Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince would work together to form one of the most successful collaborations on Broadway. With Sondheim writing the music and Prince directing and producing they put on some of the most memorable musicals of all time. They had both been successful before they started working together however their partnership would lead them both to new heights of success and fame.
When Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince first worked together they were both already well established and successful in their careers. Sondheim was a successful composer and lyricist and Prince was a successful director. Most of the work that they would together would push the boundaries of musical theater. The first project that Sondheim and Prince worked on was Company in 1970. This was a musical that didn't have a traditional plot; it was based on characters instead. The show was successful enough that the next year the two of them would work together on a show called Follies. This musical also didn't have a traditional plot.
The really big success of Sondheim and Prince's collaboration would occur on their next project. This was A Little Night Music, opening in 1973. This time they produced a show that followed a more standard approach than their earlier works had. It was one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time. Not only did it have a long and successful run it also gave Sondheim the only top forty song that he would ever have. This was with Send in the Clowns.
The next two plays that Sondheim and Prince worked on were successful as well but they were very different from the work they had done before. Their next project was Pacific Overtures which explored the concept of the westernization of Japan. Following this success they worked on Sweeney Todd. This was even more successful despite its dark subject matter. This one covered murder and cannibalism. Sweeney Todd was really the most operatic of all of Sondheim's works and has in fact been performed in a number of opera houses. Unfortunately it was also the last successful play of Sondheim and Prince's collaboration.
There next project was Merrily We Roll Along opening in 1981. This one bombed closing after just sixteen performances. Oddly this was a return to traditional musical theater for the pair. After having success with unconventional projects they decided to put together a more traditional show in the hopes that it would result in a huge hit. It failed miserably. This would be the last time that Sondheim and Prince would work together until 2003. They got together again to produce a play called Bounce; unfortunately it was a failure as well. The result is that one of the most successful partnerships on Broadway ended with back to back bombs. Not exactly the way they would have wanted to go out.