If there’s one thing no one disputes about Sir Cameron Mackintosh, it’s his flair. Of The cats (1981) at Mary Poppins (2004), by Tea The Phantom of the Opera (1986) or Miss Saigon (1989), the one that New York Times already designated in 1990 as law “the most powerful and influential producer in the world” put into orbit the most iconic musicals of the last forty years. This 77-year-old Briton established himself as the leader of the English school of musical : his shows were first performed in the West End, London’s theater district, before becoming “money machines” on Broadway and then the rest of the world. A licensing scheme that has made him one of England’s richest men, with a fortune estimated in 2024 at £1.25bn (€1.5bn) by Sunday Times.
Cameron Mackintosh meets in his London offices on Shaftesbury Avenue, a building next to the Sondheim Theatre, which he owns along with seven other theaters in the city. The facade of the building is covered with a huge poster depicting the character of Cosette sweeping, a reproduction of an engraving from the 19th century.e century signed by the French painter Emile-Antoine Bayard. Here he plays every night, to a sold-out crowd, Les Miserables, The English version of this show created in 1980 by the French Alain Boublil (lyrics) and Claude-Michel Schönberg (music).
This epic painting of Paris from the first third of the 19th centurye century inspired by Victor Hugo’s masterpiece has been exhibited in London for almost forty years, an absolute record of longevity for a musical. “This show has had an incredible life, no show in the world has ever done that.” insisted Cameron Mackintosh, sitting in the middle of a somewhat cheesy setting, all mirrors and gilt. His big kid, prankster face lights up when he talks about his “child” and its successes: performed in fifty-three countries and twenty-two languages, seen by over one hundred and thirty million people worldwide, “The Miz” nickname given to the show, have won around a hundred awards, including eight Tony Awards (theatre awards for plays played on Broadway), and their 2012 film adaptation was crowned with three Oscars and a box office success the world.
As has been said, Sir Cameron Mackintosh is rarely wrong about public taste. However, his intuition never helped him to prevail THE Miserable In France. After his success Robert Hossein’s first production in 1980, the musical, which made a comeback in French at the Théâtre du Châtelet between November 20 and January 2, 2025, was bypassed by its native country. A stunning paradox for an opera that embodies French culture everywhere, as evidenced by director Thomas Jolly’s choice to perform an excerpt from it, At the will of the people, during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in July. “France is a wonderful country, but the way you work is strange.” sighed Cameron Mackintosh, staring off into space, as if overcome with sudden melancholy. “It’s a bit sad, in a way: Alain and Claude-Michel are famous around the world for writing one of the greatest musicals of all time, but they remain unknown in their own country. »
You still have 83.79% of this article to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
