Director-producer Harold Prince changed the face of Broadway as its preeminent showman of the second half of the 20th Century by pioneering the so-called "concept musical", a show built around an idea that incorporated fluid, cinematic staging, a strong score and utilitarian scenery. Beginning in the mid-1960s with "Cabaret" and stretching through to 1998's "Parade", a Prince-directed musical, whether successful or not, always signaled quality.

Wishing to work in legitimate theater, the New York native set his feet instead on an alternative path when he began his long association with his