New World Actors, Old World Theatre
Greetings America.
It's good to be back. If you haven't noticed I've been away - not out of the country, but around the country: on tour.
I used to be a member of parliament here and a member of the last government too - but when the electorate gave me the big thumbs down, I said goodbye to politics and decided to give show business a chance. I'm in a mini-musical, currently on the road, but, set, who knows, for London's West End. That's where everybody wants to be these days, it seems. And it's not just ex-politicians who are hungry for the bright lights and wild applause - rock stars and movie stars are it too.
Last night in London, Madonna made her West End debut. She's not singing, she's not dancing, she's playing a dodgy art dealer in a new play called Up for Grabs - and it's a high-risk enterprise. Getting to the first night hasn't been easy: The first scheduled performances were canceled, so were the matinees - the papers here have been thick with rumors that Madonna has got the jitters. The British press can be harsh. Being a movie star isn't enough.
The critics raved about Nicole Kidman when she appeared here - they said she was "pure theatrical Viagra" - but when Charlton Heston trod the West End boards recently, they said he was way past his sell-by date. Madonna is up against stiff competiton. Appearing in a theatre in the next block is another big screen diva, the divine Gwynneth Paltrow. She is starring in the London transfer of the Broadway hit, Proof. It was a sell-out before it opened and the notices so far have been written with pens dipped in honey and champagne. But why do these major international stars risks their reputations appearing in quite small theatres to a few hundred people? It can't be the money. Gwynneth Paltrow is earning just 750 dollars a week. No, they are doing it because since the age of Shakespeare - and, of course, Miss Paltrow knows all about Shakespeare - London has been lucky enough to be known as the home of quality theatre. For Gwynneth, for Madonna, as actors, London's West End is not just mega - it's Mecca. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.
CBS