attempt to hide the machinery from the audience. Arriving on Broadway a decade after Phantom, her work continues the line of director-as-author Prince established, where the governing image rather than the book determines what the evening is about.

What influenced Harold Prince

• The Pajama Game by George Abbott (1954). The Pajama Game (George Abbott) — titan for Harold Prince “== Career == Prince began work in the theatre as an assistant stage manager to theatrical producer and director George Abbott.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Alexandra Shiva. Prince planned a stage adaptation of Shiva’s documentary. “In 2018, Prince announced plans to adapt Alexandra Shiva 's 2015 documentary How to Dance in Ohio into a musical” (Wikipedia)
• The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. The Threepenny Opera (Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill) — culture for Harold Prince “Trustees of the New York-based organization have included Harold Prince, Victoria Clark, Jeanine Tesori, Tazewell Thompson, and Teresa Stratas.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• West Side Story by Jerome Robbins (1957). West Side Story (Jerome Robbins) — titan for Harold Prince “Their first project of this kind, Company (1970), was a solid success and paved the way for other innovative musicals." According to The New York Times, "He was known, too, for his collaborations with a murderer's row of creative talents…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (1939). Goodbye to Berlin (Christopher Isherwood) — culture for Harold Prince (openlibrary.org)
• Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (1943). Oklahoma! (Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II) — titan for Harold Prince (wikidata.org)
• The Political Theatre by Erwin Piscator (1929). The Political Theatre (Erwin Piscator) — ghost for Harold Prince (openlibrary.org)
• 8½ by Federico Fellini (1963). 8½ (Federico Fellini) — culture for Harold Prince (themoviedb.org)
• Oh, What a Lovely War! by Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop (1963). Oh, What a Lovely War! (Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop) — ghost for Harold Prince

Peers and kindred spirits

• Fred Ebb. Prince recruited Ebb to the musical project. (also via Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago) “his Tony winning success directing and producing with Kander and Ebb 's Cabaret in 1966, followed by Kander and Ebb's Zorba” (Wikipedia)
• John Kander (1957). Prince recruited Kander to the musical project. (also via Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago) “his Tony winning success directing and producing with Kander and Ebb 's Cabaret in 1966, followed by Kander and Ebb's Zorba” (Wikipedia)
• Bob Fosse (1927). Fosse is identified among Prince’s collaborators. (also via Cabaret, All That Jazz, Pippin) “He was known, too, for his collaborations with a murderer's row of creative talents, among them the choreographers Bob Fosse , Jerome Robbins , Michael Bennett and Susan Stroman” (Wikipedia)
• Stephen Sondheim (1930). Sondheim began an extended collaboration with Prince. (also via Harold Prince, Sunday in the Park with George) “Two more Prince/Sondheim collaborations swiftly followed: “A Little Night Music” (a romantic operetta set in turn-of-the-century Sweden) and “Pacific Overtures,”” (Library of Congress, Timeless)
• George Abbott. Prince worked for Abbott and later co-produced a musical with him. (also via The Pajama Game) “Prince began work in the theatre as an assistant stage manager to theatrical producer and director George Abbott . Along with Abbott, he co-produced The Pajama Game” (Wikipedia)
• Florence Klotz. Klotz is named among the designers who collaborated with Prince. “In her final show before retirement, the 1994 Broadway revival of “Show Boat” directed by Hal Prince, Klotz designed 585 costumes for 72 actors covering over 30 years of American history.” (Library of Congress, Timeless)
• Betty Comden. Prince directed a musical with lyrics by Comden. (also via On the Town) “directed A Doll's Life (1982) with lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green .” (Wikipedia)
• Adolph Green. Prince directed a musical with lyrics by Green. (also via On the Town) “directed A Doll's Life (1982) with lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green .” (Wikipedia)
• New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Prince served as a trustee for the library. “was a Lifetime Trustee of the New York Public Library and great supporter of the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts.” (The Shubert Organization)
• Lorin Maazel. Prince staged a Turandot production conducted by Maazel. “Soloists: Katia Ricciarelli, Eva Marton, José Carreras Orchestra, Chorus: Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Sängerknaben Conductor: Lorin Maazel Director: Harold Prince” (Arthaus Musik)
• Kurt Weill Foundation for Music. Prince served on the foundation’s board of trustees. “Harold Prince Trustee Emeritus Trustee 1979 - 2005 / Emeritus 2006 - 2019” (Kurt Weill Foundation for Music)
• José Carreras. Carreras performed in Prince’s Turandot production. “Soloists: Katia Ricciarelli, Eva Marton, José Carreras Orchestra, Chorus: Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Sängerknaben Conductor: Lorin Maazel Director: Harold Prince” (Arthaus Musik)
• Éva Marton. Marton performed in Prince’s Turandot production. “Soloists: Katia Ricciarelli, Eva Marton, José Carreras Orchestra, Chorus: Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Sängerknaben Conductor: Lorin Maazel Director: Harold Prince” (Arthaus Musik)
• Jerome Robbins (1918). Robbins is identified among Prince’s collaborators. (also via West Side Story) “He was known, too, for his collaborations with a murderer's row of creative talents, among them the choreographers Bob Fosse , Jerome Robbins , Michael Bennett and Susan Stroman” (Wikipedia)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber (1965). Prince directed two Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. (also via Jesus Christ Superstar) “He received a Tony nomination for directing On the Twentieth Century (1978) and won twice for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals Evita (1980) and The Phantom of the Opera (1988).” (Wikipedia)
• Michael Bennett. Bennett is identified among Prince’s collaborators. (also via A Chorus Line) “He was known, too, for his collaborations with a murderer's row of creative talents, among them the choreographers Bob Fosse , Jerome Robbins , Michael Bennett and Susan Stroman” (Wikipedia)
• Eugene Lee. Lee is named among the designers who collaborated with Prince. “the designers Boris Aronson , Eugene Lee , Patricia Zipprodt and Florence Klotz ; and the composers Leonard Bernstein , John Kander , Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber” (Wikipedia)
• Jonathan Tunick. Prince directed a musical for which Tunick adapted the music. “Prince co-directed, with Susan Stroman , the 2010 musical Paradise Found . The musical features the music of Johann Strauss II as adapted by Jonathan Tunick” (Wikipedia)
• Jason Robert Brown. Brown contributed material and orchestrations to Prince of Broadway. “The book was written by David Thompson with additional material and orchestrations by Jason Robert Brown .” (Wikipedia)
• Boris Aronson. Aronson is named among the designers who collaborated with Prince. “the designers Boris Aronson , Eugene Lee , Patricia Zipprodt and Florence Klotz ; and the composers Leonard Bernstein , John Kander , Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber” (Wikipedia)
• David Thompson. Prince co-directed a production whose book Thompson wrote. “A retrospective of Prince's work titled Prince of Broadway was co-directed by Prince and Susan Stroman and presented by Umeda Arts Theater in Tokyo, Japan in October 2015. [ 23 ] The book was written by David Thompson” (Wikipedia)
• Broadway League. The Shubert Organization identifies Prince as a former Broadway League chairman. “His leadership in the community included Chairmanship of the Broadway League; service on the Board of Trustees of The Actors Fund for more than 50 years;” (The Shubert Organization)
• Bess Wohl. Wohl was named as the playwright on Prince’s planned adaptation. “Prince announced plans to adapt Alexandra Shiva 's 2015 documentary How to Dance in Ohio into a musical along with composers Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik and playwright Bess Wohl .” (Wikipedia)
• Flora the Red Menace. Prince hired Kander and Ebb for the production. “the quality of the score convinced producer Harold Prince to hire them for their first professional production, the George Abbott -directed musical Flora the Red Menace (1965)” (Wikipedia)
• National Council on the Arts. Prince states that he served on the council from 1976 to 1982. “I served on the National Council on the Arts—the governing body of the National Endowment for the Arts—from 1976 to 1982.” (Playbill)
• Kiss of the Spider Woman by John Kander and Fred Ebb (1993). Prince directed the Kander and Ebb musical. “The team's musical adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman opened in 1993, starring Chita Rivera . Reunited with director Harold Prince , the show ran for more than two years” (Wikipedia)
• The Actors Fund. The Shubert Organization says Prince served on the Actors Fund’s board for more than 50 years. “His leadership in the community included Chairmanship of the Broadway League; service on the Board of Trustees of The Actors Fund for more than 50 years;” (The Shubert Organization)
• Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein is named among the composers who collaborated with Prince. “the designers Boris Aronson , Eugene Lee , Patricia Zipprodt and Florence Klotz ; and the composers Leonard Bernstein , John Kander , Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber” (Wikipedia)
• Lotte Lenya. Prince cast Lenya in Cabaret. “At the behest of Lotte Lenya , whom he cast in Cabaret (1966), Prince also served on the Board of Trustees of The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music” (Wikipedia)
• Cabaret by Bob Fosse (1972). Prince directed the original musical. “Their second collaboration, Cabaret , was considerably more successful, running for 1,165-performances. Directed by Prince and based on the John Van Druten play I Am a Camera” (Wikipedia)
• Joe Masteroff. Prince hired Masteroff to work on the adaptation. “Prince hired playwright Joe Masteroff to work on the adaptation. [ 40 ] Both men believed that Wilson's score failed to capture the carefree hedonism of the Jazz Age in late 1920s Berlin .” (Wikipedia)
• Richard Nelson. Prince directed a musical whose book Nelson wrote. “Prince co-directed, with Susan Stroman , the 2010 musical Paradise Found . The musical features the music of Johann Strauss II as adapted by Jonathan Tunick with lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh. The book was written by Richard Nelson” (Wikipedia)
• Ron Field. Prince directed and Field choreographed the original Broadway production. “Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Ron Field , the cast featured Jill Haworth as Sally, Bert Convy as Cliff, Lotte Lenya as Fräulein Schneider, Jack Gilford as Herr Schultz, Joel Grey as the Emcee” (Wikipedia)
• On the Town by Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1944). On the Town (Betty Comden and Adolph Green) — geography for Harold Prince “Between them, Prince was offered the job of directing Cats by Lloyd Webber but turned it down and directed A Doll's Life (1982) with lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Zorba. Prince directed Zorba. “Zorba (1968), directed by Prince, also ran less than a year, though it was more successful in its 1983 revival;” (Wikipedia)
• Rebekah Greer Melocik. Melocik was named as a composer on Prince’s planned adaptation. “Prince announced plans to adapt Alexandra Shiva 's 2015 documentary How to Dance in Ohio into a musical along with composers Jacob Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik and playwright Bess Wohl .” (Wikipedia)
• National Council of the Arts. Prince served on the named arts council. “Prince served as a trustee for the library and on the National Council of the Arts of the National Endowment for the Arts .” (Wikipedia)
• Ellen Fitzhugh. Prince directed a musical with lyrics by Fitzhugh. “Prince co-directed, with Susan Stroman , the 2010 musical Paradise Found . The musical features the music of Johann Strauss II as adapted by Jonathan Tunick with lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh.” (Wikipedia)
• Patricia Zipprodt. Zipprodt is named among the designers who collaborated with Prince. “the designers Boris Aronson , Eugene Lee , Patricia Zipprodt and Florence Klotz ; and the composers Leonard Bernstein , John Kander , Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber” (Wikipedia)
• Susan Stroman. Prince and Stroman co-directed Paradise Found. “Prince co-directed, with Susan Stroman , the 2010 musical Paradise Found .” (Wikipedia)

…and 9 more on the map above.

Who Harold Prince influenced

• Say, Darling. The page reports that Prince was assumed to be the basis for a character in the novel. “He was also assumed to be the basis of a character in Richard Bissell 's novel Say, Darling” (Wikipedia)
• All That Jazz by Bob Fosse (1979). A character in All That Jazz was inspired by Prince. “Prince was the inspiration for John Lithgow 's character in Bob Fosse 's film All That Jazz .” (Wikipedia)
• Hamilton. Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail) — legacy for Harold Prince (wikidata.org)
• The Lion King by Julie Taymor (1997). The Lion King (Julie Taymor) — legacy for Harold Prince