So pleased you got to meet Will suggy.

 

Eagerly awaiting your report.

Thanks to maggie on devoted :cheer:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/maggie3/MENREV.jpg

 

 

 

Love the headline. :yahoo:

 

See they've got our friend Quentin well sussed.

 

 

And it's not hard to imagine that more than a few of them had every intention had every intention of sticking the knife into him, whatever the quality of his performance.

Edited January 24, 200718 yr by truly talented

Thanks to maggie on devoted :cheer:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v288/maggie3/MENREV.jpg

 

 

Edit to say I have just seen your post suggy glad you had a great time :cheer:

 

 

So pleased you had a great time Suggy, and that you got to gropestroke Will's arm. :lol: Look forward to reading your review.

 

Thanks BYM+m's for posting the MEN review.

 

As any publicity people in local theatre will tell you, it's usually impossible to tempt self-important London-based theatre critics out of the capital.

 

Even when productions in Manchester are clearly superior to anything in London, they still won't leave their Metropolitan comfort zone.

 

So it was a little amusing to see them in their droves at the Royal Exchange. Were they suddenly interested in what was happening at the theatre in its 30th anniversary year? Not a bit of it.

 

They were drawn by Will Young, a former Pop Idol winner who had deliberately chosen to make his stage debut in Manchester at the Royal Exchange.

 

And it's not hard to imagine that more than a few of them had every intention of sticking the knife into him, whatever the quality of his performance.

 

As you say TT, the provincial papers sure have some of the London critics sussed, but it's also sad that the provinces are usually ignored by London unless a big enough name headlines. And despite what others may think of him, Will is still that "big enough" name. The RE management must be laughing out loud.

Sorry you've had to wait so long for my report but I had an appointment at the hospital this morning. but it's given me more time to think about the play. :D

So, here's my report from last night.

I'l like to say first though about Will's dancing, oh the dancing, how good was he?! I thought he was wonderful (I want him to do a Broadway musical on the life of Fred Astaire, oh yes!) :yahoo:

Right, the play, I loved how the REX staff rang a bell telling you it was time to go in, it was like being back at school at playtime and then going in for lessons. :lol: Well I learn't a few lessons last night, never underestimate Will's talent and determination to do anything he puts his mind to, I thought he was excellent as Nicky, I didn't know much about the play beforehand so I didn't know what to expect at all, the first act really showed how frivollous and shallow they all were, they all seemed light hearted but unhappy underneath it all. When Nicky came on, it all came to life for me, not because it was Will, but because Nicky seemed to be the only one who was really showing his true feelings, I could tell he wasn't happy with his life and I got really engrossed in the play and his character. He was such a spoilt brat but very likeable at the same time and really funny, I thought his timing was excellent, the whole cast were really good, but I thought the Father could have been a bit less stiff, Bunty was good and Florence was brilliant, by the last act I was really living it all, is that the right thing to say? The scene between Nicky and his mother was very sad and emotional, I couldn't take my eyes off his face and all the pain he was showing, earlier it had been showing all the funny face pulling, excitement and smiles and now it was grief and pain. It was very moving when he was sobbing in his mothers arms at the end. :cry:

I can't wait to go and see it all again and I'm sure it will get better and better as the run goes on.

I'd just like to add though, that I think this play would be better for a lot of the audience if it were'nt on a round stage? as the audience couldn't see Nicky's facial expressions during the last scene could they? Or the ones when he's playing the piano, the piano facial expressions were classic. :lol:

Thanks for your review Suggy

 

I only have a couple of days to wait until I see it for myself :yahoo:

Thanks for your report suggy. Sounds as if Will or should I say Nicky lit up the stage. :cheer:

 

Love reading everyones views helps pass the time till I see it myself.

From a blog :D http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...logID=221382999

 

 

The Vortex (The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester )

 

 

 

It is always a sign of boldness and confidence in the performers' ability when the opening site upon entering a theatre is a basic, cost effective, yet revealing set. The circular stage is bare and the simple props inclusive of a plain piano and a phone are placed around it, allowing the stage to be the main focus of attention from the off. It appears like things are in place to do full justice to Noel Coward's 1920s, morality questioning and glamour exposing depiction of life that has more than an air of contemporary significance hanging over it. This has nothing, of course, to do with the main draw, Mr Will Young, as before his entrance a cast of consistent, Coward-spirit recapturing players set a scene of decadence, pretension and bubbling emotion. Something that is captured in the striking performance of Diana Hardcastle as Florence, the flighty mother who is desperately clinging onto the remnants of youth that has all but faded. This character manages to draw out the flaws and feelings of a host of middle-England personalities, with her garish attitude and melodramatic stance.

 

 

 

 

The entrance of the Will Young, portraying Nicky, the 23 year old pianist and son of Florence, returning from Paris with luggage of the emotional ilk and a singy songy voice that the actor captures so well, opens the play out like a picture book. Young doesn't deliver a show-stealing performance, but what he does do is fit in immediately with the tone and pace and does not put the other actors/actresses of their stride. This, it can be argued, is what true acting is all about, isn't it? His ill-fated engagement to glamour girl Bunty, who enters the fray not long after, brings the emotion crashing when she passionately gives way to feelings for her old flame Tom. The latter personality is also Florence's current lover. An emotive whirlpool of feelings and frustration is captured adeptly by Young, whose character's instability is steadily brought to the fore through his interaction with Bunty, best friend Helen, his mother and the epitome of 1920's uprightness that is his father. The issue of drugs is also reared through Nicky's troubles and is dealt with, in a stark and non-glorifying manner, something that maybe the only dated aspect of this play?

 

 

 

 

The powerful second scene that largely features a tear-jerking heart to heart betwixt Nicky and Florence, juxtaposes the atmospheric gushes and exuberance of the first half, to give proceedings integrity and emotive power. The warm applause at the closure of this gripping rendition, did not reach standing ovation point, but it shows an appreciation for the whole performance from everyone involved. This is quite something given that all the pre-event coverage would lead you to believe that this is a one man show. Noel Coward's universal writing and multi-thematic exploration certainly helped to achieve this impact.

 

 

 

 

Rating; 3.5/5

 

 

 

 

Tag line;

 

 

 

 

"Will Young continues to cut out a serious acting reputation and the unassuming, yet powerful way in which he pulls it off, certainly facilitates the success of this exposure of decadence and glamour."

Nice find BYM&M's.

Thanks for your review Suggy. More and more I wish I could have gone, but it isn't to be.

 

Thanks for find that BYM+m's. I might send that to this friend in Kent. He's so homophobic, it's hardly true, and yet he denies it vehemently. But he's never understood the fascination of Will and his talent, and only sees the gay part. He always sends me the nasty reviews of anything to do with Will, and I always reply with a good one. To-day he sent me the Charles Spencer one, so I've just sent him the MEN one!!!!

Thanks for your review Suggy - nice one. And what a great find BYM&Ms - do you sit trawling blogs all day :lol:

very good write up by Julia Taylor on Manchester Evening News Online :cheer:

 

The Vortex @ Royal Exchange

 

Julia Taylor

THERE is no doubt that Will Young can sing. After all, he won the first series of Pop Idol in 2002, had a No1 hit single, 'Light My Fire' in the UK charts, won the Brit Award for best British single for 'Your Game' in 2005 and was nominated for the best British Male award in the Brit Awards in both 2005 and 2006. But can he act?

 

True, he appeared as a gay entertainer in the film 'Mrs Henderson Presents' but Will was entering fields anew when he agreed to take on the live role of mixed up musician, Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward’s ‘The Vortex’ at the Royal Exchange.

 

The play rocketed to success in 1924 when the writer, Noel Coward, played the role of Nicky with his customary verve. Will also has this virtue.

 

Advertisement your story continues below

 

 

Nicky’s mother, the empty-headed social climber, Florence is attempting to keep her relationship with toy boy, Tom, alive when Nicky comes home from Paris dragging a ‘fiancee’ with him even though you have come to believe that he, like Will, is a homosexual.

 

When the play was first written, homosexuality was, illegal. Perhaps this is why Coward always paints the subject in the background rather than up front.

 

Many of the characters are not characters at all but caricatures of the false, mannered charm of the era where people hid their feelings behind long cigarette holders.

 

Noel Coward cleverly uses the first act to show the futile, pleasure seeking lifestyles of his characters though I think the action is a fraction protracted.

 

It is in the second act that the chickens come home to roost.

 

Will’s Nicky is different. His sensitivity stems from his upbringing by an uncaring, selfish mother.

 

Anxieties

 

He uses drugs to relieve his anxieties because he is uncomfortable among the glamour of his mother’s high society friends.

 

After this riveting performance, Will can confidently call himself an actor as well as a singer.

 

His confrontation with his mother at the end of the second act is exceptional as he portrays pent up emotion, released at last.

 

What of the other half of the equation? Diana Hardcastle who plays Nicky’s irresponsible mother, Florence, may not have received the same press attention as Will but as an actress of the old school she more than equals his skills.

 

Diana is no stranger to the Royal Exchange for she has appeared twice before as well as with renowned companies such as the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

 

I admire her exaggerated society ways and matching far back voice.

 

But her real skill comes in the subtle way she indicates her character’s vulnerability. If anything, her part is even longer than Will’s.

 

When her Florence comes to realise the pointlessness of a life full of dancing the Charleston, and catching and keeping a string of lovers, she reminds you of a 78 rpm record as it slowly runs down.

 

Nicky and Florence may have been the pivots but a fine cast supported them. I especially enjoyed Rhiannon Oliver’s flamboyant Clara Hibbert (and the exotic costumes she wore), Laura Rees’s Bunty, the fiancée who sought fields anew, and Alexandra Mathie’s Helen, the only sane one among an eccentric bunch.

 

This play doesn’t have a happy ending but it has a hopeful one.

 

The Vortex is on at the Royal Exchange until Saturday, March 10. £8 - £23.50. Call 0161 833 9833 for more information.

 

Submit your comments

View comments (1 comment 23/01/2007 at 19:10)

Thanks TT, that's another really good review.

After this riveting performance, Will can confidently call himself an actor as well as a singer.

His confrontation with his mother at the end of the second act is exceptional as he portrays pent up emotion, released at last.

 

Proud. :heart:

Thanks TT for bringing it over, great review and it got 4 stars :wub:

Well...we've had some so-so ones..some really bad ones and some fantastic ones..how many papers has he been reviewed by this week? :blink: ..well..good or bad..at least he's not ignored :lol:

he'll learn and he'll grow as he always does..and then he'll just get on with it...i love that about him. :wub:

i totally loved the play..i'm going again..9th and 10th march.. :cheer:

very good write up by Julia Taylor on Manchester Evening News Online :cheer:The Vortex @ Royal Exchange

 

Julia Taylor

THERE is no doubt that Will Young can sing. After all, he won the first series of Pop Idol in 2002, had a No1 hit single, 'Light My Fire' in the UK charts, won the Brit Award for best British single for 'Your Game' in 2005 and was nominated for the best British Male award in the Brit Awards in both 2005 and 2006. But can he act?

 

True, he appeared as a gay entertainer in the film 'Mrs Henderson Presents' but Will was entering fields anew when he agreed to take on the live role of mixed up musician, Nicky Lancaster in Noel Coward’s ‘The Vortex’ at the Royal Exchange.

 

The play rocketed to success in 1924 when the writer, Noel Coward, played the role of Nicky with his customary verve. Will also has this virtue.

 

Advertisement your story continues below

 

 

Nicky’s mother, the empty-headed social climber, Florence is attempting to keep her relationship with toy boy, Tom, alive when Nicky comes home from Paris dragging a ‘fiancee’ with him even though you have come to believe that he, like Will, is a homosexual.

 

When the play was first written, homosexuality was, illegal. Perhaps this is why Coward always paints the subject in the background rather than up front.

 

Many of the characters are not characters at all but caricatures of the false, mannered charm of the era where people hid their feelings behind long cigarette holders.

 

Noel Coward cleverly uses the first act to show the futile, pleasure seeking lifestyles of his characters though I think the action is a fraction protracted.

 

It is in the second act that the chickens come home to roost.

 

Will’s Nicky is different. His sensitivity stems from his upbringing by an uncaring, selfish mother.

 

Anxieties

 

He uses drugs to relieve his anxieties because he is uncomfortable among the glamour of his mother’s high society friends.

 

After this riveting performance, Will can confidently call himself an actor as well as a singer.

 

His confrontation with his mother at the end of the second act is exceptional as he portrays pent up emotion, released at last.

 

What of the other half of the equation? Diana Hardcastle who plays Nicky’s irresponsible mother, Florence, may not have received the same press attention as Will but as an actress of the old school she more than equals his skills.

 

Diana is no stranger to the Royal Exchange for she has appeared twice before as well as with renowned companies such as the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

 

I admire her exaggerated society ways and matching far back voice.

 

But her real skill comes in the subtle way she indicates her character’s vulnerability. If anything, her part is even longer than Will’s.

 

When her Florence comes to realise the pointlessness of a life full of dancing the Charleston, and catching and keeping a string of lovers, she reminds you of a 78 rpm record as it slowly runs down.

 

Nicky and Florence may have been the pivots but a fine cast supported them. I especially enjoyed Rhiannon Oliver’s flamboyant Clara Hibbert (and the exotic costumes she wore), Laura Rees’s Bunty, the fiancée who sought fields anew, and Alexandra Mathie’s Helen, the only sane one among an eccentric bunch.

 

This play doesn’t have a happy ending but it has a hopeful one.

 

The Vortex is on at the Royal Exchange until Saturday, March 10. £8 - £23.50. Call 0161 833 9833 for more information.

 

Submit your comments

View comments (1 comment 23/01/2007 at 19:10)

 

That's a great review TT - thanks for finding it. It might even wing it's way down to Kent!!!

 

Hi everyone - lots to catch up with - here goes:

 

NoWillPower wrote:

Found and emailed to me by IscaGill .... hope it isn't up already, apologies if it is but haven't got time to read thru the last few pages It's from THE BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

 

 

Quote:

The Vortex

By Noël Coward

Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

 

Review by David Chadderton (2007)

 

The Vortex was, according to the playwright himself, the play that established Noël Coward both as a playwright and as an actor, as he wrote the central part of Nicky Lancaster for himself, shamelessly building up his first entrance with the anticipation of the other characters and giving himself the most dramatic scenes and transformations. The Royal Exchange, in this revival from director Jo Combes, has done the reverse by using a star to draw attention to the play - with some success if the packed house and coachload of top broadsheet critics from London is anything to go by.

 

The play depicts the upper classes during the 'roaring twenties' with their endless round of parties, theatre visits, cocktails and lovers. Florence Lancaster shows off her latest young lover, Tom Veryan, whom she seems to take merely to try to defeat the ageing process. She is also eagerly anticipating the return from Paris of her son, Nicky, who arrives a day early and displays the same frivolousness and superficiality as his mother, while still showing respect and affection for his silently disapproving father, David. Nicky drops the bombshell that he is engaged and introduces his mother to his fiancée Bunty Mainwaring. Of course everything falls apart in the much darker second and third acts, culminating in a confrontation between mother and son in which he tries to convince her of the emptiness and loneliness of her life and blame her for what he has grown up to become.

 

Pop star Will Young here makes his professional stage debut as Nicky Lancaster, which is quite a challenge for someone with so little acting experience and a brave move in front of the UK's most influential critics. To his credit, he certainly doesn't disgrace himself - far from it. He plays Nicky at first as a slightly camp, spoilt young boy, which works very well as a reflection of the way his mother behaves; later he matures considerably to confront his still-childish mother, but Young doesn't quite have the emotional range to pull off this transformation and so these scenes drag a bit, partly as a result of this. His voice is noticeably slightly underpowered next to the more experienced actors, but there is no problem with hearing what he says and he is charismatic on stage and brings out the humour in the part.

 

Young does have some strong support from the rest of the cast. Diana Hardcastle fills the character of Florence Lancaster very well, depicting very clearly the emptiness and loneliness beneath the partying and frivolities. Even she cannot bring together the scenes where she is being harangued by her friend Helen, in a strong performance by Alexandra Mathie, and then Nicky for her lifestyle as the uneven pace makes the arguments seem repetitive and circular. David Fielder proves himself adept at the acid-tongued put-down as the camp Pauncefort Quentin, David Peart gives us some nice moments of repressed fatherly affection and disapproval as David Lancaster and Laura Rees brings a down-to-earth quality to Bunty Mainwaring.

 

Lez Brotherston's set is a swirling vortex of stark black and white - often lit in very stark, cold blue-white by lighting designer Howard Harrison - with a circular, rising platform in the centre for Florence to take her place at the centre of this swirling society, but it doesn't depict any particular time or place in a naturalistic way. The costumes, however, are right out of the 'flapper' era.

 

Although director Jo Combes talks in the programme rather vaguely about contemporary thematic parallels, this play is really a window to a very specific time, place and section of society (although there may be some interesting parallels with the 'yuppie' culture of the 1980s) and a critique of the emptiness of the lives of those who made a show of their money and of living for pleasure. It seems to take a long time to make this rather simple point, and this is emphasised by the uneven pace and sometimes awkward staging of this production. Although there are some good performances, some good comedy and a chance to see a big-name pop star who has obviously worked very hard on a part he should probably not have been offered as his debut performance, this is a very short show for a Royal Exchange production but still manages to seem drawn out and slow in parts.

©Peter Lathan 2007

 

Great review in the Sun.!! Thanks to Bumbling for the text.

Bounding from Pop Idol to Stage Idol in his theatrical debut, Will Young attracted a host of Coronation Street stars on opening night as he took on the role Noel Coward wrote for himself in 1924.

 

Will's performance as effeminate, shambling drug addled pianist Nicky Lancaster, was near perfect as he struggled to reveal his hard drugs hell to his self obsessed mother (Diana Hardcastle.)

Will's timing was spot on, pulling off his comic lines and delivering a sobbing ending with sheer professionalism.

His stage future is secured.

Charles Yates

 

 

From Rainbow Network

- a gay website-

 

Vortex

25 January 2007

 

Related Links:

Royal Exchange Manchester

Noël Coward Society

Will Young

My Space: Will Young

Devoted: Will Young

RainbowNetwork is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

 

The Vortex is Will Young’s theatrical debut – a play that was also Noel Coward’s first mark as writer and actor over eighty years ago. It’s incredible to think that such a vintage play set during the 20s Jazz age, despite its upper-class setting, has parallels with contemporary society and thematic relevance.

 

Okay, folks today (perhaps even Sloane Rangers?) may not speak in such highfaluting tones or insist on ‘cocktails’ at every social occasion; but the relationships, social artifice and wearing of masks to hide truth is as prescient as Shakespeare’s plays are politically relevant today.

 

An interesting golden nugget about the original staging in 1924 - having also been one of the most controversial of Coward’s plays – is that it introduced audiences to the use of the word ‘darling’ other than just a declaration of love. Today we could quite easily transmute Coward’s effete, fashion conscious, drug taking hedonists into the cast of Ab Fab (or indeed Soho) with its equally indulgent view of drink, drugs and partying with an abundant use of the word ‘Sweetie’

 

Young plays the part of Nicky Lancaster, a somewhat spoiled and effete upper-class toff who’s gradually learning to untie himself from his mother’s apron strings. The fact that he and Florence (Diana Hardcastle), his vain, party-loving mother, have some sassy secrets between them is the mainstay of the story.

 

All is unravelled during a weekend of jazz dancing, cocaine snorting and house partying with several other supercilious characters who form the centre piece of Coward’s social commentary on a period when the Bright Young Things opposed the traditional moral standards of Edwardian England. But it is when Nicky introduces Bunty (Laura Rees) a gorgeous, svelte ‘Modern Millie’ as his unlikely lover and wife to be, that the scene is set for some delightful bitching and sophisticated put-me-downs as personalities collide.

 

When Nicky’s rival for Bunty refers to him as ‘effeminate’ you can bet your bottom dollar that Coward was using the euphemism for something far racier in meaning. Despite this being the age where public school boys and men could camp it up like mutton and still be considered heterosexual, in this case, together with Nicky’s predilection for A-class drugs, Coward was making subtle hints at the boy’s real sexual leanings. It’s surprising the Lord Chamberlain missed that one and instead chose to demonise the play because of the characters’ partying antics and cavalier attitude towards adultery - Florence having an insatiable appetite for younger men.

 

The irony is, despite its shocking revelations for the time, Coward’s play is in fact a moral tract and by our standards about as racy as an episode of Murder She Wrote. But it’s his taut, sparky dialogue and immaculate dissection of these self-obsessed creatures that makes this play, eighty years on, still an engaging and amusing spectacle for today’s theatregoers.

 

Will Young performs with gusto and confidence and will not disappoint fans although X Factor enthusiasts will perhaps be a tad aggrieved that he doesn’t throw in a rendition of ‘Evergreen’ while playing the piano. As a spoilt and decidedly screwed up character, Young portrays Nicky with a mixture of happy go lucky geniality and childish petulance. As a debut performance - and one taking place in the round where eyes are on the actors from every angle (a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of actors) – this is without doubt an impressive foray into thespian waters.

 

This is a slick, handsome production made even more elegant by the monumental setting and interiors of the jaw dropping Royal Exchange theatre.

 

Read our Totty Watch on Will Young.

 

The Vortex, by Noel Coward

Royal Exchange Theatre

St Ann's Square

Manchester, M2 7DH

0161 615 6815

 

17 January-10 March 2007

 

Can't make it to the show? Then buy the DVD of Mrs Henderson Presents and watch Will Young in his film debut. Alternatively, you could alwasy buy his last album Keep On or check out the DVD of Will Young - Live In London.

 

By: Richard Bevan

 

Don't think I've seen this one it's yet another good one from the UK Theatre Network - had to register to be allowed to read it!

 

The Vortex

Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

22 January 2007

 

The hottest ticket in Manchester this winter is the Royal Exchange’s new production of The Vortex, starring ex-Pop Idol Will Young in his professional stage debut.

 

Noel Coward’s 1924 play provoked scandal and outrage at its premier, with a no-holds-barred display of hedonism, adultery and drug-taking. Nevertheless The Vortex became an enormous (if controversial) hit because it seemed completely in tune with the spirit of the age.

 

The question is: does something that was cutting edge in 1924 still cut it in a totally different millennium? Perhaps that’s like asking if This Life will continue to resonate 80 years hence, when it’s debatable as to whether it’s genuinely seminal a mere decade later. Today the themes of Coward’s one-time succès de scandale may seem rather tame and hackneyed. However the play survives as a well-made period drama, full of lovely frocks, outrageous attitudinising, and killing witticisms.

 

Coward’s dialogue always strikes me as Oscar Wilde-lite, but this production abandons the brittle mannered delivery we have come to expect, and opts for a more naturalistic approach. This especially suits Will Young’s interpretation of Nicky, the spoilt young musician who takes the silver spoon from his mouth and puts it to less legitimate uses.

 

Mr Young proves that he really can act - if you didn’t know any better you would assume he had been treading the boards for years, and he makes the iconic role of the tortured artist his own. Overtly camp and effeminate (which puts a new gloss on some of the lines), his Nicky comes across as sweet, vulnerable, puppyish and benign.

 

Set opposite his nail-hard self-centred mother Florence, played by Diana Hardcastle as a baby-doll blonde, we see a very interesting spin on the Absolutely Fabulous generational role-reversal. And contrasted with Sam Heughan’s callow Tom Veryan (Florence’s latest young lover), who is played as pale and interesting as Nicky usually is, an intriguing incestuous spin is gradually revealed.

 

For me though the stand-out performance is Laura Rees as the unscrupulous and pitiless Bunty Mainwairing (Nicky’s fiancée). Slim as a whisp, elegant as dammit, with a sleek black bob and a most unnervingly deep-voiced delivery, she simply blows everyone else off the stage. The unselfconscious ease and grace with which she drapes herself over the piano in Act 1 is the true heart of the play.

 

Lez Brotherton’s set design is a stunning black and white affair, with a spiral dance floor like a shattered chess-board at its centre. It really is the perfect backdrop for the piece, simultaneously emblematic of wealth, style and coldness.

 

Jo Coombs deploys her entire cast confidently, and even takes a few cheeky liberties with the text which ultimately add to the pleasure of the evening. Expectations for this production have been high, and tonight’s audience did not leave disappointed.

 

 

Thanks to will_4_me(Julie on D)

 

They're coming thick and fast girls - no shame William - well done "Young" man :yahoo: :wub:

Edited January 26, 200718 yr by munchkin

Thanks for bringing those over munchkin they make brilliant reading :cheer:

 

 

Bounding from Pop Idol to Stage Idol in his theatrical debut, Will Young attracted a host of Coronation Street stars on opening night as he took on the role Noel Coward wrote for himself in 1924.

 

Will's performance as effeminate, shambling drug addled pianist Nicky Lancaster, was near perfect as he struggled to reveal his hard drugs hell to his self obsessed mother (Diana Hardcastle.)

Will's timing was spot on, pulling off his comic lines and delivering a sobbing ending with sheer professionalism.

His stage future is secured. :cheer:

Charles Yates

 

 

[Will Young performs with gusto and confidence and will not disappoint fans although X Factor :blink: enthusiasts will perhaps be a tad aggrieved that he doesn’t throw in a rendition of ‘Evergreen’ while playing the piano. :lol: As a spoilt and decidedly screwed up character, Young portrays Nicky with a mixture of happy go lucky geniality and childish petulance. As a debut performance - and one taking place in the round where eyes are on the actors from every angle (a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of actors) – this is without doubt an impressive foray into thespian waters.

 

Mr Young proves that he really can act - if you didn’t know any better you would assume he had been treading the boards for years, :dance: and he makes the iconic role of the tortured artist his own. Overtly camp and effeminate (which puts a new gloss on some of the lines), his Nicky comes across as sweet, vulnerable, puppyish and benign.

 

 

Those of you who frequent Devoted will know that I had a wonderful time in Manchester on Wednesday. All the travel arrangements were fine and I arrived at the REx to see Will and Diana having break and a deep conversation. Good start! I gave the security man the card I had made for Will and Rupert, and then had a bit of lunch.

 

The play was stupendous and Will was mesmerising. I won't go into it here but suffice it say that I wish I was going again - but it isn't easy for me.

 

After the play was over I decided to have a glass of orange and took it over to the foyer near where the cast go in and out (alongside the Theatre Bar, which was shut). I saw Sam Heughan (Tom Veryan) and had a chat with him for a while and said how much I enjoyed the play. I asked him what they had thought when Will was cast as Nicky. He said they were a bit sceptical at first but soon came round when they saw how good he was and what a lovely man. Very generous he said.

 

After a while I saw Diana Hardcastle and spoke to her congratulating her on the play. She went to clasp my hand (ouch) and I explained what had happened at Will's Brighton concert. She sympathised and I asked her to sign my programme (Sam had already done so). I also asked if Will was coming out and she said he had a meeting with his management. But she took my programme in to him and he signed it "Lots of Love from Will xxx" and "Hope your hand is better xx" Five kisses!

 

I then met up with NannyT (Janice) and she bought me a J2O. I said I would wander about to see if there were any more actors about to sign my programme. I walked right round the theatre and finished up at the bottom of the stairs by Door 4. Lo and behold, who should be sitting there but our William! He was talking to Diana and she said "Oh, Gill, here he is!" I thanked Will for signing the programme and then he said that he hadn't put my name on it which he proceeded to do. We chatted for quite a while about this and that - Dalmations, Isle of Wight, Carisbrooke Castle etc etc. He enquired about my hand and sympathised with me.

 

He is a lovely, charming and beautiful man. Who smokes too much!

 

I then left them and went back to Janice who was overwhelmed by it all. I took her to see Will and he signed her front row ticket and she had a chat with him. She was so chuffed.

 

All in all a wonderful day, one which I will never forget.

Edited January 26, 200718 yr by Dot