"Hal of a show"

[Hear the interview with Hal Prince by clicking here]

June 12, 2006

By JOHN KATSILOMETES

...Accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award in the theater during tonight's Tony Awards is legendary producer-director Hal Prince, who is busy working on the 90-minute "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular" at the Venetian. As he said last month, Prince is too busy with "Phantom" to fly to New York to take part in the show, which will be held at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast at 8 p.m. on CBS. Instead, he will provide a taped acceptance speech from the $40 million Phantom Theatre. The Vegas version of "Phantom" opens for previews on Monday night.

A side note on Mr. Prince: He recently (and spiritedly) defended "Phantom" to podcaster Steve Friess on Friess' "The Strip" interview program. When Friess suggested that, " ... when people walk out, it's kind of a downer," Prince said, "You couldn't be wronger - people go nuts, screaming. We don't like to blow our own horn, but people (have been) up on their feet screaming ¦ for 18 years in New York. It can't be a downer. It is a romantic melodrama. I'm not here to either protect or defend 'Phantom,' but it's not at a downer." Friess' show, which typically has great guests, is at www.thestrippodcast.com ...

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