Harold Prince and the American Musical Theater (Directors in Perspective) (Hardcover)

by Foster Hirsch (Author), Harold Prince (Foreword), Stephen Sondheim (Foreword) "It's more than a musical!" a woman exclaimed on leaving the opening-night performance of Cabaret in Wilmington, Delaware..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Lloyd Webber, Sweeney Todd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Hirsch reveals the hows and whys, unearthing the impetus of Prince's artistic ideas and annotating the birth and growth of each of his shows from 'The Pajama Game' to 'Phantom of the Opera'...Hirsch's Harold Prince is an indispensable book for any musical theatre buff's library." Bay Area Reporter

Product Description
This account of Prince's unique contributions to the American theatrical world--controversial subjects, innovative music, and theatrical stage design--is enhanced by extensive interviews, rare photos and exhaustive backstage material.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; First Edition/First Printing edition (March 31, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521333148
• ISBN-13: 978-0521333146
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,203,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' for discriminating audiences, August 8, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre: Expanded Edition (Paperback)

Fans of producer/director Harold Price, who was a giant in musical theatre circles, will relish an expanded edition of the classic coverage which even includes an updated foreword by Prince himself. Prince's works are wide-ranging, from his direction of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" to his productions of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "West Side Story". Various chapters cover Prince's more recent work as well, adding insights and numerous rare photos which make Harold Pricne And The American Musical Theatre a 'must' for discriminating audiences.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Insights into the Process of Harold Prince, August 27, 2005

By	J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre: Expanded Edition (Paperback)

This is not a biography. It is, rather, a detailed exploration of Harold Prince's process, his methods, from his beginnings in the 1950s with 'The Pajama Game,' on through his string of musicals with Stephen Sondheim. the two revivals of Bernstein's 'Candide,' his work with Andrew Lloyd Webber and, in this newly expanded version of a book originally published in 1989, the latest work by Prince, another Sondheim musical, 'Bounce,' the story of the Mizner brothers who were responsible for the real estate boom in Florida.

What makes this such an interesting read is that Prince is amazingly candid about his work, and this includes telling us what he believes went wrong with various of his less-successful ventures, and how even the successes might have been made better. We get inside his mind and come to admire his utter honesty and his immense creativity. Author Foster Hirsch, a professor who is an expert on American musical theater, writes in a neatly crafted style which makes the book un-put-downable.

This is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the Broadway musical, particularly of the last fifty years.

Scott Morrison