Cameron Mackintosh

3.1. Career Beginnings

Mackintosh began his career in theatre in his late teens, initially working as a stagehand at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He then progressed to an assistant stage manager role on several touring productions. In 1967, at the age of 20, he co-produced five plays at the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames alongside Robin Alexander. He subsequently began producing his own small tours before becoming a London-based producer in the 1970s. His early London productions included Anything Goes in 1969, which closed after just two weeks, followed by The Card (1973), Side by Side by Sondheim (1976), My Fair Lady (1978), and Tomfoolery (1980).

3.2. Major Hit Productions

Mackintosh cemented his status as a leading producer with a series of landmark musicals that achieved immense critical and commercial success worldwide.

In 1981, he produced Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. Initially considered an unlikely subject for a musical, it became a massive hit and went on to become one of the longest-running musicals on both West End and Broadway. Following this success, Mackintosh approached the French writing team Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil to adapt their successful French concept album Les Misérables for the London stage. The musical premiered in 1985 at the Barbican Centre before transferring to the Palace Theatre. Despite a challenging start at the box office and a mixed critical reception, Les Misérables grew into a colossal hit largely through word-of-mouth, becoming the longest-running musical and the second longest-running production in London theatre history.

In 1986, Mackintosh produced Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which stands as one of the most commercially successful musicals of all time. The original London production continues to run and is the third longest-running production in London, while its New York counterpart holds the record as the longest-running Broadway musical ever.

His collaboration with Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil continued with their next musical, Miss Saigon, which opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in the West End in September 1989. This production was similarly successful, and its 1991 Broadway production achieved what was then the largest advance ticket sales in theatre history, though it was also met with significant controversy regarding its casting.

3.3. Other Productions and Business Ventures

Beyond his major blockbusters, Mackintosh has produced a wide array of other theatrical productions, some of which faced commercial challenges, and has engaged in significant business ventures within the theatre industry.

His less successful London productions include Moby Dick (1993) and Martin Guerre (1996). He also produced the stage adaptation of John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick (2000), which, despite some positive reviews and a run of over 15 months, did not achieve the global success of his earlier hits.

In 1990, Mackintosh became a co-owner of the theatrical licensing company Music Theatre International. The following year, 1991, he founded his own theatre group, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres.

In 2001, Disney Theatrical Productions president Thomas Schumacher met with Mackintosh to discuss adapting the Mary Poppins books into a stage musical. Mackintosh's involvement in the musical's development led to his co-producing both the 2004 West End production at the Prince Edward Theatre and the 2006 Broadway production at the New Amsterdam Theatre with Schumacher. He also co-produced the London transfer of Avenue Q, which opened in the West End at the Noël Coward Theatre in June 2006.

In 1998, Mackintosh celebrated thirty years in show business with Hey, Mr. Producer!, a gala concert featuring songs from shows he had produced throughout his career. The concert was performed twice on 7 and 8 June, with proceeds benefiting the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Combined Theatrical Charities. The performance on 8 June was attended by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, alongside many celebrities.

Mackintosh produced a revival of Lionel Bart's Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, which ran from 2008 to 2009. The cast for this production was notably chosen through the popular BBC television series I'd Do Anything, with Jodie Prenger winning the role of Nancy and Rowan Atkinson cast as Fagin. The production generated unprecedented publicity for a West End show, reporting 15.00 M GBP in pre-opening sales by January 2009, making it the fastest-selling show in West End history at the time.

In April 2010, Mackintosh staged a West End revival of the musical Hair at London's Gielgud Theatre, which had transferred from a 2009 Broadway revival. In 2013, he collaborated with the Chichester Festival Theatre on a revival of Barnum, starring Christopher Fitzgerald. Due to the theatre's refurbishment, the production was performed in a giant tent known as 'Theatre in the Park' during July and August. In 2014, the production toured the UK and Ireland with Brian Conley in the title role.

On 3 May 2014, Mackintosh relaunched Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre in London, marking 25 years since its original premiere. In 2016, he co-produced a new version of Half a Sixpence at the Chichester Festival Theatre before its transfer to the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End, where it ran for ten months.

Mackintosh also produced the London transfer of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway hit musical Hamilton, which premiered on 21 December 2017 at the Victoria Palace Theatre in the West End. In 2019, Mackintosh and Disney's production of Mary Poppins returned to the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End, running until January 2023. Most recently, in summer 2024, Mackintosh co-produced and revised a new production of Oliver!, directed and produced by Matthew Bourne, at the Chichester Festival Theatre, with plans to transfer to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End in December 2024.

3.4. Theatre Ownership

Mackintosh is a significant theatre owner in London's West End through his company, Delfont Mackintosh Theatres, which he founded in 1991. The group owns and operates eight prominent London theatres, playing a crucial role in the West End landscape. These theatres include the Prince Edward Theatre, the Prince of Wales Theatre, the Novello Theatre, the Sondheim Theatre, the Gielgud Theatre, the Wyndham's Theatre, the Victoria Palace Theatre, and the Noël Coward Theatre.

6.1. Family and Relationships

Mackintosh's parents are Diana Gladys (née Tonna) and Ian Robert Mackintosh. His younger brother, Robert Mackintosh, also works as a producer in the theatre industry.

His long-term partner is the Australian-born theatre photographer Michael Le Poer Trench. They first met in 1982 at the opening night of a production of Oklahoma! in Adelaide, Australia. The couple divides their time between residences in London; Stavordale Priory in Charlton Musgrove, Somerset; and the Nevis Estate, located on North Morar in the West Highlands of Scotland.

6.2. Honors and Recognition

For his extensive services to musical theatre, Cameron Mackintosh was knighted in 1996 as part of the 1996 New Year Honours. This honor bestowed upon him the title of Sir.

He has consistently been recognized among influential figures in various lists. In both 2005 and 2006, he was listed 4th on The Independent on Sundays Pink List, which identifies influential "out-and-proud" gay men and women. In 2007, he topped The Stage 100 list, which acknowledges the most influential members of the performing arts community, for the first time since 2000. On 27 January 2014, Mackintosh became the first British producer to be inducted into Broadway's prestigious American Theater Hall of Fame.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mackintosh is a patron of The Food Chain, a London-based HIV charity, demonstrating his commitment to philanthropic causes.

7.1. Miss Saigon Casting Controversy

The 1991 Broadway production of Miss Saigon sparked a significant controversy regarding its casting. Asian American actors protested the decision to cast a Caucasian actor, Jonathan Pryce, in the role of the pimp, a Vietnamese character, and the use of yellowface in his portrayal. The Actors' Equity Association initially refused to allow Pryce to reprise his role from the London production in New York.

In response to the criticism, Mackintosh defended the casting decisions, stating, "We passionately disapprove of stereotype casting...by choosing to discriminate against Mr. Pryce on the basis of his race, Equity has further violated the fundamental principles of federal and state human rights laws, as well as of federal labour laws." This dispute highlighted broader issues of representation and cultural sensitivity within the theatrical industry.

7.2. Nevis Estate Land Dispute

Since 1994, when Mackintosh purchased the Nevis Estate on North Morar, to the east of Mallaig in the West Highlands of Scotland, covering approximately 14 K acre ^{(14.00 K acre)}, he has been involved in a protracted land dispute with a tenant crofter. As the laird of the estate, Mackintosh has sought to develop parts of the land for building holiday homes. However, the crofter has asserted that the land is essential for traditional grazing rights, leading to an ongoing conflict over land use and community rights in the Scottish Highlands.