Cameron Mackintosh's Contribution to the Development of the Megamusical - Essay Example

Running Head: Cameron Mackintosh and Megamusical Cameron Mackintoshs Contribution to the Development of the Megamusical ofInstitution] Abstract This paper examines the role of Cameron Mackintosh in the development of Broadway megamusical. He was a creative and talented producer during the 20th century, and has a great deal of worldwide successful presentations on his credit such as, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon. In order to recognize his specific role in the context of megamusical it is preferable to present a detailed study of the overall progress of the megamusical, how it initiated and what other aspects supported its growth, criticism against it along with a focus on the Mackintosh’s role. The paper begins with a brief introduction of the great figure. It attempts to elucidate the nature and specific characteristics of a megamusical and proceeds to present a detailed overview on the subject shedding light on international trends in megamusicals and the role played by the critics’ reviews and the scholarly courses in its development. Then specific role and tremendous effort of Cameron mackintosh has been brought to light and in the end a brief summary of his remarkable achievements is presented. Cameron Mackintoshs Contribution to the Development of the Megamusical Cameron Mackintosh: Introduction Mackintosh, Cameron born was a British theatrical producer who oversaw the era of the international "megamusical" in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming the worlds most prominent and powerful impresario. Mackintosh was born on Oct. 17, 1946, in Enfield, Middlesex, England, to Ian Mackintosh, a Scottish timber merchant and jazz trumpeter, and Maltese-born Diana Tonna Mackintosh, who had been actor Nigel Patricks secretary when the couple met in Italy during World War II. Eight-year-old Mackintosh was taken to see a production of the musical Salad Days, after which he demanded to speak to the author, Julian Slade, who gave him a backstage tour and instilled in the boy a fascination with theatrical production. Mackintosh studied stage management at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London but left after one year. He became a stagehand at Londons Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, cleaning the auditorium after performances to earn extra money. His first West End presentation, a 1969 revival of Anything Goes, failed. In 1976, however, his production of the musical revue Side by Side by Sondheim ran 781 performances in London before transferring to Broadway, his first stateside effort. (Lawson, 1999) Before we move further to discuss his journey with the development of Megamusical, it is preferable to present a detailed overview of the overall development of the megamusical and combine Mackintosh’s role along with it. Megamusical: An Overview Sternfeld (2006) explains in detail that the term may appear to be comical, like many other neologisms, but to describe the content in this paper it may be most precise and accurate. This term Megamusical actually refers to the type of musical genre which today is the prominent compulsion on the Broadway and got attention in the decades of the 1970’s and 1980’s. This paper doesn’t use this word for the first time, as in the 1980’s it began to appear on the New York Times. By different reviewers and journalists, the tag was sometimes selected sarcastically and has originated its way into theater analysis and olden times. There exist a number of synonyms such as extravaganza, blockbuster musical and spectacle show, however, the most accurate is the megamusical. The surroundings of the show and the show itself are the aspects that differentiate a megamusical from a common musical. The most prominent of the genres of the megamusical in the 1980’s were the sports style as sports were of significance in those days, however, over the years it has evolved into other flourishing genres. However, a sturdy constancy materializes as an assembly, but a megamusical doesn’t demonstrate all of the characteristics of the megamusicals, particularly in the 1980’s, for instance the Chess, Cats, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, The Phantom of Opera and Starlight Express. (Sternfeld, 2006) Significant Characteristics Wollman (2006) sheds light upon one of the most common and prominent characteristic of these plays were that all of them were brought in from England. Megamusical incursion was first introduced by the British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was then followed by a French team who was form Paris via London; these were the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg. It was then for the very first time, in the modern American theater that an alien genre of theater prevailed. Over the years New York has received a number of exciting shows and plays from London, and indeed it was in the 19th century that European influence on the New York Theater was strong and prominent. However, over the last hundred years, it has largely been perceived that that the Broadway was born in the American theater and that majority of its artists i.e. the performers, composers, directors, lyricists and producers were American too. However, thereafter the British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, in the year 1982 started the progressions which lead him to become probably the most writers in America. (Wollman, 2006) According to Sternfeld (2002) these megamusicals were from the alien origins and these were expressed as a significant feature, then too it didn’t maid it ‘Mega’ thus something clearly had to be big or large. Thus the megamusicals are mega from a number of aspects. For instance the stratagems of the megamusicals are large to their extent and scope; as they are grand and far reaching or far sighted legends of life and death, romance, religion, war, redemptions and extensive arrangement of other supercilious attitudes. They do not turn out to offer modern accounts of say New York’s public relations. Slightly, they usually are set on topic that usually originate from past, and relatively a far-away past, hitherto tackles kind of broader and general experiences that the audiences need not apply their notions and perceptions to a specific location or notion, but they are far easily understood by the audience, as just discussed that they issued brought forward are general rather than specific. For instance The Phantom of Opera doesn’t actually concerns the details of Paris then in 1861, but emphasizes on emotions and devoted love. Moreover if Les Miserables is observed though it includes a rather considerable amount of French Revolution account, then too its emphasis is on people’s aspiration for exoneration and independence. Sometimes decades, these plots are big and sweep over years, and attribute extensively pinched characteristics in melodramatic and dramatic situations. although it does offer a little of much desired break form drama, passions run high; the snuffles tend to flow in the viewers and on the stage, and comparatively diminutive time is taken by the humor. The music of the megamusical is as big as its plot; as actually in a megamusical there is no or little exchange of dialogues, rather it is sung throughout its durations, through an arrangement of songs, recitative material, transitional and linked materials. As in the traditional musical comedy, characters do stop and sing numbers, but they sing everything else virtually, including their dialogues and in the background orchestra plays continuously. Thus is can be said that every aspect of a megamusical is tied and drawn by music runs dramatically fluent. Moreover as if the plot and the music are both majestic, it is usually the case that staging and set too are impressive. In fact the expensive, complicated and impressive sets turned out to became one of the essential features of a megamusical, particularly in the ostentatious 1980s, most of the megamusicals emphasized on the distraction, movement, details and impression of the sets rather than considering the actual story or plot and the music of the megamusical. Even though the most excellent megamusical stayed stranded in the rudiments of intrigue and composition as well, demonstration became essential to the creation of a megamusical; this explains that only concerned things that stimulated and glittered predisposed to be unproductive both as business enterprise and drama. Still some form of bodily hugeness was demanded by the style, so as to be compatible with enormity of music, plot and emotions. (Block, 1993) Thus a megamusical is actually sung through and characterizes classic and not time bound representations, presented on fancy sets and stages. Clearly these particular aspects were not introduced by composers then but were used by earlier composers and artists on larger scales. Even then the megamusical was one the initial genres of theater that arranged music and essential extra-musical elements with such uniformity. A megamusical not just from inside the theater, but from outside as well it is enormous as well, especially in the 1980’s the new megamusical was an ethnical event. Unparalleled were the labels of a megamusical. A front line British ‘invader’, equally noteworthy as Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Cameron Mackintosh escorted the way. As he, like any other service or a product, sold the megamusicals along with all of the essential necessities, for instance theme songs, logos which filled newspapers, radios and televisions with its advertisements. And, sometimes, it was the case that, even before the date of the show, the songs or the entire set of songs of the show were already famous in the public, as they were already released by the producers and composer. Both of the pre-opening and pre-publicity release of the music grew out of the fashions set out by the Jesus Christ Superstar in the early 1970s, and neither scheme was exclusively premeditated. Apart from the advertisement campaigns, the press also caught up with development of the show, for instance the topics of staging, casting and other backstage rumors were regularly found in the papers, thus this publicity irrespective of good or bad, was at least good for business. Thus here it can be said that as far as financial aspects are considered, a megamusical is productive. In fact it can be referred to as a money making machine. Of course there have been ones that have flopped, but the most prominent of the megamusicals have been in people’s minds for years and decades until they turn out to be actual traditions on the Broadway. The most dominant examples of longevity and financially productive are the Les Miserables, Cats, and the Phantom of Opera, but the later ones that have adopted the 1990s megamusical models are characterized by equal or more financial profits, for instance The Lion King is on top of these.( Wittke, 1982) World Trends Sarvan (2003) elucidates that the growing number of the megamusicals has developed them into a phenomenon, bound not only to America and Europe, but across the world. The pattern in the 1980s was this that firstly a megamusical was released in London, followed by New York and then in all of the United States, after which it was produced around the world. However, today as most of these are American based rather than being British based they are first released in the New York and the London production comes later, then took the traditions of release in Toronto, Sydney, Vienna and Tokyo, for instance, still exists. Megamusicals are extremely exportable, similar to the most Italian operas. Due to their impressive plots it is easier for people from different cultures to understand and relate to them. Moreover the language barriers understanding the story are considerably reduced due to the use of music and songs for storytelling. And the megamusicals are easily sold due to the style and pattern of their marketing; i.e. the theme songs, the logo and the attractive slogan assures it to the audience who purchase it that they get the same experience as if they viewed the Broadway production. However, this is the case indeed, that the earlier megamusicals of the 1980s were demonstrated they ways the directors chose, these were reproduced in the other cities with detailed care so that it was ensured that they are produced as closely to the Broadway embodiment. (Sarvan, 2003) Critics Role Furthermore the megamusicals generally aren’t loved or appreciated by the critics; which also constitutes for their prominent characteristics. As audiences inherently are attracted due to their love for story and music and the ambiance of these gorgeous escapist genres of theater, they maybe and always are excited to see the latest fabulous show as they are allured by the publicity. But on the other hand, the megamusicals have received a mixed and unenthusiastic review from the critics. Especially some of the American critics of the 1980s has hated them especially for the reason as they expressed that these were the creations from the abroad invaders and were nothing but sparkling sets and stages and musical tunes, thus had no body. However most of the critics then perceived these so-called megamusicals substandard rather than being invading. Though they turned out to be successful theater but they contributed little to the challenging and education, and where crowd entertaining and enjoyable shows. (Knapp, 2006) Steyn (1999) states that in the epoch of the megamusicals the part of the critics has evolved considerably. The critic’s reviews were of high importance to determine the success of a particular megamusical before the 1980s, and only an uncertain and mixed review by a critic would be sufficient to close a play’s production. However, the Cats showed that it was possible for a show to be long lasting even if it received unsatisfactory reviews from a critic. Since then a number of megamusicals have received such negative reviews yet proving to be liked by the public. Due to the modern and spectacular marketing techniques, most of the poor reviews, and uncertainties attached to the play’s ads were usually ignored by people. And long after the first hype people kept on coming to the show. So it is normal to ask, why was this divergence in the critical and the audience reaction, were the critics more sophisticated than the audience or the vice versa? This curiosity between the contrasting views characterizes a prominent feature of the megamusicals and a continuous argument in this area. Signifying the megamusical remains an imprecise knowledge, as with any sort of music, and exceptions to any description to be plentiful. However, the characteristics mentioned earlier should initiate to produce a representation of a megamusical, in other layman’s words, in short it can be expressed that it started from a majestic conspire from an epic epoch, prevailed high and strong feelings and emotions, essentially included songs and music to deliver the necessary correspondence with the audience and the expensive stages and sets were of considerable significance as well. This led to noteworthy marketing, which earned millions of dollars already before the show. A catchy slogan, logo and theme songs were associated to it through marketing strategies, which resulted in massive productions and reproductions across the globe. Thus liked by audience of ages and types, but even then unwelcomed by the critics, but even then their influences on public’s minds turned out to be long lasting. (Steyn, 1999) Megamusicals and the Scholarly Courses As stated by Boroff (1984) not a single significant musical scholarships and educational programs are associated to the megamusicals so far. This not because this genre has developed until recently, but due to the fact that scholars and educationists actually despise and sack and on purpose try to avoid it. In the similar manner to those of the critics the musicologists and theatrical scholars’ reviewers express an arrogant or unpleasant expression, if they are to mention it at all. Issues of form are being discussed by a large amount of scholarships on the musical theater, out which most are related to the 1940s and 1950s Golden Era musicals. The prominent features of the megamusicals have been the part of the scholar’s debates, for instance the extent of disruptions caused by the various members in a theatrical arc, the arrangement of songs are the plot develops, the use of musical genres for telling the story. There are number of musicals that are defined as historians that are slightly different such as the musical comedies, integrated musicals, concept musicals and the stop-and-sing musicals. All of which telling the stories of musical theater’s champions, shows and composers, everyone thinks that Oklahoma, with varying extents of consensus, for example was pivotal. Now from the current musical theater scholarship, two aspects emerge. The first; that the sung through forms of the megamusicals are of new and modern genres of music that have largely gone ignored; secondly that in the debates and arguments of the canonizations, megamusicals are not mentions at all virtually. This can be due to a number of factors for instance; faithfulness to the America or the Golden Era, antipathy for the ‘foreign invaders’, on purpose contradiction to just anything that appears to less intellectual or unscholarly even if its highly popular among the public, and the contradictions to the success of the works produced by Lloyd Webber. People appear to comprehend that the substance demands inquiry, they simply do not want to scrutinize themselves, gratitude to its collision and success. Michael Walsh, who is the author of the one and only reliable decisive biography on the works, life and music of the Andrew Lloyd Webber, has expressed to find himself in analogues position, as he states “When the first edition of this book appeared in Britain in 1989, the author was widely taken to task by critics for the effrontery of treating Andrew Lloyd Webber and hi work seriously.” (Block, 1997) Therefore, one might now wonder, as if the most reliable sources of the research on the megamusicals come from the outside of the musicological literature. The second main sources could be the newspapers and the articles and reviews in the magazines and the books on the coffee tables. For the newer and rather modern megamusicals, obviously the critic’s analysis is elemental, but the repeated reproduction of a show and the discussions in Times and other famous periodicals and journals may contribute to rethink a productions quality and perception. Usually intended for fans, the large books filled with glistening photos, sporadically may give a more imminent of a production than a magazine. Unfortunately, many of these are the simply filled with gossips and rage reviews, then too some of the writers of these coffee tables have come up with rather interesting accounts, for instance offering and unusual review and intervening a key character or player. (Walsh, 1989) The British Incursion and Cameron Mackintosh Sternfeld (2006) maintains that most of the historians of the theaters, have maintained, and it the case too, that until the megamusicals were introduced the British musical theater had not been able to impress neither the audience nor the critics. England didn’t cultivate a society of melodic theater creators mixing out show after show, while of course Britain produced a hand full of spectacular gems, and exported these to the United States. Rather the British works were pathetically created by the teams that were always changing, and the critics referred to them as not compatible to the Broadway. When they were at all considered sometimes, the British musicals summoned up views of over aged vaudevillians, with shabby canes and straw hats and boaters shouting strophic and unpleasant ballads at lethargic even older. It wasn’t simply a professional and artistic field in which the British seemed to excel; it clearly had its origins from the America. According to Steyn; in spite of the replicating skills of the small number of artists (Anthony Newley, Lionel Bart, Noel Coward), still the British plays had the clunky lyrics until the 1970s by the playwrights who weren’t actually lyricists, the lead to awkward uneven plots. Then from no convention from their country Rice and Lloyd Webber appeared. They did love some of the American musicals and knew them too; even then they weren’t significantly interested in the new pop or classical American music, rather their interests were the musical with stop-and-sing style of music. By mixing all they knew and had, they had invented the new genre the megamusical or what turned out or developed into the megamusical, this began their British Invasion of the America. On the Broadway there had been shows from the British frequently, however, until they didn’t influence the local talents. Even some of the imported hits and blockbusters, attracted the critics and audience in a delightful manner for instance the Oliver! was one of these? Before the Golden Era, the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Rice were the only artists who had influenced and had a far reaching impact on the itinerary of the American musical theater, and also totally changing the notion of theater in Britain. According to Sheridan Morley the major revolutions that occurred in the British theater were mainly in the 1970s, in this period the Evita and Superstar were notable, it was like just in a week’s time, the British theater had evolved to the age of Restoration from the Stone Age. Whilst the Superstar was a success, it had origins in the America, the British trend was actually signified by the historians when the Evita, produced in Britain and then exported to the New York. Moreover to as he expresses that since eighteen years after the Oliver! it was for the very first time that the Britain has offered a musical that could be distributed across the Atlantic with a respect and boast rather discomfiture which was then quite usual. The world of the musical theater was already dominated by the British, until the Phantom of Opera and Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber were sent crossways the ocean, and the world was quite obvious of it. It was the case that only the British made plays and musicals were produced and presented in the newer fabulous ways, even the American based stories were rearranged and re-staged by the British artists in a far better, interesting and spectacular manner. Consequently as Morley expresses in following words “As a result, London almost overnight became the capital city of musicals both, new and old, minuscule and massive, native and foreign.” (Sternfeld, 2006) It was quite obvious soon after the this British theatrical success in America, that what appeared to be the British invasion was actually just by two prominent men; Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the director Trevor Nunn is also added by some of the historians who services were employed by Mackintosh and Webber in the production of Cats, Les Miserables, and the Sunset Boulevard. As Nunn himself expresses the success of the British theater specaiilly in the 1980s was that the British theater then was subsidized by the government, thus extended the scope and extent of the experimental practices, as not every of the newer creations have the funds of the investors with them. Moreover the critics in London didn’t just remarked positively or negatively on a particular production as they allowed for a greater degree of experimentations than that of those in New York. Therefore these elements raised the chances for a show to develop, run, grow and watched; as Nunn states that if the Cats had been released in the New York it never would have shown such degree of success and appreciation that it received in London. Apparently, Cameron Mackintosh was a born producer. At the age of eight, he had already developed the skills to persuade people to lend him money so that he could put up shows. He as a young man learned as many of the issues and tasks related to the theater and entertainment, for instance performing, stage management, advertising, bookings, program notes, tours and publicity. With the Side by Side by Sondheim, success came in by the year 1976. Knowing what a tough sell Cats would be, Lloyd Webber asked Mackintosh to produce it, this rose as a challenge for Mackintosh. And of course Cats was followed by another super hit the Les Miserables, which is regarded as the largest hit of all times. (Sternfeld, 2006) Against the invasion of these three men, the agitation is strong indeed. According one theatrical historian that theses invasions almost suffocated the theater to death, as people went on going to see, in large flocks, the Les Miserables and The Phantom of Opera. While there were the extravagant and glossy megamusicals in the theatre the relatively smaller and inexpensive shows couldn’t gather sufficient audience. As expressed by the historian Richard Kislan, although for the struggling financial system of the Broadway, the British imported shows contributed considerably a lot, even then what actually seemed that the actual intensions of the British were money and business but not the theater. (Atkey, 2006) Another critic form the Newsweek Magazine, particularly had made some bold remark regarding the “fiasco” of the “overseas devils”. As he writes after the Cats, the Starlight Express and Les Miserables, in 1987, that they had secured the initial success that released the mode for additional developments, but what he expressed was real even when his tone was mordant. He further continued that “filling in the craters left by slumps from Lloyd Webber, Nunn, Mackintosh, for the Marvin Hamlisch, Hal Prince, Bob Fosse and Charles Strouse. Moreover he anticipated that at this rate of production Lloyd would probably be the most triumphant composer of all time, and along with the him Mackintosh, in the Western empire, would be the only most powerful, enterprising and highly demanded producer. (Sternfeld, 2006) A brief Summary of Mackintosh’s Achievements In 1978 Mackintosh met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was seeking a producer for his musical setting of T. S. Eliots Old Possums Book of Practical Cats. Mackintosh worked with the advertising agency Dewynters to create a cats-eye logo that would be used in an intensive marketing campaign, creating audience demand long before the London premiere, on May 11, 1981. In October 1982 it transferred to Broadway with a record box-office advance of $6.2 million, establishing Mackintoshs international reputation as a producer. With Cats, Mackintosh began his practice of opening satellite productions around the world; Cats played in up to 20 countries at once. The New York production would run 18 years, becoming the longest-running Broadway musical until 2006, when it was overtaken by the Mackintosh, produced Phantom of the Opera. Mackintoshs London production of Les Miserables, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublils sweeping musical adaptation of the eponymous Victor Hugo novel, opened on Oct. 8, 1985. Mackintosh began a $600,000 ad campaign ten months before the Broadway opening in March 1987, amassing an $11-million advance sale. The producer repeated the worldwide success of Cats and Les Miserables with Lloyd Webbers Phantom of the Opera, opening in London in October 1986 and on Broadway in January 1988. All three shows were noted for their through-sung scores (which included no dialogue), their use of spectacular scenic effects, and their distinctive logos imprinted on a wide variety of merchandise. Mackintoshs 1989 production of Schonberg and Boublils Miss Saigon, a Vietnam War resetting of the Madama Butterfly story, was the most expensive ever produced in London. Actors Equity, the professional American actors and stage managers labor union, refused to allow British actor Jonathan Pryce to reprise his leading role as a Eurasian pimp on Broadway, demanding that the part be cast with an Asian actor. In response Mackintosh announced his plans to cancel the Broadway production. Eventually an agreement was reached allowing Pryce to perform, with the understanding that Mackintosh would make every effort to hire minority actors. The show ran on Broadway from April 1991 to January 2001. Knighted in 1996 for his service to the British theater, by the late 20th century Mackintosh, a landlord as well as producer, owned seven theaters in Londons West End. In June 1998 a gala charity concert, Hey, Mr. Producer!, paid tribute to the master impresario, featuring performances by not only Julie Andrews, Judi Dench, and Bernadette Peters, among others, but also Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim (the two "mega composers" accompanied themselves on piano while singing some of their own tunes with lyrics rewritten to honor Mackintosh). References Atkey, M. (2006) Broadway North: The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theatre, Dundurn Press Ltd. P. 204-7 Block, G. (1993) “The Broadway Canon from Show Boat to West Side Story and the European Operatic Ideal”, Journal of Musicology, Vol. XI no. 4, 525-44 Block, G. (1997) Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 275 Boroff, E. (1984). “Origin of Species: Conflicting Views of American Musical Theater History”, American Music Volume 2 and 4, 101-111 Knapp, R. (2006) The American musical and the performance of personal identity, Princeton University Press, P. 350-2 Lawson, K. (1999) “The Man behind Miss Saigon”, Arizona Republic, (Phoenix, AZ), pp. E1+ Savran, D. (2003) A Queer Sort of Materialism: Re-contextualizing American Theater, University of Michigan Press, p.85-87 Sternfeld, J. (2006) Megamusical, Indiana University Press. Sternfeld, J. (2002) “The Megamusical: Revolution on Broadway in the 1970s and 80s”, Vol. 1. Dissertation Abstracts International Steyn, M. (1999) “Broadway Babies Say Goodnight: Musicals Then and Now”, Routledge, p. 236-7 Walsh, M. (1989) Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works: A Critical Biography, Abrams. Wittke, P. (1982). “The American Musical Theater with an Aside on Popular Music”, Musical Quarterly, Vol. LXVIII no. 2, 274-86 Wollman, E. L. (2006) The Theater will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical: From Hair to Hedwig, University of Michigan Press, p. 121-5 Read More