What do you think?
Rate this book
Sense of Occasion
In this fast-moving, candid, conversational, and entertaining memoir, Harold Prince, the most honored director/producer in the history of the American theater looks back over his seventy-year (and counting!) career.
In 1974, Prince released his first book, Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre. Although Contradictions has since attained cult status among producers, directors, and actors alike, Prince, in hindsight, believes he wasn't ready to publish such a tome at that point in his career (in fact, doing so was an act of “insane arrogance”). Although he doesn't regret that effort, he is at last prepared to conclude it, to “see where I was right in my assessments and where I was wrong.” In Sense of Occasion, Prince returns to this seminal text, invigorating it with fresh insights cultivated through four decades of additional practice.
Sense of Occasion gives an insider's recollection of the making of such landmark musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera, with Prince's perceptive comments about his mentor George Abbott and his many celebrated collaborators, including Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander, Boris Aronson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Angela Lansbury, Zero Mostel, Carol Burnett, and Joel Grey. As well as detailing his titanic successes that changed the form and content of the American musical theater, Prince evenhandedly reflects on the shows that didn't work, most memorably and painfully Merrily We Roll Along. Throughout, he offers insights into the way business is conducted on Broadway, drawing sharp contrasts between past and present. This thoughtful, complete account of one of the most legendary and long-lived careers in theater history, written by the man who lived it, is an essential work of personal and professional recollection.
In 1974, Prince released his first book, Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre. Although Contradictions has since attained cult status among producers, directors, and actors alike, Prince, in hindsight, believes he wasn't ready to publish such a tome at that point in his career (in fact, doing so was an act of “insane arrogance”). Although he doesn't regret that effort, he is at last prepared to conclude it, to “see where I was right in my assessments and where I was wrong.” In Sense of Occasion, Prince returns to this seminal text, invigorating it with fresh insights cultivated through four decades of additional practice.
Sense of Occasion gives an insider's recollection of the making of such landmark musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera, with Prince's perceptive comments about his mentor George Abbott and his many celebrated collaborators, including Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Stephen Sondheim, John Kander, Boris Aronson, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Angela Lansbury, Zero Mostel, Carol Burnett, and Joel Grey. As well as detailing his titanic successes that changed the form and content of the American musical theater, Prince evenhandedly reflects on the shows that didn't work, most memorably and painfully Merrily We Roll Along. Throughout, he offers insights into the way business is conducted on Broadway, drawing sharp contrasts between past and present. This thoughtful, complete account of one of the most legendary and long-lived careers in theater history, written by the man who lived it, is an essential work of personal and professional recollection.
376 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 16, 2018
A conversational chronicle and candid analysis of his many hits, seminal musicals and occasional flops in Harold Prince's 70-year career in the theater.
The first two-thirds of “Sense of Occasion” – 200 of its 300 pages – is a reprint of his 1974 memoir, “Contradictions: Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre” with updates entitled “Reflections” after each of the first 26 chapters. These updates, oddly, are largely corrections, and make for some messy reading.
It’s baffling why Prince (with the help of an editor if need be) couldn’t simply have reworked the original chapters. Is his old memoir sacred text, requiring exegesis rather than rewrites? Or was this simply the most efficient way for a busy or distracted man to get a product to market on time to coincide with the show Prince of Broadway?
Full review
The first two-thirds of “Sense of Occasion” – 200 of its 300 pages – is a reprint of his 1974 memoir, “Contradictions: Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre” with updates entitled “Reflections” after each of the first 26 chapters. These updates, oddly, are largely corrections, and make for some messy reading.
It’s baffling why Prince (with the help of an editor if need be) couldn’t simply have reworked the original chapters. Is his old memoir sacred text, requiring exegesis rather than rewrites? Or was this simply the most efficient way for a busy or distracted man to get a product to market on time to coincide with the show Prince of Broadway?
Full review
August 18, 2019
Revelatory.
May 29, 2019
The Prince of Broadway indeed. If you are devoted to "modern" theater, especially musical theater, you know Hal Prince. Now read what he has to say...his life, his experience and great insight.
July 6, 2026
As a theatre fan, this book has been on my reading list for years. Harold Prince was one of Broadway’s most influential producers and directors, and his résumé includes some of the most iconic musicals ever created, including Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, and The Phantom of the Opera. I couldn’t wait to hear his firsthand account of those productions.
Unfortunately, I came away a little disappointed.
Going into this memoir, I was hoping for a deeper, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of these legendary shows. I wanted stories about the creative decisions, rehearsal process, challenges, and moments that only someone like Hal Prince could share. Instead, the book often felt like a broad overview of his career. While it was interesting to hear his perspective, much of what was covered felt fairly basic. As someone who already enjoys reading about Broadway history, I didn’t feel like I learned many new stories or insights. Much of the information was either familiar to me already or could easily be found in a general history of the shows.
That said, Prince’s passion for theatre shines through, and it is still fascinating to hear him reflect on such an extraordinary career. I think readers who are newer to Broadway history will probably get more out of this book than I did.
If I could give half stars, this would be a 3½-star book for me. Since I have to choose a whole number, I’m rounding up to 4 stars.
Unfortunately, I came away a little disappointed.
Going into this memoir, I was hoping for a deeper, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of these legendary shows. I wanted stories about the creative decisions, rehearsal process, challenges, and moments that only someone like Hal Prince could share. Instead, the book often felt like a broad overview of his career. While it was interesting to hear his perspective, much of what was covered felt fairly basic. As someone who already enjoys reading about Broadway history, I didn’t feel like I learned many new stories or insights. Much of the information was either familiar to me already or could easily be found in a general history of the shows.
That said, Prince’s passion for theatre shines through, and it is still fascinating to hear him reflect on such an extraordinary career. I think readers who are newer to Broadway history will probably get more out of this book than I did.
If I could give half stars, this would be a 3½-star book for me. Since I have to choose a whole number, I’m rounding up to 4 stars.
April 4, 2020
What a frustrating and pointless book. Hal Prince was a creative force behind some of the most important and influential musicals of the second half of the twentieth century--and he sure wants you to know it! When he isn't taking sole credit for a show's success, he's placing the blame for a show's failure on everyone around him for not trusting him enough. He hardly spends any time talking about his artistic process, but he sure finds the time to explain again and again how the unions have gotten in the way of his art. The book is about as personal as a wikipedia page and as insightful as a group powerpoint project in a high school class. The only thing I gleamed from this book is how much Hal Prince loved Hal Prince.
August 9, 2025
Few notes:
- Don’t just focus on a single story, focus on a concept: urban loneliness of Company, societal decay in Cabaret etc. By having an uniformed concept, a coherent theme, the show’s production from different departments will output something that’s uniformed across the board (rather than the conventional way of story oriented story telling)
- Prince believes in the “middle way”: commerce and art could be intertwined (his shows are not just artistic smash hit, they are also almost always financially smash hit as well)
PS: Prince also has long critiqued the industry’s short sightedness of producing replicate-like shows that “was a hit last year”. He emphasized that producer ought to take risk and push the boundary of the theatre, then profit will follow over the long run.
- Don’t just focus on a single story, focus on a concept: urban loneliness of Company, societal decay in Cabaret etc. By having an uniformed concept, a coherent theme, the show’s production from different departments will output something that’s uniformed across the board (rather than the conventional way of story oriented story telling)
- Prince believes in the “middle way”: commerce and art could be intertwined (his shows are not just artistic smash hit, they are also almost always financially smash hit as well)
PS: Prince also has long critiqued the industry’s short sightedness of producing replicate-like shows that “was a hit last year”. He emphasized that producer ought to take risk and push the boundary of the theatre, then profit will follow over the long run.
June 28, 2025
Hal Prince’s A Sense of Occasion serves as both a reissue of his 1974 memoir Contradictions and a reflective update more than four decades later. The original text is presented alongside Prince’s candid commentary. I enjoyed getting inside his head; he’s honest, often critical of his own work, and consistently driven by the need for a central metaphor—a guiding hook—for each project. Prince, who died in 2019 at age 91, was as much a savvy producer as he was a visionary director. His influence on Cabaret, Candide, Sweeney Todd, The Phantom of the Opera, Parade, and so many other musicals makes this an essential read for anyone interested in the art and business of theater.
March 19, 2018
A huge disappointment to this musical theater fan. Other than Prince's ego, there was extremely little about the actors, dancers, and musicians who made the author's plays a success (when they succeeded). Furthermore, this book is a re-write of a previous autobiography (how lazy can you get!). I wish I had been a fly on the wall at the birth of "West Side Story"-- there has to be more to the story than I've found so far, having dredged through Sondheim's book and now this one. If you love musical theater, avoid this boring egotistical book!
March 29, 2020
Prince doesn’t offer much introspection, and not even all that much recollection in this survey of his career. He displays either an inability or a disinterest in understanding the perspectives of anyone else he encountered, which has the effect of making him often seem bitter and whiny rather than persuasive. Perhaps most shocking is that his reflections on directing almost all have to do with metaphor and set design and if he even remembers to mention the actors he worked with, it’s an afterthought. A disappointing window into the mind of an artist I have always admired.
April 7, 2022
3.5 stars
I'm torn. I very much enjoy these behind the scenes look at huge hit shows (and tiny failures), however Hal Prince never takes any responsibility for any flops, and seems to take sole credit for hits. He always knows how things should have gone and blames various people when things go wrong. Other than this (which is a constant theme throughout the book), I found it an interesting insight (although occasionally passive and rushed) into the development of some of Broadway's beloved shows.
I'm torn. I very much enjoy these behind the scenes look at huge hit shows (and tiny failures), however Hal Prince never takes any responsibility for any flops, and seems to take sole credit for hits. He always knows how things should have gone and blames various people when things go wrong. Other than this (which is a constant theme throughout the book), I found it an interesting insight (although occasionally passive and rushed) into the development of some of Broadway's beloved shows.
May 2, 2018
Uber Broadway producer and director has reimagined his autobio from 1974 with "Sense of Occasion". He comments on old chapters and updates the book up until now.
"West Side Story", "Evita", "Sweeney Todd", "Company", "Follies" are just a few highlights of this outstanding career.
It's cool to read the backstory of these historic plays.
He has definite opinions on the place of theater in our lives, the unions, the economics of theater...even Donald Trump.
4 jimmys out of five.
"West Side Story", "Evita", "Sweeney Todd", "Company", "Follies" are just a few highlights of this outstanding career.
It's cool to read the backstory of these historic plays.
He has definite opinions on the place of theater in our lives, the unions, the economics of theater...even Donald Trump.
4 jimmys out of five.
October 14, 2024
A wonderful inside look into Broadway from one of its most important figures. The man that created so many shows from scratch, and who was in the room when Sondheim came up with his most brilliant ideas. Yes, someone who is not fascinated by this world may find all the names and dates a little dry but, for someone who wants to know how the backdrops for The Phantom of the Opera were designed, it's gold.
August 22, 2019
Pretty good, though it tends to become a little formulaic after a while: "I started work on this show and (didn't have a clear metaphor/was talked out of something more appropriate) and it (succeeded/failed).
It's a valuable insight into the mind of one of the most important directors of the 20th century, but makes me hungry for a really in-depth book-length analysis of the man and his work.
It's a valuable insight into the mind of one of the most important directors of the 20th century, but makes me hungry for a really in-depth book-length analysis of the man and his work.
May 11, 2024
I've given this three stars because there are no halvsies. Not quite a four. Mr. Prince had an astonishingly successful career, and was associated with many of the most famous Broadway shows of the mid and late 1900s. Bravo. I'd have liked even more information about them, and a few more anecdotes about putting those shows together.
January 8, 2018
Insider account by a Broadway icon -- so interesting to hear his views on shows, producing, directing, and the future of the theater.
May 31, 2019
Boring-reads like a business ledger or IBDB page with footnotes.
January 15, 2021
So Fascinating!
Read
May 7, 2021Crazy how such a legendary artist could have so little to say that is useful or entertaining about a sixty-two year long career.
January 19, 2024
A must for any Theatre practitioner. Its sense of history is invaluable.
September 6, 2024
Entertaining, with great, if rushed insight. Uninspired narration.
June 25, 2025
A comprehensive and eye-opening chronicle of Prince's contributions to the American musical theatre.
July 13, 2025
I think my favorite thing about this book is Prince's ability to perfectly describe what any show he worked on is about in one sentence or less. really enjoyable!
November 19, 2023
The basis of this book was a book Prince wrote years ago. Prince would present a chapter of that book than comment on it. I enjoyed the overview of his career. I only wish the audiobook had come with a picture file. Prince talked a lot about the importance of scenic design to his productions, and it would have been nice to see examples.
October 15, 2021
I loved that Hal merged his first book with this one and that he offered reflections on each chapter.
Hal wrote in such a way that when he was describing a stressful situation I felt stressed just reading it(i love being so fully submerged in a book)
Hal Prince is a giant in our industry and we are forever indebted to him for the magic he gave us.
Hal wrote in such a way that when he was describing a stressful situation I felt stressed just reading it(i love being so fully submerged in a book)
Hal Prince is a giant in our industry and we are forever indebted to him for the magic he gave us.
September 8, 2019
Rereading in honor of the recent passing of Hal Prince. It is not an overstatement to say that he WAS the American theatre of the last seventy-plus years.
November 27, 2021
Hal Prince had unmatched experience and wisdom in the theater. He also cared about its future and ends the book with a plea to keep innovating. An inspiring and hopeful memoir.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews