Biography
With nearly two dozen Tony Awards to his name thanks to hits such as "The Pajama Game," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Sweeney Todd," Harold Prince was one of the most successful producers in musical theatre history. Born in Manhattan, NY in 1928, Harold Prince was adopted by his stockbroker father Milton and mother Blanche at a young age. After graduated from his home state's prestigious Dwight School he studied Liberal Arts at the University of Pennsylvania before serving in post-Second World War Germany with the United States Army for two years. On his return, he started his career in the theatre world, working as an assistant manager to George Abbott on "Tickets Please" and "Call Me Madam." Prince then teamed up with the legendary director to co-produce "The Pajama Game," the 1954 musical theatre adaptation of Richard Bissell's novel 7½ Cents which would kickstart his record-breaking run of 21 Tony Awards. After co-producing the likes of "Damn Yankees," "New Girl in Town" and "West Side Story," Prince served as sole producer on "A Call on Kuprin" and "Take Her, She's Mine," and in 1962 turned director for "A Family Affair." Prince went on to alternate between or combine these two roles throughout the decade, winning Tonys for his work on "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret." Prince then took the director's chair for the big screen in black comedy "Something for Everyone" (1970) and forged a hugely successful partnership with Stephen Sondheim that would result in numerous hits including "Company," "Follies," "Pacific Overtures," "Sweeney Todd" and "A Little Night Music." Prince also helmed the latter's 1977 movie adaptation, worked on two Andrew Lloyd Webber productions, "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Evita," and directed several operas including "Madame Butterfly," "Willie Stark" and "Candide." But the 1980s as a whole wasn't particularly kind to Prince, and he experienced several flops including his final Sondheim collaboration, "Merrily We Roll Along," a continuation of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" and he musicals "Roza" and "Grind." As a result, Prince stopped taking on double duty and instead focused solely on being a director. The move paid off with 1993's "Kiss of the Spiderwoman," 1994's "Showboat" and 1998's "Parade," the latter of which he also co-conceived, all picking up major Tony Awards. In the early '00s, he returned to both producing and directing for the adaptation of Carol Burnett's memoir, Hollywood Arms, and reunited with Sondheim for a musical based on the adventures of the Mizner brothers, "Road Show." After receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2006 Tonys, Prince added "LoveMusik" and "Paradise Found" to his body of work, and directed a musical revue based on his own career, "Prince of Broadway." On July 31, 2019 Prince died at the age of 91, following a brief illness.
