Broadway lovers, it’s that most theatrical day of the year: the Summer Solstice! From Shakespeare to Strindberg, Sondheim (via Bergman) to indie gay filmmakers, writers have long found the longest day of the year to be the perfect setting for magic, drama and romance. Perhaps it’s something about perpetual twilight? (The golden light, not the vampire books.)
And who better to capture the madcap, sexual ambiguity of a summer bacchanal than elementary school children. Performing Shakespeare. With television’s Valerie Mahaffey. Uh, yeah.
After coercing operatic stalkers, murderous barbers and fascist dictators into singing, legendary Broadway Producer and Director Harold “Hal” Prince may be tackling his most difficult subject matter of all: himself. Producers announced the creative team for a new musical titled Prince of Broadway and featuring selections from his nearly 60 years in the theater. Prince will co-direct alongside director/choreographer Susan Stroman (The Producers), with a book by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys) and new vocal and dance arrangements by Jason Robert Brown (Parade). The production is aiming for a summer 2012 tryout in Toronto and a “Main Stem” debut the subsequent fall.
It sounds like Prince is getting the full Jerome Robbins’ Broadway anthology treatment, which begs the question: which musical numbers from his blockbuster shows would you most want to see recreated or reinterpreted? Tell me your top choices in the comments.
To get the conversation going, I’ll start with three darkly unorthodox choices that might shake-up the crowd-pleasing blockbuster tone and showcase Prince’s adventurous side. One note: although Prince of Broadway will feature songs from shows he produced, I limited myself to his directorial efforts; feel free to roam the full catalog (West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees and more).
