Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintoshis a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York Times. He is the producer of shows such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, Miss Saigon and Cats...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionMusic Producer
Date of Birth17 October 1946
needs new-me
What musicals need is a new me.
dream country islands
My dream is to be on my boat. Or on an island. Or in my house in the country. That's my dream.
goal producers
I had set a goal of being a producer by 25.
old-buildings smell soul
An old building is like a show. You smell the soul of a building. And the building tells you how to redo it.
thinking wonderful forgotten
Audiences aren't going to get rid of me. One thing I can say, with absolute certainty, is that my shows will still be performed when I'm dead, buried and forgotten. They're going to absolutely outlive me, which is a wonderful thing to think about.
public-life
I've never had a very great public life.
knew precocious time
By the time I was ten, everyone knew I wanted to be a producer. I was a very precocious little boy.
aunt hears infected life magic piano took
My aunt took me to see 'Salad Days' when I was seven. This story of a magic piano that infects everyone who hears it infected me, too. It was a Road to Damascus moment in my life.
asked bath boarding brought parents park pay prior remember school sent war
I'm a war baby: I was brought up with rationing, and my parents always had to struggle. I remember when I was sent to boarding school - Prior Park College in Bath - my father was asked how he was going to pay the fees, and he replied: 'In arrears.'
architecture love
I love architecture almost as much as I love my musicals.
shows trying unless
I don't commit to things unless I have my A-team to do it. And I'm not trying to be cocky, but that shows in my productions. They are top notch!
best bring feet shows successful
Sometimes, thinking on your feet can be the most creative. Constrained circumstances can bring the best out of you. Some of the most successful shows come out of shoestring invention.
cook early good learned life lived pounds private stayed survived three took
I survived because I never took on big responsibilities in my private life. In the early days, I lived on two or three pounds a week and learned to cook - and I'm a good cook - because I had to. Even when I went on holiday, I stayed in other people's houses.
cent less money per shows trying
I know I'm in the exceptional position of having money, but I didn't have it for many decades. I'm always trying to get shows put on for 25 per cent less production costs.