Harold Prince

Reaction to death of legendary Broadway director Harold Prince

Will Longman
Will Longman

Tributes have been pouring in from the theatre community following the death Broadway producer and director Harold Prince, who has died at the age of 91. 

Over the course of his career, Prince won 21 Tony Awards - a record for an individual - as a director on musicals such as Company (1971), Follies (1972), Evita (1980), The Phantom of the Opera (1985), and Show Boat (1995), as well as his for work as a producer on productions such as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963), and Fiddler on the Roof (1965).

In London, his production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera remains the second longest-running musical in the West End, having played for over 30 years and 13,000 performances.

In a tribute posted on Twitter, the composer said: 'Not just the prince of musicals, the crowned head who directed two of the greatest productions of my career, Evita and Phantom. This wonderful man taught me so much and his mastery of musical theatre was without equal.'

Others who gave tribute to the director included a number of actors who have performed in shows directed by Prince, such as Michael Ball, Michael Crawford and Tim Howar (each have played the Phantom), and Chita Rivera, who appeared in the original production of West Side Story, which was produced by Prince in 1957.

Elaine Paige paid her tributes to the director, who offered the then-relatively-unknown actor the lead role of Eva Peron in Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Evita in the West End in 1978. 

Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda revealed Hal's first email to him hangs on the wall of his office, and shared a photo of Prince at home.

Broadway's lights were dimmed last night following the news of Prince's death. To read more about Hal Prince's life, click here to head to the New York Theatre Guide's tribute.

Originally published on

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