By Helen Bushby BBC News Online Entertainment staff

Madonna is used to drawing the crowds, and her first appearance in London's West End is no exception.

But this time there was no screaming or clamouring for the star to appear - people simply gathered sedately outside the theatre waiting for the doors to open.

Up For Grabs, which sees the pop diva take the lead role as an unscrupulous art dealer, appears to have attracted many of London's theatre set, as well as her fans, of course.

Unsurprisingly it was sold out, and people seemed keen to hang on to their tickets rather than sell them to the eager-looking touts gathered outside.

Madonna stars alongside Tom Irwin

Bruce Marsh, from London, told BBC News Online he enjoyed seeing stage plays, and was not at the Wyndham just to see Madonna in the flesh.

"Personally I prefer her acting to her singing - in fact I don't think that much of her singing," he said, explaining that he won the tickets for the show in a competition through a local newspaper.

Victoria Erlano, from London, also won the tickets in a competition through a magazine, which suggests the show has been marketed far and wide.

"I couldn't believe it when I won the tickets - I was really chuffed," she told BBC News Online.

"I am a fan but I am also a fan of the theatre," she said.

The press has been kept out of the preview shows

"I'm hoping she'll be good at acting, as I was disappointed with her in the movie Shanghai Surprise - hopefully this will be better."

David Reynolds, from Edinburgh, told BBC News Online he was a true Madonna fan and that he was looking forward to the show enormously.

"I'm in London because of work and I see shows about six times a year," he said.

He was quick to brush aside any suggestion her acting was not up to scratch, and added he thought she was "very good in Evita".

Another person queuing to get inside declined to offer his views as he was "too closely connected with the theatre-world", but Len Thornton, from London, was happy to discuss his links with the show.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Friend or rival?

His company processed a film of the backdrop for the play - a panoramic scene of New York.

"So I'm here to see how it looks - but I'm also a fan," he told BBC News Online.

The inclusion of Madonna in the cast has ensured the 10-week run is a sell-out, and no doubt it will keep the ticket touts busy.

But regardless of what the fans think, the critics will already be sharpening their pens.

And it will not just be the reviews that the pop star will have to watch out for.

Just down the street from the theatre was a box office, with a poster of Madonna and her good friend Gwyneth Paltrow, who is soon to appear on stage in London.

Critics

It reads Battle of the West End Queens, and is already pitting the two against each other, with a mock battle over who will be the more popular actress.

Although this is just an excuse to sell more tickets, it will no doubt irk Madonna, who is famed for wanting her acting to match up to her singing.

She may have more fans and plaudits than Paltrow, but she has not yet won an Oscar for her efforts.

Her acting skills will not deter people from flocking to see her on stage, but she had better watch out for those critics - they will not go easy on her.