Prince of Central Park (musical)

Prince of Central Park is a 1989 Broadway musical with music by Don Sebesky, lyrics by Gloria Nissenson and a book by Evan H. Rhodes. It is based on Rhodes' 1974 novel The Prince of Central Park and its 1977 television movie adaptation which starred Ruth Gordon and Brooke Shields. The musical was a notorious flop, losing nearly $2 million and closing after only four performances. Today, it is best remembered for a humorously negative review by Frank Rich in The New York Times.

The musical tells the story of Jay-Jay, a 12-year-old runaway who tries to escape an abusive foster mother and the terrors of New York City by living in a tree in Central Park. Communicating via chalk messages on a park bench, he begins an unlikely correspondence with Margie Miller, a middle aged divorcé who jogs through the park and whose daughter is conspiring to send her to a Florida retirement village. Eventually Margie befriends Jay-Jay, helping him to fight off the gangs and drug pushers of the park, while learning about life and herself in the process. Together they become a sort of surrogate family.

After the success of the TV movie, Rhodes was approached by BMI to adapt his book The Prince of Central Park into a possible musical. The world premiere starring Martha Raye and staged by Albert Marre was announced and scheduled to open on November 7, 1985 at the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, but this production was ultimately canceled when the producer was sent to jail on tax charges.

In December 1985, Jan McArt, a performer and theater producer who was nicknamed "The First Lady of Florida's Musical Theatre," was introduced to Rhodes and became interested in the project. After securing the rights from Lorimar, who had produced the TV movie, McArt began to develop the show with Rhodes writing the book, Don Sebesky writing the music and Gloria Nissenson writing the lyrics. The first production meeting was held in August 1987 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, where Bob Bogandoff was selected as the director. In May 1988, McArt flew to Los Angeles to personally offer the musical's leading role to Nanette Fabray.