First Afternoon / Invisible star still sets hearts aflutter: Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana' Prince of Wales Theatre

THEY CAME to see Barry Manilow. They came to witness a great new show. They came to hear unforgettable songs. You can't win 'em all, though one out of three might have been nice.

The new musical by the singer-songwriter, described for years as the housewives' favourite, has its glitzy first night tonight but to see Manilow fans in their true milieu, the performance to catch was the first matinee.

In fact, the day began in mid-morning when the 49-year-old star, in a jacket embroidered Barry, lest we forget, came to Piccadilly Circus for a photocall, posed for three minutes then turned tetchily to his aides and snapped: 'No, I'm going in. This is not meant to be about me. It's meant to be about the show.'

Having mastered rule 56b of showbiz - never storm out of a photocall until the boys have got enough pics - Barry had clearly also mastered sub-section C - always put the biggest name in lights, even if he isn't in the show.

Manilow's name shone out over Leicester Square, but while he composed the music and co-wrote the book, he does not actually appear. This proved confusing for some of the audience.

One woman, Terry Owen from Essex, said: 'I did think Barry Manilow was in it because it's his show, and I'm disappointed. I expected him to appear. But the story was quite deep and I got involved in it.'

This may not prove to be a majority view among the critics. The tale of a love story in a Cuban nightclub that passes through a songwriter's imagination as he writes the 1970s hit Copacabana, had a storyline, choreography and costumes that lacked authenticity and atmosphere; and the sexual electricity between the stars, Gary Wilmot and Nicola Dawn, suffered intermittent power cuts.

But the views of the Manilow faithfuls at the matinee, rows of ladies laughing and clapping, have a validity alongside those of the critics.

'It was fantastic, totally entertaining. I just want to clap so much. I will definitely come again,' Monica Boggis, from Great Yarmouth, said.

Marian Hollis, a former Tiller Girl, also shared the excitement and mystery of the preview. 'It's gorgeous, beautiful. And we're seeing things you will never see again. I know how they cut things before a first night.'

(Photograph omitted)