Theatre agent whose family ran the ‘Harrods of the Highlands' dies

The Herald Scotland

24-05-2025

Died: April 16, 2025
Patricia Macnaughton, who has died aged 96, was one of the leading figures in the west end of London firstly as an agent for actors then for directors and designers. Later she also produced plays and musicals and was the person who originally saw the musical Les Miserable in Paris and with Sir Cameron Macintosh brought the show to London and ensured it was a hugely successful musical and film.
But Macnaughton remained a proud and fervent Scot. Her birthplace in Pitlochry remained a central part of her life and she often returned to visit family or for professional reasons; one of her first clients, Frank Dunlop, was director of the festival from 1984-91.
The family ran Macnaughton Holdings which dated from 1783 and in 1856 they opened their shop A & J Macnaughton in Pitlochry high street. It became known as 'the Harrods of the Highlands' and still stands there in a prominent position. Over the years the shop has gained a reputation for selling a vast array of tartans and high-quality woollen goods.
Her upbringing in Pitlochry created a love of the traditions, countryside and people of the Highlands. She always supported many Scottish institutions from sporting and arts events to being a member of St Columba's Church of Scotland in London.
Patricia Jean Macnaughton, the second child of Allan Macnaughton and Jean Baxter-Tyrie, was born in Pitlochry and attended Cheltenham Ladies College. This entailed long journeys from Pitlochry south during the war by train which were challenging and tiresome.
She then gained a place at Edinburgh University to study medicine. However, her parents were involved in a high-profile divorce in the Edinburgh courts which resulted in Macnaughton having to give up her medical studies and going to London where she found work as a temp in a London theatrical agency, Christopher Mann Associates. Her agile mind and exacting negotiating skills soon made their mark.
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In 1955 Macnaughton moved to Paris and signed up for a course to learn French at the Sorbonne, despite having little knowledge of the language. She spent five years in Paris, much enjoying the city's social life, and gained an excellent command of the language which was to prove a major asset in her career back in London.
She rejoined the agency and when she became a partner its name became MLR, one of the most respected in the West End. She managed many leading actors but in the 1970s she concentrated on managing directors, designers and, especially, writers. Of the latter Peter Schaffer was the most eminent. The revival of Equus with William Radcliffe in 2005 both in London and New York proved hugely successful as did other of his plays such as Amadeus and Lettice and Lovage.
But Macnaughton soon demonstrated her tenacity and sheer ability to keep a major project bubbling on a front burner. She had seen the musical Les Miserable while visiting her clients, Jean-Louis Barrault and Madeleine Renaud, in Paris. Immediately she recognised its potential and sold the idea to a major Broadway producer, who then withdrew. After much negotiations she got involved with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Sir Cameron Macintosh as backers.
She realised the show she saw in Paris had to be radically altered and proceeded to play a pivotal role in turning Les Mis into a smash hit. The journalist Herbert Kretzmer joined the Les Miserables team and the English lyrics greatly added to the show's drama and resulted in such thrilling numbers as I Dreamed a Dream, Do You Hear the People Sing? and Bring Him Home.
Macnaughton once commented, 'Herbert doesn't do straight translations. He recreates.'
Macnaughton and Macintosh became firm friends and she served as a trustee of the Cameron MacIntosh Foundation which has greatly assisted both theatre and non-theatrical charities.
She also served as chairman of the Tricycle Theatre the fringe theatre in north London. Her great friend the South African satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys often performed there and toured the UK. His play Paradise is Closing Down visited the Edinburgh Festival in 1979.
But it was her life-long love of Scotland that was a central to Macnaughton's life. Never over jingoistic but a proud and genuine loyalty. She delighted in attending first nights in her Macnaughton tartan dress and celebrated Hogmanay joyously.
Her daughter Annabel recalls, the annual drive north for summer holidays were a tradition on their own. 'Mum at the wheel and after a lunch stop to buy mutton pies and Tennent's lager somewhere around Berwick there was a mandatory rendition of The Skye Boat Song as we crossed the bridge at Berwick. The cats and dogs wore tartan scarves. Mum sang full out in her throaty, tenor voice.'
Macnaughton was a real character: a canny and careful lady who thought through complex contractual problems and then made an informed decision and stuck by it. She had a glorious all-embracing personality that reflected her enthusiastic nature.
She married Peter Lord, who had a successful career in the City, in 1965. He predeceased her and she is survived by their son and daughter and four grandchildren.
ALASDAIR STEVEN
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