Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

BWW Flashback: A Look Back on the Exceptional Career of the Great Hal Prince

Prince was born January 30th, 1928.

In honor of what would have been been his 95th Birthday, BroadwayWorld is looking back on the career of Hal Prince. See highlights from his incredible career in our interactive timeline and watch past performances from his works.

Hal Prince was a theater producer and director who has made a significant contribution to Broadway musicals in America. In a career spanning more than fifty years, Prince has received ten Drama Desk Awards as Outstanding Director and 21 Tony Awards® for Best Direction, Best Producer, Best Musical, and Lifetime Achievement. In addition, Prince was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1994 and the recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2000.

Prince received his education at University of Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in a liberal arts program and was actively involved in the student theater group, Penn Players. After graduating in 1948, he returned to New York and began working as an assistant stage manager to producer and director George Abbott. This experience led to co-production opportunities with Robert E. Griffith and Frederick Brisson, resulting in the first two musicals that won Tonys® for Prince - The Pajama Game (1954) and Damn Yankees (1955).

After several co-productions, including the classic West Side Story in 1957, Prince began to produce his own musicals. Fiddler on the Roof (1964) enjoyed enormous success with a record-breaking run of over three thousand performances between 1964 and 1972.

Prince was also a celebrated director with hits including Cabaret (1966), Sweeney Todd (1979), Evita (1979), and The Phantom of the Opera (1988).

Besides his achievements as a producer and director, Prince is also known for bringing innovation to the theatrical arts. In collaboration with Stephen Sondheim, he was a pioneer in the development of the "concept musical," taking its departure from an idea or theme rather than from a traditional story. Their first project of this kind, Company (1970), was a solid success and paved the way for other innovative musicals.

Prince's contribution to the arts extends beyond the musical theater: he made a number of movie adaptations (Damn Yankees 1958, A Little Night Music 1977), and directed for television (Candide 1986). In addition, he served as a trustee for the New York Public Library and on the National Council of the Arts of the National Education Association.

Prince's final Broadway work was fittingly Prince of Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, co-directed with Susan Stroman, which was a revue of his most prolific work, and featured cast members playing a version of Prince. The production included fully staged hits from such celebrated musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Evita, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera and more, in an unforgettable tribute to an unmatched Broadway career.






Related Stories
Video: Companies of ALWs Shows Celebrate His 75th Birthday Photo
Andrew Lloyd Webber is celebrating his 75th birthday today! To honor the composer, companies of productions of his shows from all around the world compiled their birthday wishes into a video posted on social media.

Video: Inside SCHMIGADOON! Season Two With DeBose, Krakowski & More Photo
The featurette shares new look at the upcoming season, which reimagines the world of '60s and '70s musicals, including Hair, Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, Chicago, and more. Members of the cast, including Kristin Chenoweth, Dove Cameron, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski, Keegan Michael-Key, Cecily Strong, and more tease what to expect in the new video.

Cameron Crowe to Honor Tom Kitt And More At New York City Childrens Theaters Ann Photo
New York City Children's Theater's Annual Gala welcomes Academy Award winner Cameron Crowe to honor Tom Kitt, Sidley Austin LLP, and Alexa Fairchild.

Photos: First Look At The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play FAT HAM On Broadway! Photo
The 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Fat Ham by James Ijames, directed by The Public Theater’s Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director Saheem Ali, makes its Broadway premiere tonight, March 21. See a first look photo from the show!


From This Author - Team BWW


Play BroadwayWorld's Daily Word Game - 3/22/2023Play BroadwayWorld's Daily Word Game - 3/22/2023
March 22, 2023

Today's BroadwayWorld Daily Word Game is now live - can you guess today's word or phrase? The solution can be any theatre related word or phrase - a show title, performer, recognizable lyrical phrase, and more.

New Block Of Tickets On Sale For BroadwayWorld's 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert Benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDSNew Block Of Tickets On Sale For BroadwayWorld's 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert Benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
March 21, 2023

A new limited block of tickets is now available for BroadwayWorld's 20th Anniversary Concert Celebration benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, hosted by Tony Award-Winning Broadway legend Chita Rivera, along with her longtime friend, BroadwayWorld's own Richard Ridge.

Shop Spring Essentials in BroadwayWorld's Theatre ShopShop Spring Essentials in BroadwayWorld's Theatre Shop
March 20, 2023

Swing into spring with official merchandise from Kimberly Akimbo, Hadestown, Wicked, Beetlejuice and more!

Review: This SOUND OF MUSIC Sings a Different TuneReview: This SOUND OF MUSIC Sings a Different Tune
March 20, 2023

It took eight years for three-time Tony awardee Jack O’Brien-directed 'The Sound of Music,' a warhorse title from the Rodgers and Hammerstein’s catalog, to reach the Philippines’ capital—a rare feat because most of the international productions visiting town are either from South Africa or the United Kingdom.

Broadway Buying Guide: March 20, 2023Broadway Buying Guide: March 20, 2023
March 20, 2023

Looking for the best deals on Broadway shows? Welcome to our new weekly guide to the most popular shows listed on BroadwayWorld. Check out which shows are selling this week, March 20, 2023.