Thanks BYM&M's. :friends:

 

It seems to have taken ages to get round to my turn but I know it will have been well worth the wait. :yahoo:

Good luck for tomorrow TT, if you get there early enough you might get to see him during the day, but after the evening performance on Saturday's he might shoot off quickly, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :friends:

Good luck for tomorrow TT, if you get there early enough you might get to see him during the day, but after the evening performance on Saturday's he might shoot off quickly, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :friends:

 

Thanks suggy. Think we're going to pop into the RE in the afternoon. B)

 

Have a wonderful time tomorrow TT. :dance:

I was going to suggest that you get there about 4.30 when the matinee comes out, then you can "case the joint", have a bite to eat and then see if he comes out.

I was going to suggest that you get there about 4.30 when the matinee comes out, then you can "case the joint", have a bite to eat and then see if he comes out.

 

I'm going to both performances Dot but the matinee starts at 4pm on a Saturday so will hope to see him before it starts as we are going for a meal in between.

I didn't know that. On the Wednesday (which is when I went) it started at 2.30 and finished about 4.35. Will came out at 5.30ish.

I've heard a little rumour that TT met Will last night, I bet she's still on http://www.devotedfansnetwork.com/forums/images/smilies/cloud9.gif.

I've heard a little rumour that TT met Will last night, I bet she's still on http://www.devotedfansnetwork.com/forums/images/smilies/cloud9.gif.

 

I heard that too...cant wait to hear the details :dance:

 

I've heard a little rumour that TT met Will last night, I bet she's still on http://www.devotedfansnetwork.com/forums/images/smilies/cloud9.gif.

 

 

I heard that too...cant wait to hear the details :dance:

 

 

I heard the same rumour. :cheer: Can't wait to hear her reaction. :dance: Wonder how long it'll be before she comes down to earth. :D

Well I'm back but I'm not sure when I'll ever come back down to earth. :dance: :yahoo:

 

Still beaming with happiness after yesterday. Still can't really believe I actually got to meet Will. It may have been only a few seconds when he asked my name to sign but I can still hear his lovely gentle voice playing in my head. He really is a sweetheart. :wub: There was quite a queue of people for him to sign for but it was all very orderly then it was lovely to see how afterwards he was shown respect & left to have a drink with his two friends.

 

Had a lovely time with my Will mates taking in both of the day's performances. For the matinee we were seated in the second balcony & although I thoroughly enjoyed the performance I was unable to see the cast members when I sat on the perspex chairs.

 

Nothing could have prepared me for how engrossed I became in the evening performance when I was seated at stage level & could see Will's facial expressions so more clearly. Thought he did brilliantly without overacting & certainly didn't stand out as the newcomer in the cast. Talked to an elderly couple after the show who said although they had seen ( in their opinion ) better Noel Coward plays they couldn't fault the acting or the production. They also found it hard to believe this was Will's first stage role.

 

This is a play that you definitely need to see more than once. First class performances from all the cast although they weren't very likeable characters apart from Nicky & Helen. Nicky pulled at my heart strings & that wasn't because it was Will playing the part & I thought Alex Mathie was just brilliant. Can't wait to see it again in the final week & really hope this is the first of many such roles for Will. He has a natural talent & I will be very happy for him to combine a singing & acting career.

 

 

but I can still hear his lovely gentle voice playing in my head. He really is a sweetheart. :wub:

 

 

aaahhhhh its exactly the same for me :wub:

 

So glad you enjoyed the play and that you got to meet Will :dance: :cheer: :yahoo:

Forgot to say this is my second Will related trip to Manchester & on both occasions I have found the people so friendly. No wonder Will looks so at ease these days.

A lovely report TT, I'm so pleased you got to meet Will and like you say, it's only for a little time but it means so much doesn't it? :wub:

Thanks for that TT. Really pleased you got to speak with him. :wub:

Awh that's lovely TT. So pleased for you. :dance: Think I must now be the only peep not to have met Will, but there you go - we can't have everything. :)

Forgot to say this is my second Will related trip to Manchester & on both occasions I have found the people so friendly. No wonder Will looks so at ease these days.

 

 

Yup peeps are really lovely in this city Gill!! No wonder Will loves it so much :) I think he should he should move here permanently, it so suits him!! Thank God for this play I say - the best thing that ever happened for his fans..

Edited February 18, 200718 yr by *Jue*

Awww so chuffed for you TT, he's so lovely isn't he :)

 

My turn again on 3 March, can't wait to see him again :wub:

It was lovely to see Laura Rees back playing Bunty...the stand in actress did well But Laura was superb as Bunty... her and Will just gel so well together

 

 

Will was whisked away by his management last night for a meeting ...would love to know what that was about :bounce:

with thanks from with will and sandra on devoted :dance:

 

 

Noel coward society

 

 

 

http://www.noelcoward.net/homepageimages/willyoung_landscape.jpg

 

The Vortex at The Royal Exchange in Manchester did not disappoint. Set on a dazzling ‘in the round’ set of black and white spirals with pneumatically managed circular stages that rose and fell for each major change of scene, a convincing cast performed to the hilt to a full matinee audience in this unique theatre setting. For those who have never been to the Royal Exchange it is an undoubted treat. Set as a freestanding performance space, that echoes the design of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, it lies like a tardis in the middle of the colonnades of the old Corn Exchange in the heart of Manchester’s shopping district. The building is a beautiful blend of old and new and provided an ideal setting for this most provocative of Coward dramas.

 

In the last edition of Home Chat I tried to set into context the harsher comments from critics about this first venture into professional theatre for Will Young. Well harsh I think they were! His first appearance in Act one as Nicky Lancaster is more prodigal ‘mummy’s boy’ than ‘camp’- the accusation of the more savage reviews. He is a sight! By that I mean he enters larger than life in enormous Oxford bags, sleeveless Fair Isle and braces like an overblown prodigal Sebastian Flyte exhilarated to be home after a year away. From that point on he convinces, as do the entire cast.

 

The direction of the action, the design and lighting made the most of the circular staging and allowed a comfortable intimacy with the players. From the first entry of the sardonic butler, Preston, to the histrionics of the final act the actors held us all. David Fielder as ‘Pauncie’ is a convincing ‘devil on the shoulder’ of Florence mincingly tempting her to even greater foolishness with young men whilst the voice of her conscience, Helen, played with thorough sensibility by Alexander Mathie does her utmost to get her to see sense in the madness of the world she has created. Helen by her dress and demeanour should reflect the sensible nature of her being with just a touch of the sneaking admiration that underpins her friendship with Florence so it was hard to see why in Act one this needed to be exaggerated to the extent of looking like a warder in Cell Block H – but this is nitpicking!

 

As the play progresses the tensions rise and the music, dancing and snatches of song hint at the emotional maelstrom that is to come. The monochrome set reinforces the starkness of the choices that have been made and the love that has been lost as Nicky and Florence move towards the final exposure of their weaknesses and the price they have paid.

 

The mix of restraint, timing and emotional release in the final chapter are critical and it is hard to see how Diana Hardcastle and Will Young could have bettered this exacting passage. The audience was genuinely moved as their weaknesses unravelled, realisation struck and they finally clung to each other longing for the love and security they both so desperately seek. This was a triumphant final Act and an overall performance that would have a done many a West End theatre proud!

 

For Will Young it has clearly been an intense, demanding but ultimately rewarding experience that bodes well for future theatre opportunities. Ironically his weakest moments were when he played the piano and thinly accompanied Rhiannon Oliver in her role as the singer Clara Hibbert. That aside he was convincing and at times compelling as the flawed hero well matched to the masterly skills of the experienced actress Diana Hardcastle. This was a memorable performance of a play that still has so much to say about society and the frailty of the human condition.

 

http://www.noelcoward.net/html/vortex_manchester.html

Edited February 20, 200718 yr by BanYellowm+m's