DMT_Mamma Mia_AUG_17 DMT MOCKUP_D

Camerons
On seeing Salad Days in 1954, the seven-year-old CAMERON MACKINTOSH fell in love with
theatre and decided on the spot that he was going to become a producer. Half a century on from his
first professional production, we celebrate the landmarks of a dazzling career that has included
some of the biggest and best shows around the world
1969 Cameron’s first West
End show, Anything Goes, opens.
‘And it went – in two weeks!
Everything that could have gone
wrong did go wrong. But it taught
me that however many wonderful
songs you have in a musical, unless
the book is solid it’s much harder
to make it work.’
1973 The Card brings
together a stellar cast including Jim
Dale and Millicent Martin. ‘I heard
that the famous American producer
Arthur Cantor was in London so I
camped outside his hotel room until
he would let me play him “Moving
On”, the demo that Tony Hatch
and Jackie Trent had written. After
hearing it, Arthur said, “I’ll pay for
the whole show!”’
1976 Side by Side by
Sondheim starring Ned Sherrin,
Millicent Martin and Julia
McKenzie.
1977 The first revival of
Oliver! plays at the Albery (now
Noël Coward) Theatre, starring
Roy Hudd as Fagin. Cameron had,
in fact, been a part of the original
1960 production. ‘I got my second
job as an acting ASM in the show.
I had to audition and sang – rather
badly – “Consider Yourself”.
But as the other ASM was tone
deaf, I was hired! I toured for a
whole year, and when the show
played in Manchester I opened
the pass door at the end of the
performance and Lionel Bart
appeared and said, “Hello my son,
what do you want to do when you
grow up?” and I said, “I’d like to put
on musicals like this, Mr Bart.” And
the gods were listening!’
1979 My Fair Lady starring
Tony Britton and Liz Robertson.
1981 Cats, the sixth-longestrunning
West End musical, opens,
blending Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
music with the poems of T S Eliot.
‘Andrew had the idea of using
the wonderful expression of the
Pollicle Dogs and the Jellicle Cats
– which we thought was something
extremely clever until Valerie [T
S Eliot’s widow] said, “No, no – it
came from one of Tom’s nieces
who couldn’t say ‘poor little’ or
‘dear little’!”
1983 Abbacadabra, the
Abba-inspired Alain Boublil musical
with new lyrics by Don Black and
Björn Ulvaeus, enjoys a run at the
Lyric Hammersmith. ‘Judy Craymer
– the great producer of Mamma
Mia! – was doing work experience
on the show. Five years later she
rang me up and said, “I’m working
on something – it’s not the same
show, but I would love for you to
have it in one of your theatres”.
And decades later, Mamma Mia! is
still running at the Novello!’
1983 Oliver! returns to
the West End, with Ron Moody
reviving his original role as Fagin.
The production transfers to
Broadway the following year, with
Patti Lupone as Nancy.