Cameron Mackintosh The First 50 Years

[BurlyBeaR]

Well, I’m sure it’s going to be discussed so we may as well have a thread for it!
Sky Arts at 7pm 27th December.

[steve10086]

Cameron’s statement about wanting audiences to experience a show as it was on its first night hasn’t aged well.

[BurlyBeaR]

The anecdotes are fabulously “luvvie”. In a good way. Michael Ball just made me laugh out loud.

[alece10]

And seeing Julie McKenzie again and hearing her sing is just wonderful.

[appoul]

Dec 27, 2021 20:07:01 GMT alece10 said:

And seeing Julie McKenzie again and hearing her sing is just wonderful.

I'm in Greece and I'm jealous I can't see her!

[steve10086]

Was a great programme. So many little hints of his less “fuzzy” side though, shall we say. I long for the 80’s and 90’s musicals scene, and not just for the shows themselves. I think I preferred it without the internet, when your experience of a show was mainly just seeing the show. Not all the politics and gossip surrounding it. I know I’ve been an enthusiastic part of that myself (I think it’s human nature, when given the opportunity), but I also kinda regret it.

[alece10]

Thoroughly enjoyed that. Although they could have made a whole series with the amount of shows he has produced over the years. Most of the stuff I already knew but there was some great archive footage I had never seen before especially Follies and Witches of Eastwick.
Watching it reminded me of when I was at Hey Mr Producer which was now 25 years ago. One of the most memorable nights in the theatre ever.
So sad at the end, however, when they said the Sondheim footage was filmed 10 days before he died. He looked so well.
I think its a documentary to watch again to take everything in.

[stevemar]

Thanks Burly Bear for the reminder of this.

I enjoyed it though it covered a lot of the same ground as heard before. Still, good to see the Stephen Sondheim contributions in particular.

The programme I previously watched - Imagine with Alan Yentob more than hinted at those less “fuzzy” characteristics. It’s linked here but not available. However, the two bits I remembered - him as the perfectionist at the Victoria Palace, and making the Half a Sixpence cast rehearse something all day until he approved - are in two of the clips which you can view.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0957h11

I see that he sort of took responsibility for the Witches of Eastwick noting it was in the wrong (too big) theatre and that Ian McShane whilst a great performer didn’t necessarily have the musical chops for the part.. or words to that effect!

[max]

I was sitting at home, having a tantrum, shouting at the TV:

"Yeah yeah, yadda yadda,  I WANT 'The COLORS of my LIFE!'   I    -    WANT    -    'The   -    Colors   -   OF   -   MY  -     LIIIIIFE'!!!!!!!!!!!'".

It only seemed polite.

[mrbarnaby]

Dec 27, 2021 19:50:40 GMT steve10086 said:

Cameron’s statement about wanting audiences to experience a show as it was on its first night hasn’t aged well.

Yes I fell off the sofa lol-ing at that one.

[scarpia]

Finally watched this and it was certainly well made and I liked the fact most of the interviews were new (even if old stories were still recounted). It was nice that they didn't skip over the early Stiles and Drewe stuff, and Julia McKenzie was very sweet to listen to. No one could doubt Mackintosh's passion for the art form.

That said, it erred very much on the side of being laudatory and seemed consciously to avoid some of the controversies along the way, and you got the feeling that the entire enterprise had to have the rubber stamp of CML in order for it to be aired (EDIT: I just checked and it was basically made by CML - Nick Allott and Tom Schönberg are the producers, and pretty much everyone involved has been hired by CML at some point). So it wasn't quite as 'independent' a documentary as I might personally have liked. For instance, given how much Trevor Nunn is mentioned, you'd think they'd interview him, but then presumably that was a non-starter given the fall-out over Miz. Another example is Cameron's dubious claim that the Albert Hall staging of Phantom was the 'most spectacular production ever' of that show. I think the producers of the Vegas production, not to mention anyone who saw it, would disagree. The most striking instance of 'let's gloss over this one' was when they talked about the production of Follies at the Shaftesbury. They interview Cameron where he insists he improved the show from the original (which he describes as a flop, but given it haemorrhaged at the box office because it was incredibly expensive to produce, is it any more of a flop that the original Sunset?). Yet the documentary makers either don't ask Sondheim or don't show his answer regarding what he thought of the result (to which the answer is he didn't think it improved it and has even stated that he made it 'legally certain' that that version of the show would never be seen again).

[horton]

Dec 29, 2021 1:03:58 GMT Stephen said:

I really hope that George Stiles is ok. He looked a bit unwell during the interviews?

He's fine.

[Mark]

Dec 29, 2021 1:03:58 GMT Stephen said:

I really hope that George Stiles is ok. He looked a bit unwell during the interviews?

It was posted on their Twitter that he’d had a stroke a few years back and it had been a fairly long recovery process.

Two absolutely lovely guys. I wish Cameron would pick up their latest, Becoming Nancy, for a production. Looking forward to “Identical”

[singingbird]

Dec 29, 2021 0:21:48 GMT scarpia said:

Finally watched this and it was certainly well made and I liked the fact most of the interviews were new (even if old stories were still recounted). It was nice that they didn't skip over the early Stiles and Drewe stuff, and Julia McKenzie was very sweet to listen to. No one could doubt Mackintosh's passion for the art form.

That said, it erred very much on the side of being laudatory and seemed consciously to avoid some of the controversies along the way, and you got the feeling that the entire enterprise had to have the rubber stamp of CML in order for it to be aired (EDIT: I just checked and it was basically made by CML - Nick Allott and Tom Schönberg are the producers, and pretty much everyone involved has been hired by CML at some point). So it wasn't quite as 'independent' a documentary as I might personally have liked. 

This is the problem I often have with Sky Arts documentaries - they usually feel like promotional films or puff pieces. This was absolutely worth watching for the interviews and archive footage, but there was little analysis or critical thought, and certainly nothing to show CM in a less than flattering light, when, of course, we all know stories of what a complicated person he can be to work with...

[tmesis]

Does anyone know if this is being repeated? - normally Sky Arts repeat everything to death but I can't see that this is coming up again.
Annoyingly I missed it.

Thanks.

[Deleted]

Dec 29, 2021 11:31:27 GMT tmesis said:

Does anyone know if this is being repeated? - normally Sky Arts repeat everything to death but I can't see that this is coming up again.
Annoyingly I missed it.

Thanks.

Depending on how you watch Sky Arts, its available on Sky Go, their equivalent of iplayer, or its available anytime on Sky Q.

[ruby]

It's also available on Now TV

[mrbarnaby]

My main take away from the show- other than it was a puffed up advert for his current productions, was what a glory Julia McKenzie was and is. A true class act, I wish she was still performing.
What an incredible Mama Rose or Desiree she would have made.

[alece10]

Dec 29, 2021 17:26:38 GMT mrbarnaby said:

My main take away from the show- other than it was a puffed up advert for his current productions, was what a glory Julia McKenzie was and is. A true class act, I wish she was still performing.
What an incredible Mama Rose or Desiree she would have made.

I remember working one night in the theatre and everyone was very excited as there was a big "A" Lister in the audience who I had never heard of. However, I was far more excited as Julia McKenzie was also there and I was quite star struck. I've seen her perform many times and she really is one of the best. I plucked up courage at the end to say a few words to her and she was utterly charming.

[Deleted]

I enjoyed it. It was fun watching people describe Cameron as a perfectionist and a nightmare diva to work with, without saying those actual words. Interesting that he sent Maria Friedman off to get some training, just from seeing her at a first audition. I would have liked another episode to hear him talk about the shows that didnt work in more detail, Betty Blue Eyes (i wonder if A Private Function - The Musical would have helped it) Just So, Moby Dick etc.

[alicechallice]

Dec 29, 2021 18:08:12 GMT @tbfl said:

I enjoyed it. It was fun watching people describe Cameron as a perfectionist and a nightmare diva to work with, without saying those actual words. Interesting that he sent Maria Friedman off to get some training, just from seeing her at a first audition. I would have liked another episode to hear him talk about the shows that didnt work in more detail, Betty Blue Eyes (i wonder if A Private Function - The Musical would have helped it) Just So, Moby Dick etc.

I liked that bloke who when asked to describe CM in one word, said to the interviewer something along the lines of “ooh you are naughty!”

[theatreian]

Dec 27, 2021 21:47:04 GMT alece10 said:

when I was at Hey Mr Producer which was now 25 years ago. One of the most memorable nights in the theatre ever.

So wish I had been there for that. Have got the dvd but what a cast. There has never or will ever be a night where so many greats are on the same stage.

[anthony40]

Dec 29, 2021 17:26:38 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Slightly off topic- I apologise but why is she no longer performing?

Is she retired?
Is she unwell or physically unable to?

[danb]

Julia? She re-homes abused Alpacas just outside Wootton-Under-Edge. She sings them to sleep with a gentle ‘I’m Still Here’ if they get restless.

[c4ndyc4ne]

Dec 30, 2021 17:50:08 GMT danb said:

Julia? She re-homes abused Alpacas just outside Wootton-Under-Edge. She sings them to sleep with a gentle ‘I’m Still Here’ if they get restless.

Now that’s the epilogue for the follies movie Dominic Cooke should go for