Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this 1979 episode of Skyline, host Beverly Sills sits down with her longtime friend — theater director and producer Harold "Hal" Prince — for a candid discussion about what it takes to get a show onto a Broadway stage. By 1979, Hal Prince was already considered the longest-running hit on Broadway—having produced or directed dozens of legendary shows, earning 14 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.
Prince pulls back the curtain on the artistic frustrations and financial gambles that defined his career, including the massive commercial success of hits like "Fiddler on the Roof." He explains why he refused to let investors read scripts or listen to music beforehand, why he completely walked away from standard commercial formulas to pursue producing operas for Broadway, like "Sweeney Todd" and "Evita," and how he manages the tension between being a penny-pinching producer and a boundary-pushing director.
Subscribe to THIRTEEN newsletters to stay informed: qrco.de/BroadwayAndBeyond2026
This 1979 episode from the THIRTEEN Vault is part of Skyline, featuring performers and artists with interviews with host Beverly Sills, the American operatic soprano.
The WNET Group presents Broadway and Beyond, a special collection of Broadway and arts programming, and archival selections from the THIRTEEN Vault, premiering in May and June.
#HalPrince #StephenSondheim #SweeneyTodd #Evita #BroadwayHistory #THIRTEEN #WNET #BeverlySills #MusicalTheater #Opera #BehindTheScenes #Archives #Broadway
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For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
In this 1979 episode of Skyline, host Beverly Sills sits down with her longtime friend — theater director and producer Harold "Hal" Prince — for a candid discussion about what it takes to get a show onto a Broadway stage. By 1979, Hal Prince was already considered the longest-running hit on Broadway—having produced or directed dozens of legendary shows, earning 14 Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.
Prince pulls back the curtain on the artistic frustrations and financial gambles that defined his career, including the massive commercial success of hits like "Fiddler on the Roof." He explains why he refused to let investors read scripts or listen to music beforehand, why he completely walked away from standard commercial formulas to pursue producing operas for Broadway, like "Sweeney Todd" and "Evita," and how he manages the tension between being a penny-pinching producer and a boundary-pushing director.
Subscribe to THIRTEEN newsletters to stay informed: qrco.de/BroadwayAndBeyond2026
This 1979 episode from the THIRTEEN Vault is part of Skyline, featuring performers and artists with interviews with host Beverly Sills, the American operatic soprano.
The WNET Group presents Broadway and Beyond, a special collection of Broadway and arts programming, and archival selections from the THIRTEEN Vault, premiering in May and June.
#HalPrince #StephenSondheim #SweeneyTodd #Evita #BroadwayHistory #THIRTEEN #WNET #BeverlySills #MusicalTheater #Opera #BehindTheScenes #Archives #Broadway
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: youtube.com/@ThirteenWNET?sub_confirmation=1
For full episodes, check out thirteen.org
Facebook: facebook.com/thirteenwnet
Instagram: instagram.com/thirteenwnet
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thirteenwnet
-----------------
THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. Part of The WNET Group, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.
