The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts will present a free exhibit celebrating the life and career of the late producer-director Harold Prince beginning September 18.
In the Company of Harold Prince: Broadway Producer, Director, Collaborator will explore Prince’s impact on Broadway and the theatre community through his work with designers, stage managers, composers, writers, and more, that he had assembled to create such groundbreaking shows as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Sweeney Todd, and The Phantom of the Opera.
Curated by Doug Reside, the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman curator of the library's Billy Rose Theatre Division, the installation will run through March 31, 2020, and feature original costumes, set models, and archival video tied to Prince’s productions, including models for several productions. Visitors will be able to touch and interact with artifacts from the library’s collection.
The full display will honor the more than six-decade legacy of Prince. An open cabaret stage will allow viewers to perform songs from his shows or record their own stories about their experience with Prince's theatrical work to add to the live nature of the homage.
READ: 5 Ways Harold Prince Changed Theatre As We Knew It
Also on display will be a recreation of Prince’s office with mentor and renowned director George Abbott. Objects from Prince’s office will also be on view.
To coincide with the exhibit, the library will present a number of events to honor Prince:
On September 19, directors Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and Lonny Price gather for the panel “Thank You, Harold Prince.”
On October 21, Price and David Thompson will screen their documentary Harold Prince: The Director’s Life and participate in a conversation about their work on the film.
On October 24, join Prince’s stable of assistants from over the years for “Yes, Mr. Prince: An Evening with Harold Prince’s Assistants,” led by Annette Myers, who assisted him from 1960–1976.
Come November 19, “Harold Prince’s Library Jukebox” will offer a listening party as record producer Thomas Z Shepard presents hits from cast albums he produced with Prince.
The conversation spins to design on December 19 with “A Marriage of Two Modernisms: Boris Aronson and Lisa Jalowetz,” as Jalowitz (Aronson’s widow) and cultural historian Marc Aronson, his son, examine the scenic designer’s partnership with Prince.
In the new year, join the “Parade Reunion” January 13, 2020, when composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown and book write Alfred Uhry reunite to share memories of the Prince-helmed Tony-winning musical.
“Harold Prince Birthday Party, Sing Along Show and Tell,” will take place January 30. Play games, sing songs from Prince musicals, and win prizes.
All of the above events are free, but all except for the last require advance registration.
The library will continue to add programs throughout the tenure of the exhibit. Click here for additional information and updates.
