Cameron Mackintosh's contribution to the development of the megamusical - Essay Example

Cameron Mackintosh’s contribution to the development of the megamusical Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s production of Cats andPhantom of the Opera culminated in the end of American domination in mainstream theatre. The phenomenon of these musicals was a prelude to the megamusical, which is often attributed to Mackintosh’s visionary approach to theatre production. Mackintosh’s combination of the traditional musical format with the infusion of cinematic visuals on the stage and strategic marketing; radically transformed the musical genre as an art form bringing theatre to the masses. Moreover, the very fact of Mackintosh’s planned marketing approach and prophecy that Phantom of the Opera would be an international hit, suggests a calculated move in the inception of the megamusical as a mainstream entertainment format. This paper critically evaluates Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical and charts Mackintosh’s role as a visionary in transforming the archetypal 1940s and 1950s Golden Age musical into the mass marketed megamusical. This paper further highlights the legacy of Mackintosh’s transformation of musical theatre through the increasing importance attached to the marketing of megamusicals; which in turn has fuelled debate as to the repercussions of the megamusical for the musical as an art form as opposed to a corporate controlled money spinner. 1. Introduction: The Business of Theatre and Mackintosh’s Legacy In considering Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical, it is imperative to consider the contemporary framework for the business of theatre production in London’s West End and Broadway. For example, if we contextually consider the theatre market in the West End, recent hit shows from the Sound of Music to Joseph have driven the reversal in fortune of West End theatres, which had suffered a trend in declining ticket revenue and profits in the last decade. In January 2008, the Society of London Theatre announced a record breaking year in 2007 with more than 13.6 million theatregoers generating total tickets sales of almost £470 million, passing the £400 million mark for the first time. Furthermore, the Society’s Chief executive Richard Pulford cited the revenue statistics as an “annus mirabilis” for London theatre, stating that “these figures are a wonderful start to our centenary year but we’re under no illusions that we’re going to have to work very hard to maintain this success” (Maev Kennedy., 2008). Moreover, this is a dramatic growth of 10% is in stark contrast to the 0.3% increase in 2006 (Maev Kennedy., 2008) and executive director of the Society of London Theatre Rosemary Squire stated that reality television shows had considerably contributed to the revived theatre revenue with Joseph and Grease following the Sound of Music into the West End, asserting that “it brought in a lot more people, a lot of them young who weren’t traditional theatregoers, which is a great thing” (Maev Kennedy., 2008). Furthermore, the sheer scale of West End productions and the demographic being targeted in such mass promotional campaigns has led some commentators to mourn the demise of the Golden Age of musical theatre of the 1950s and 1960s and wonder if the megamusical has heralded the nail in the coffin of the musical as an art form (Belter, 2008). This in turn highlights an interesting point about the marketing approach to musical theatre in targeting a mass democratic. As such, it is further arguable that the current model of business for theatre in London’s West End is intrinsically part of Mackintosh’s legacy in creating the megamusical. However, this has fuelled debate with regard to the commercialisation of theatre and whether the lasting impact of the megamusical has been to negate creativity in the musical as an art form (Grant, 2004). For example, Belter suggests that the megamusical phenomenon has significantly reshaped the musical and western culture simultaneously. For example, in the 1980s, Belter argues that “megamusicals such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and Starlight Express dominated both New York’s Broadway and London’s West End” (2008, p.1). A concomitant result of this was the commercialisation of the musical as exemplified by corporate hits such as Disney’s the Lion King. The corporate influence in megamusicals is further evidenced by the rise of “jukebox musicals” which are formulated with the central objective of appealing to widest possible audience (Belter, 2008, p.1). In turn, Cameron Mackintosh’s contribution to the evolution of this megamusical paradigm has brought musical theatre to a wider audience narrowing the gap between London’s West End and New York’s Broadway (Grant, 2004). This is further supported by Belter’s observation that “the high degree of overlap between the musicals of England and the US can be viewed as a metaphor for the narrowing gap between our two cultures” (2007, p.2). Therefore it is submitted as a central proposition in this paper that Mackintosh’s visionary approach to musical theatre production, infused a fusion of the cinematic visual and strategic marketing to bring musical theatre to the masses. Whilst in the immediate short term, Mackintosh’s production style was inherently innovative creating a new trend within the theatre art form; the long term legacy of his megamusical has arguably sacrificed continued creativity in the art form at the expense of guaranteeing returns for the corporate interests involved (Everett & Paul, 2008:250). Accordingly, in considering the interrelationship between Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical and the contemporary musical theatre framework in the West End and Broadway; this paper will firstly evaluate the definition of the megamusical. Secondly, I shall contextually consider Mackintosh’s role in creating the megamusical phenomenon, followed by an analytical consideration of its lasting legacy on the contemporary business of theatre in both production and marketing. 2. Definition of the Megamusical In considering the definition of the megamusical, Preece and Everett define the megamusical “as productions that emphasise set design, choreography, and special effects at least as much as music, if not more so” (In Wollmann, 2006, p.121). Wollman further posits that megamusicals are often characteristically sentimental “designed to evoke strong emotional reactions from the audiences (In Wollman, 2006, p.121). It is argued that producer Cameron Mackintosh was a central protagonist in the inception of the megamusical phenomenon and that the megamusical effectively crystallised with the production of Cats in London’s West End in 1981 (Ganzl, 1986). Notwithstanding an arguably thin plotline, the big budget musical adopted a cinematic approach to live theatre and has the record for the longest running musical in both the Broadway and the West End until 2006 (Wollman, 2006). This in turn clearly poses the question as to “what was it about Cats that won the hearts of 35 million people who saw it?” (Belter, 2008, p.2) This question is instrumental in understanding the concept of the megamusical and the elements of its success. Arguably, the essence of the success was the innovative visual effects combined with the high energy live performance, bringing a Hollywood blockbuster approach to the theatre. For example, Lloyd Weber suggested the success of Phantom was as a result of the classic love story, in that the audience could empathise with the tragedy of unrequited love. However, whilst Phantom clearly has a more complex plotline than the archetypal megamusical and thereby elicits audience emotional involvement, the reviews nevertheless focused on the set design and the special effects: “the set designs were the best part of the show, complete with trap doors, flares, flying corpses and a falling chandelier” (O’Connor, 1986). Similarly, Radcliffe described the production as a gorgeous trick and “beyond question the most beautiful spectacle on the West Ends stage” (Radcliffe, 1986). This in turn suggests the Mackintosh’s production approach and vision for the visual representation of the Phantom story and Cats was instrumental in the inception of the megamusical as a theatre art form. For example, Cameron Mackintosh prophesised that the “show is going all over the world. We knew that anyway but now we are confident about it” (Owen, 1986). As such, this suggests an interesting aspect of Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical phenomenon as arguably a deliberately calculated move to renovate the musical art form and ensure its mass appeal through strategic marketing initiatives. This proposition is supported by Belter’s observation that Mackintosh’s confidence in the mass appeal of his innovative musical approach suggests that: “The megamusical phenomenon was not at all an international sensation by chance, but rather, “conceived with internationalism in mind; they are designed to appeal to the broadest audience possible” (2008, p.2). Accordingly, it is submitted that Mackintosh’s visionary interpretation of Lloyd Weber’s musical creation triggered the emergence of the megamusical on an international platform. 3. Cameron Mackintosh’s Role in the Megamusical Cameron Mackintosh’s contribution and transformation of the classic traditional musical into the megamusical paradigm is exemplified by the success of Les Miserables, which Prece and Everett argue is often cited as the “world’s most popular musical” and Cats as “now and forever”, which in turn has transformed the wide cultural appeal of musicals (2008). As highlighted the in the previous section, the megamusical definition is often extrapolated in terms of the visual spectacle element in addition to the musical content. Therefore, the megamusical is often referred to as the popular opera or “popera” (Everett & Laird, 2008). A characteristic element of Mackintosh’s musicals is the sets and the visual spectacle, which have often been compared with leading nineteenth century French Grand Opera. For example, Everett & Laird posit that: “Aspects of the megamusical demonstrate a reinvigoration of nineteenth century French Grand opera. Whereas audiences in the late twentieth century were dazzled by stage effects such as the chandelier and underground lake in the Phantom of the Opera…….in both megamusicals and French Grand Opera, striking things happen amidst imaginative surroundings” (2008, p.250). This in turn highlights the importance of Mackintosh’s vision in transforming the visual experience for audiences in musicals as instrumental in the popularity of the megamusical format. For example, Mackintosh et al was instrumental in implementing set changes, complex sets and stage effects. A prime example is the gates in Les Miserables with mannequins and barricades (Everett & Laird, 2008, p.251) Indeed, Everett and Laird assert that “if one central figure had to be identified as the driving creative force behind this late twentieth century genre, it would almost certainly be the producer Cameron Mackintosh” (2008, p.251). It is further submitted that Mackintosh’s musical theatre vision focused on involving the audience in creating a musical theatrical experience; which arguably defines the megamusical as evidenced by Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. He utilised this approach in reviving Oliver! My Fair Lady and Carousel and his contribution to the megamusical phenomenon was acknowledged by the Royal Gala Performance in 1998 on the video “Hey Mr Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh”, which was described as “a magical night of theatre that could only take place in your dreams….. until now” (Everett & Laird, 2008, p.251). Moreover, it is submitted that the crucial point in Mackintosh’s approach to musical theatre was to combine the aural and visual components of the actual piece and transform this into “something greater than the mere sum of its parts and then marketing it with remarkable efficiency” (Everett & Laird, 2008, p.252). To this end, Mackintosh’s production style took the classical musical format beyond being about the music and plotlines and sought to reshape the archetypal visual perspective of 1940s and 1950s American musical theatre that had previously dominated both Broadway and London’s West End (Ganzl, 1986; Grant, 2004). Indeed Mackintosh’s theatrical vision arguably has defined the contemporary megamusical paradigm. To this end, Everett and Laird draw parallels with Mackintosh’s vision and the French nineteenth century director of the Paris Opera Louis Veron (2008, p.251). Indeed, similar to Mackintosh’s vision for the twentieth century; Veron combined the socio political backdrop, through a “grandiose medium that combined music, drama, dance, lavish costume and set designs and special effects” (2008, p.251). Therefore to this end, the French arguably pre-empted the megamusical format with the development of musicals such as La Revolution Francaise. Mackintosh clearly drew on the grandiose approach of the French nineteenth century Grand Opera in fusing the element of spectacle against a socio-political backdrop in musicals like Miss Saigon and Les Miserables. However, the key factor crystallising the stratospheric rise of Mackintosh’s production to an international level was his meticulous marketing plan, which transformed the production of musicals. In turn this has fuelled debate with regard to the state of musical theatre as a verifiable art form, in relation to the quality versus spectacle debate (Kennedy, 2008). For example, Starlight Express used a three level track with 3-d models and plexiglass track of ramps and bridges reliant on computer technology for the train races. However, notwithstanding the disastrous reviews for the musical in terms of content; the spectacle element of the musical made it second only to Cats as the UK’s longest running musical (Belter, 2008). Starlight Express did not replicate this success on Broadway notwithstanding the irony in Lloyd Weber’s argument that the musical was essentially about the American railroad: “Trains are much more romantic than planes. And of course all of American music is about trains, it’s tougher and more romantic all the way from Duke Ellington to Chattanooga Atchison-Topeka-and the Santa Fe Train…. English trains only whistle, but American trains have four notes. It’s the magic of the noise of American trains and the blues in the night that gets me the most” (In Belter, 2008, p.3). The criticisms of Starlight Express further correlate to the criticisms of Mackintosh’s legacy in triggering the megamusical phenomenon. For example, the megamusical is repeatedly criticised for lacking depth in content and substituting dramatic interplay of complex characters through visually dazzling sets and effects, which was a crucial element of Mackintosh’s production style. As a result, the megamusical has culminated in purists lamenting the demise of musical theatre as a credible art form, which is exemplified by the New York Times description of the Starlight Express production as “Two numbing hours….a confusing jamboree of piercing noise, routine roller skating and Orwellian special effects” (In Belter, 2008, p.4). These continuing criticisms of the megamusical clearly correlate to Mackintosh’s lasting legacy in approaching production of musical theatre as a Hollywood blockbuster by utilising the use of visual stimulation in the cinematic medium to be recreated in a live performance setting. However it is argued that “as modern day blockbuster films are often criticised for having superfluous special effects in place of content, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the same thing is happening the world of musical theatre. Audiences like to be entertained by the wonders of modern technology” (Belter, 2008 p.5). Moreover, Mackintosh’s cinematic approach to musical theatre in implementing the technological design and cinematic trappings to musical theatre took over the traditional musical theatre allusion to suggestion and imagination (Belter, 2008). As a result, the scenery effectively became the show as evidenced by the success of Cats and Starlight Express particularly in the UK (Belter, 2008). As a result, the long term legacy of Mackintosh’s vision has culminated in the aesthetics of theatre taking precedence in musical theatre as part of the megamusical phenomenon. Indeed, Belter posits that the mainstream musical is designed to “appeal to the broadest possible audience, thereby making the largest amounts of money” (2008, p.2). Therefore the Mackintosh theatrical paradigm arguably made the musical more user friendly expanding the popularity of the musical as an art form to the masses. This in turn has impacted funding and marketing initiatives for theatre as a whole in West End, which is arguably another lasting legacy of the impact of Mackintosh’s transformation of the musical art form. This is further evidenced by the fact that previous “Golden Age” musicals never set records like musicals today as a result of the “megamusical’s far reach in appealing to new audiences and the diversity of the audience” (Belter, 2008, p.2) To this end, this has changed the musical and Nethersell comments that “you know you’re going to get an easy ride” (Nethersell, 2008, in Belter, 2008). The megamusical thereby ends up being a good night out and doesn’t challenge the audience at all and as a result of the precedence of visuals over the content of the musical culminates in a wider demographic regardless of culture or language. For example, New York Times critic Rich commented that “Cats proved as no production had before that there was an infinite tourist audience for a theatrical attraction in which spectacle trumped content and no English was required for comprehension whether by young children or foreign visitors” (In Wollman, 2006, p.123). Additionally, from a business perspective Mackintosh’s legacy has enabled corporate theatre to use numerous techniques to get on the road along with the diversification of entertainment media into the musical theatre market. To this end, Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical clearly highlighted the potential of the musical as a viable corporate investment in the media industry. For example, with the Disney’s Lion King, the musical production made $20 million from advance ticket sales in 1997 and $5 million profit before the show opened (Wollman, 2006, p.136). However, in terms of the creativity of the art form in the contemporary music market, the megamusical has resulted in the pendulum being swung too far in favour of corporate objectives at the expense of creativity in the art form. Whereas Mackintosh’s production approach was clearly innovative at the time; the megamusical resulted in a novel business formula for musical theatre, which is now strictly adhered to through tried and tested formats. A prime example of this is the continuous revival of Golden Age musicals and use of mass marketing initiatives. As a result the megamusical has remained tailored to the masses as opposed to fuelling new musical theatre. Another prime example of this is the calving out of musicals from pre-existing songs such as Dreamboats and Petticoats, We Will Rock You, and Mamma Mia! Where the “Mamma Mia producers relied on “thousands of devotees wanting to hear their favourite Abba tunes live” (Rosenthal, in Belter, 2008, p.7) Furthermore, Wollman argues that as a result, the “musical is constantly struggling to remain relevant and viable as a live performing art in an age when electronic media exert the most power and influence” (Wollman, 2006, p. 226). Additionally, historian Woodcock suggests that most audiences cheer most for the dancing and therefore as it is real and not enhanced by technology (In Wollman, 2006, p.250) Additionally, Belter argues that in contemporary Western audiences, the digital era, multiple media distribution channels, which constitutes the “fourth wall”, has fuelled an audience penchant for combining technology with live performances (Belter, 2008 p.3). Nevertheless, whilst the lasting legacy of Mackintosh’s megamusical paradigm clearly catalysed the musical to the masses, the sheer cost of production has resulted in production companies wanting safe bets, which further restricts innovation through using concepts familiar to the public such as Spamalot and Lord of the Rings. To this end, Belter comments that “Spamalot also made use of musicals’ current tendency to intentionally tear down the fourth wall. By making and use of the grail under the chair of an audience member is dragged off for photographs increasing interaction with the audience”(2008, p.10). The result of this is, the “corporately franchised staged happenings that are actually music videos for packaged theatre” (Belter, 2008, p.12). Therefore, somewhat ironically, whilst Mackintosh’s production approach was clearly innovative in his visionary methods, the lasting impact of the megamusical paradigm has created the “McMusical” effect through tried and tested methods and TV advertising. This has further fuelled criticism of the megamusical phenomenon in moving beyond the development of a creative art form to corporate controlled entertainment. For example, the use of television shows as a central marketing tool for attracting theatre audiences highlights the changing marketing strategies evolving in a drive to generate profits. Whilst on the one hand such marketing and advertising ploys are viewed as meritorious and essential to attract younger audiences to the theatre, it raises the question as to whether the development of raw talent at ground level has become a casualty in the drive for profits and revenue. This was highlighted by actor Kevin Spacey’s recent attack on the BBC alleging that the shows such as I’d Do Anything and How do you solve a problem like Maria were tantamount to a thirteen week promotional campaign for the musicals at the expense of serious drama. It also correlates to the effect the megamusical phenomenon has had on the level of creativity within contemporary musical theatre and indeed, alternative theatre. For example, Kevin Spacey’s criticism of the BBC advertising highlights the dichotomy between high profile musicals which arguably do not need as much marketing and advertising as lesser known works is further compounded by the significant cuts in funding for the Arts. In April, 2007, Tessa Jowell confirmed that the Arts Council England would lose £112m of anticipated lottery funding in order to help finance the Olympics construction budget (Culf & Higgins, 2007). Michael Billington highlighted that this served as a direct blow to the transformation in theatre in the last 10 years regional playhouses which were bankrupt in 1997 and were now able to budget and plan productions due to adequate funding (Billington., 2008). Moreover, whilst small, one-off theatres such as Tricycle and the Gate had been given a substantial boost by reliance on Arts Council funding, large companies such as the National and RSC had also become financially stable via extra funding and as such, Michael Billington highlights the point that “That is what makes the future loss of lottery funding so sad.” (Billington, 2008). For example, the new wave of reality TV shows tapped into traditional marketing strategies and surveys regarding typical gender, age and income along with ratings of theatre facilities and consumer behaviour triggers for going to the theatre. Indeed, Christopher Olsen highlights the semiotic approach to theatre audience surveys as essential to targeting audiences and that “visibility” is essential in attracting customers to the theatre (Olsen, 2002); which reinforces Belter’s arguments regarding the “fourth wall” element in contemporary approaches to the megamusical. 4. Conclusion The above analysis demonstrates that the critical element of Mackintosh’s contribution to the megamusical was his implementation of cinematic visuals into the live theatre art form. As a result, Mackintosh’s production vision married special effects and musical content to create a novel visual experience; which in turn catalysed the megamusical phenomenon. However it is submitted that the key factor in catalysing the megamusical phenomenon on the international stage was the interrelationship between Mackintosh’s calculated marketing campaigns. Indeed, Wollman argues that Cameron Mackintosh’s role in theatre business is important in developing international marketing campaigns and selling franchised productions to foreign producers to offset any impact of potentially negative reviews (Wollman, 2006, p.149). As such, “the megamusical and strategic marketing campaigns widened the audience and set apart megamusicals from other musicals” (Wollman et al, 2006, p.149). Moreover, Barranger highlights the point that Mackintosh’s production style resulted in a musical phenomenon “called megamusicals, a term that described the phenomenon of sung through musicals in which set design, choreography and special effects were as important as the music, the shows dazzled with effects” (2005, p.341). Cameron’s production vision encouraged “lavish orchestrations and grandiose production that was nineteenth century splendour. Credited with transforming the book musical Cats into international megamusical transcending borders and language” (Barranger, 2005, p.342). Indeed, it was precisely Cameron Mackintosh’s vision of these larger than life musicals that ultimately transformed the musical genre in London and US working with creators such as Andrew Lloyd Weber. As a result it is submitted that the megamusical format catapulted the accessibility of the musical art form to the masses to people of different cultures, which in turn highlights globalisation of culture (Barranger, 2005). However, whilst the musical is accessible to the masses, it has been criticised alternatively for stifling creativity (Belter, 2008, p.12). However, director Nethersell argues that theatre in any form is inherently dependent on audience and that the megamusical has managed to retain an audience notwithstanding the rise of electronic media distribution of entertainment (In Belter, 2008). Accordingly, whilst the debate continues to rage in relation to the impact of the megamusical on musical theatre as an art form; it is submitted that the lasting legacy of Mackintosh’s megamusical paradigm has been to continue transcending cultural boundaries in a mass appeal format that remains viable in the contemporary digital framework. BIBLIOGRAPHY Belter, C. (2008). The Modern Musical: Recent Trends and the narrowing gap between Broadway and the West End. Retrieved from www.goucher.edu/documents/verge/papers4/STAB05.pdf accessed October 2009. Barranger, M.(2005). Theatre: a way of seeing. Cengage Learning. Billington, M. (31 March 2008). Spacey is right: the BBC hates theatre. The Guardian at www.guardian.co.uk accessed October 2009. Culf, A & Higgins, H (2007). Arts Leaders turn on Jowell over Olympics. At www.guardian.co.uk accessed October 2009. Everett, W. & Laird, P. (2008). The Cambridge companion to the Musical. Cambridge University Press. Ganzl, K. (1986). The British Musical Theatre: Volume II. New York: Oxford University Press. Grant, M. (2004). The rise and fall of the Broadway Musical. Boston: Northeastern University Press. Kennedy, M (2008). TV Reality shows pack theatres. The Guardian at www.guardian.co.uk accessed October 2009 O’Connor, P. (1986). At the Palais Garner. Times Literary Supplement. Olsen, M (2002) Theatre Audience Surveys: towards a Semiotic Approach. Theatre Quarterly Cambridge University Press. 2002. 261-275 Owen, M. (1986). Express chugs in without a driver. 16 March 1987. Radcliffe, M. (1986). Tinsel Terror at the Opera. Observer Review at www.observer.guardian.co.uk accessed October 2009. Wollman, E. (2006). The Theater will Rock. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press Websites www.bbc.co.uk www.guardian.co.uk www.observer.guardian.co.uk Read More