Carol Burnett leading campaign to rename theater for Hal Prince
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, December 15, 2024


Carol Burnett leading campaign to rename theater for Hal Prince
Hal Prince, left, with Andrew Lloyd Webber at a performance of “The Phantom of the Opera” at the Majestic Theater in New York, Jan. 9, 2006. Carol Burnett is hoping to use what influence she has to persuade Broadway's bigwigs to rename the theater after the legendary director and producer Prince. Sara Krulwich/The New York Times.

by Michael Paulson



NEW YORK, NY.- Carol Burnett doesn’t own a Broadway theater. But she does have a long resume, a lot of friends and fans, and an Instagram account. And now she is hoping to use what influence she has to persuade Broadway's bigwigs to rename a theater after the legendary director and producer Hal Prince.

Burnett, speaking in a telephone interview, said that last week’s announcement of the impending closing of “The Phantom of the Opera,” which Prince directed and is the longest-running show in Broadway history, prompted her unexpected activism. She said she has come to believe that the Majestic Theater, which has housed “Phantom” for the entire 35 years of its run, should bear Prince’s name.

“Hal not only had the longest-running show, but he had 21 Tony Awards, and now that ‘Phantom’ is closing, what a great way to honor him,” she said. “It should have been done a long time ago.”

On Wednesday, she posted a short Instagram video urging the renaming, and called on others to do the same. Among those supporting her efforts: Chita Rivera and Kristin Chenoweth. “He changed the face of musical theater,” Chenoweth said in an email. “Changes are happening, and this is one he’d be so proud of.” Rivera agreed, saying in an email: “Hal was such a visionary director and producer as well as an extraordinary human being. It is so vitally important to keep his flame burning.”

Prince, who died in 2019 at the age of 91, was among the most significant figures in Broadway history, directing not only “Phantom” but also “Cabaret” and a string of Sondheim musicals, from “Company” to “Sweeney Todd.” He also directed a 2002 play called “Hollywood Arms,” which was based on Burnett’s memoir.

Burnett, 89, said she considered Prince “a dear friend” and felt the time was right for Broadway (where she won a special Tony Award for contributions to the theater in 1969) to name a theater for him. “The Majestic is fit for a Prince,” she said, test-driving a slogan she hopes will catch on. The project is being coordinated by Eila Mell, a writer who just co-wrote a book about Broadway set design.

Plenty of people have had ideas and suggestions about whose names should be added, or subtracted, from Broadway’s 41 theaters, and the decisions are up to the theater owners and operators. This year, two renamings are already underway — last week the Cort was renamed the James Earl Jones, and this fall the Brooks Atkinson is to be renamed after Lena Horne — both moves prompted by an agreement between theater owners and Black Theater United to name some buildings for Black artists.

The Shubert Organization, which operates the Majestic Theater, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

September 23, 2022

Schantz Galleries opens an exhibition of cast glass from Sweden by Bertil Vallien

Galería RGR opens a solo exhibition of works by Julio Le Parc

Ernie Barnes and Fred Eversley headline Post-War & Contemporary Art Auction at Hindman

Christie's New York announces The Roger Sant Collection

Exhibition at the Belvedere explores the tree in art

Gagosian opens an exhibition of new and recent works by Sarah Sze

A new audience and a long-awaited return: Hilma af Klint and "The Ten Largest" at Moderna Museet

The Philadelphia Museum of Art opens 'River of Forms: Giuseppe Penone's Drawings'

Miller & Miller announces highlights included in Canadiana & Folk Art Auction

Exhibition highlights the careers of three PDNB artists that passed away within the past nine months

Colby College announces Lyons Arts Lab

Freeman's Books & Manuscripts Auction kicks off fall season with sale of rare colonial first edition

Ralph Lemon receives The Whitney's 2022 Bucksbaum Award

Ogden Contemporary Arts presents: Ideal Home

HistoryMiami Museum announces Natalia Crujeiras as new CEO and Executive Director

Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 4: Heather Agyepong and Joanne Coates

Steinbrener/Dempf & Huber installs Victory Spikes in Munich

Lawrie Shabibi opens an exhibition of works by Nathaniel Rackowe

Bisma Hussain's first solo exhibition opens at Over the Influence

Carol Burnett leading campaign to rename theater for Hal Prince

Tracey Emin to offer 'Like A Cloud Of Blood (2022)' to raise funds

Silverlens presents the first New York solo gallery shows by artists Martha Atienza and Yee I-Lann

Immersive art experience The Awakening opens at the Honolulu Museum of Art

Yinka Ilori's creative practice explored for first time at the Design Museum




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Houston Dentist
Abogado de accidentes
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful