Cameron Mackintosh - Pt.2 Analysis of his Posters

Generally the first thing you notice is how bold the whole imagery is; clear iconic illustrations that take ones eyes around about 3 second maximum to understand and intake the information. Mackintosh’s way of portraying the shows theme is not through presenting actual photos of the cast themselves, but to present the most gripping aspects grab its audience.

Mary Poppins – The first thing I noticed was the Disney & Cameron Mackintosh production, so many of the original films element were still there; the shape of Mary Poppins figure is to the exact visual as seen back in 1964 which adds for instant recognition. Again the blue background with the city of London, another film reference hits home to the viewer and could even let them start reminiscing. The typeface I think adds a new bold feel to the new Broadway visual, a strong yet the mysterious font that not being perfectly aligned creates that past feeling of the wacky and comedic story/singsong ahead.

The Phantom of the Opera – With Mackintosh being placed in charge of production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s worldwide known score, there was huge emphasis on what the visuals were to be. Straight away he knew he wanted just the mask and only supporting features surrounding it. The dark rich royal purple delicate cloth with a hard glowing white mask and rose flower sitting on top leaves the viewer edging for the story because you cannot see any characters. Even the title text at the bottom of the poster is only there for clarification. If you were to compare the ‘mask only’ posters to many others that have been created, the instant impact just isn’t there when over-layered with more abstract details such as the actors. Moreover the surprise of first seeing the Phantom in the show itself is also lost.

Oliver – I personally like this poster a lot, the use of placing the text in sit’tue with a character/object with the story works great if done well. The use of negative black space with the painted style embossed logo added to represent the character of ‘Fagin’ himself but also being a key part of the story triggers a lot thoughts of to the viewer. Oliver is being over shadowed in the poster, but that’s the whole theme of and beauty of the story/show itself…. Brilliant!

With all Broadway, Las Vegas or West-End shows, all the graphics and imagery is worldwide known and must world on a large display scale for billboards etc. So from this one knows that the story/understanding and interest of the show must be translated within 3-5 seconds minimum to a potential viewer.

My plan is now to develop a visual that communicates wonderland in 3 seconds.

Cameron Mackintosh - Introduction

When speaking to Drama Lecturers/Students on their views on the production of musical theatre shows, nearly all spoke of Mackintosh quoting “that was the man that changed the way all Broadway poster advertisements are today, the simple iconic image that everybody knows around the world.”

Mackintosh is notable as a producer for his transformation of the musical into a global, highly profitable brand, and was the first theatrical producer to recognize that both touring productions and worldwide productions (often in countries where musicals were seldom seen, such as the former eastern bloc countries in the early 90s) were potentially highly lucrative markets which could, collectively, match and even surpass the revenues generated from New York and London productions.

In mounting productions across the globe, he has maintained tight creative control of his musicals in order to ensure the consistency and quality of the productions, no matter where they are seen. As far as possible, productions worldwide of Mackintosh musicals use the same staging, production design, lighting, front-of-house design, and orchestrations as their London and New York counterparts.

This is a departure from previous practice, where international productions of West End or Broadway musicals would often be licensed out to foreign producers and entirely reconceived locally, with highly variable and often substandard results.

“The most successful, influential and powerful producer & creative director of our time.”

The New York Times

Alice In Wonderland - Book Read

The book tells the story of Alice, a young girl who follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole. At the bottom, she finds herself in a room with a tiny door and a bottle labeled "drink me." She grows and shrinks depending on what she eats and drinks, and as a small version of herself, finds herself swimming in a pool of tears amongst other wacky experiences i.e. meeting a crazy or better expressed as a ‘Mad Hatter’.

Alice and her adventures are probably known the world around. Her story has been made into movies, television specials and stage plays. This imaginative tale is timeless. So is the book. The book describes the action and characters, yet still leaves so much room for the imagination to roam. If you've never read this children's book, do so. If you read it a long time ago, renew the friendships. You can't go wrong with this one. It's not just for children, I personally think is no matter what year it is or how old you are, Alice's adventures will never become dull. Lewis Carroll also wrote “Through the Looking Glass” and “What Alice Found There” six years after “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”, and some of the characters from this book also appear in the Disney movie.

What I took from the story itself was the strong influences of children on the verge of adulthood sometimes find themselves too small for adult privileges while being forced to talk on the no-fun world of adult responsibilities.