Nervy Madonna has a stage hit

Madonna leaves the theatre after her first night performance

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Madonna made her London stage debut to reports in Tuesday's British press of a shaky start -- although all agreed she has a hit on her hands.

The 43-year-old singer was appearing in a preview performance of "Up For Grabs" at Wyndhams Theatre -- one of the biggest stars ever to play in London's West End.

It was also her first stage performance for 13 years -- the last in 1988 in David Mamet's "Speed-The-Plow" on Broadway -- and some adoring fans had travelled from the U.S. to queue for tickets.

"A trembling start" said The Daily Mail, describing the superstar diva, never previously known for her shyness, as "decidedly nervous."

"Fans said she had cut a nervous figure who appeared to fluff a few lines," wrote The Guardian.

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"The material's fine but fans not so sure about Madonna," was The Times' headline.

"Neither her acting nor her stage presence in 'Up for Grabs' is particularly inspired," wrote the paper's arts reporter, Dalya Alberge.

But London's Evening Standard reported that she did not even have to open her mouth before her highly publicised London stage debut brought the house down.

The American diva merely had to walk on to the stage for the audience to leap to its feet and begin clapping wildly.

"I have never before witnessed an actress receiving an ovation before she had uttered a word," said the paper's reporter Pete Clark.

"Madonna appeared somewhere around centre stage... performed a step or two in the direction of the paying public, smiled and the house came down."

Jittery it might have been -- Madonnamania it was.

For Monday night's performance there was a long queue down London's Charing Cross Road of both theatregoers and others hoping to catch any returned tickets.

These were being offered by touts and on the Internet to the end of the play's run on July 13 at between £200 and £500 ($300 - $730).

The preview attracted immense media attention -- Madonna is the second big U.S. star currently in a London show, the other being Gwyneth Paltrow -- although the press were not allowed into the theatre. (Madonna, Gwyneth go head to head)

Security was tight as the doors opened and staff ushered those with tickets inside the auditorium, which holds just under 700.

Reports had suggested Madonna was apprehensive about meeting her audience, with matinees cancelled, the stage heightened, minders in the wings and the first preview three days behind schedule.

But an hour before curtain up there was a morale boosting visit from director husband Guy Ritchie who popped in by the stage door, leaving shortly afterwards with son Rocco.

After the show fans pointed to the pop idol's edginess though most said she improved in the second half once she had got over her nerves.

Malva Green, 41, told the UK's Press Association she thought the actress "put on a convincing performance."

"She was nervous to start with but got a lot better," she said. Mark Collins, 28, said he did not think she had the strongest performance in the show.

"But when she got into it she was really good," he added.

Tony Renardi, from Brooklyn, New York, said the play would probably be well received while it had Madonna in it, but he was not sure it could be sustained with a lesser star. His wife Barbara Diamond said: "She got a lot better in the second half, but the play itself I didn't much care for."

In the play Madonna plays Simone, an ambitious art dealer willing to go to any lengths to sell a painting, including a willingness to sleep with those useful to her of both sexes.

The cast of seven also includes Michael Lerner and Tom Irwin, and the play is directed by Laurence Boswell.

Some British tabloids focused less on Madonna's nerves than on the play's lesbian kiss. The Sun's headline was "Who's that girl kissing Madonna" followed by "Pop queen in lesbian scene."

"She has not lost her ability to shock," noted the Daily Mail.

All agreed though that her superstar status would ensure the play's success.

The Daily Telegraph said that after four curtain calls, Madonna had "nothing to fear" and said that the queen of pop had "grabbed a hit."