Joseph McManners | ru

"The Early Years and the Little Prince"


There is much to be said about how a person can come into this world and have been blessed with a beautiful talent. Why has God chosen some people over others one may ask, as to imply “where is the fairness in all of this?”

I can’t answer that now, but I’ll be sure to ask God when the time comes. Whatever his reasons he chose December 3rd, 1992 to bring such a talent into this world. Joseph John McManners was born, a little early mind you, but maybe God wanted him to get started sooner in his task. The second son to Dr. Deborah McManners and Grandson to Reverend John McManners, he was soon on his way home to Petham, England, a sleepy little English town just a few miles South of Canterbury.

There was something about Joseph even at this early stage. “Mum” would take him with her to her office during the day. I remember reading in a news article that upon arrival everyone of course would surround and make such a fuss over him. Now, babies being babies and all, that is not uncommon as we all fall to pieces at the sight of a little one tucked away in the bassinette, however with Joseph people commented on his “radiance and peeling laughter” mostly all of them saying how unique this was. Be rest assured that Mum Deborah just ate this all up, however I don’t even think she foresaw the day when this uniqueness would lead her son into the dream world of singing and acting on stage, theater, and screen.

The little town of Petham is not unlike most English towns of it‘s size. Throw in quite a few centuries of history, a road built by the Roman Legions, lot’s of green grass, a hand full of sheep, and you have the idyllic setting of the perfect place to be a kid. However it also shares the dubious honour of being the first town in England to bear the brunt of World War II bombing raids.

Located in a secluded part of town, the McManners house, situated on about 80 acres that at one time was a productive farming operation gave Joseph a great place to play, and like all kids his age, a place for the mind to wander and also to explore. While attending the local schools, like any youngster he became involved with children of the town, became active in after school activities, one of his favorites was what us Americans would call “Camping Out” in the woods behind his house, cooking sausages (The British version of the Hot Dog maybe?) He loved..and still does love reading Beano Comic books and also the character “Tin Tin”, pretty much splurging his £5 a week allowance on them back then.

We have all heard the story about the family reunion where Joseph made his first “public appearance” at age 8 singing Celine Dion’s “My Heart will go on” from the movie “Titanic”..and I will get to that shortly. Before that day however it was Deborah who heard Joseph singing, most likely to himself and she was like “Is that Joseph??” She quickly dialed the phone to a relative, I believe it was her mother and said, “Listen to this!” and held the phone up for her to hear. “That can’t be Joseph….is it?”..something to that effect. Both women were shocked to say the least as they heard this pure crystal voice of Joseph’s, unwavering as he just went about doing whatever was occupying him at the time.

A few weeks later finds us at the family reunion where Joseph made his momentous decision to actually become a singer. It wasn’t difficult to coax him to sing what at that time was his favorite song from a movie that he watched over and over. Showing no nervousness over performing in front of people, another trait that he has learned to take advantage of, he sang “My heart will go on” flawlessly, hitting the high notes and carrying the tune without a waver. No formal training, no music schooling, nothing like that, just him singing naturally. He enjoyed it so much it was at that point that he said “I really want to sing” To say that he did not receive any argument to his wishes would be considered an understatement. All of those present for his first “concert” were simply at awe over what they had just heard and encouraged him to by all means pursue his ambition. With the commitment made, we find Joseph heading toward his first public appearance in a hometown production of “Oliver Twist”

Before I get into that, just an interesting side note here. The character of “Oliver” that Joseph has played twice in his career, which we will discuss shortly, strangely coincides with the history of his family somewhat. Joseph has, since his career started, been an avid and keen supporter of the Bernardo Children’s Charity Foundation, a worldwide organization to help needy, abused, abandoned and sick children. The character of “Oliver” in a way symbolises what that organization fights so hard against. Now granted, the “Workhouses” of Dickens’s England no longer exist(?) and the storylines don’t overlap all that much, but at the same time you can see and feel the despair in both “Oliver” and the Bernardo Mission of what children have had to endure in the dark past, and unfortunately today as well. On a more personal note Joseph’s Grandmother was brought thru the Bernardo’s organization so we can now understand why he has chosen this worthy cause as one to support.

Joseph actual acting career got it's start in April of 2004 when he was chosen to play his first "Oliver" in the Dickens Classic at the Marlowe Theater in Canterbury alongside one of the original cast members, Ron Moody, who played "Fagin", first in 1960 and again in 1968..and once again, with Joseph in 2004. Joseph's own words were "I'm so excited to be playing alongside Ron Moody". Finding our young star playing the role of "Oliver" barefoot and full of enthusiasm, the play, although a hometown version set the mark for Joseph and he found out that acting and singing at the same time, although a lot of work, was also much fun. Even though he was playing his first "Big Time" production, he once again used that natural ease and innocence to his advantage in front of a larger crowd.

After "Oliver" a few weeks passed and while out and about with some friends Joseph ran across a BBC advertisement that announced a talent search for the upcoming opera "The Little Prince" to be televised nationally on BBC2 in November of 2004. First performed in 1945 in France, the opera has become one of the most beloved performances, not only in Europe, but here in the United States as well, so…this was quite a big deal and that got Joseph all excited.

Hurrying home the now captivated 11 year old convinced his mum to allow him to try out for the part, no easy task at it seemed that there was quite a lot of interest from all over England. The guidelines of the contest were however unique as the BBC was looking for a "Fresh Face"..no prior TV or major acting roles…an "Unknown" so to speak to play the part of the prince. There were some powerful, known stars already chosen for parts, Aled Jones, Willard White along with Lesley Garrett with some heavy hitters as far as composers, Rachel Portman, Stage Director Francesca Zambello, Set & Costumes were designed by Maria Bjornson with Nicholas Write as Libretto Director.

How big was it? Very big. 25,000 children throughout England submitted applications over the internet. Out of that group 6, 500 were picked for auditions, Joseph being one of them. As the process ground on, the McManners got a bit of a taste of what this business was all about. It was Joseph's mum Deborah who basically was taken aback at the cut throat competition of it all. Even Joseph himself was a bit upset over all of it and pretty much said he wasn't about to play that sort of game. This one thing, Joseph's reluctance to get "caught up" in what can be a harsh and nasty side of show business, endeared him to many people, this writer included. I remember my first ever post on Joseph's official forum, joemcmanners.com I mentioned this one fact as one of the main reasons I became an instant fan.

As the time approached and contestant after contestant were eliminated, all through the televised auditions on "Blue Peter", a popular BBC children's programme Joseph found himself getting recalled and moving up the list until finally the day came on June 25th, 2004 where the announcement was made "Introducing our "Little Prince"….Joseph McManners from Canterbury!"

A little conjecture on my part, but I'll pretty much bet the house that there was pandemonium at the McManners residence that day along with shock and disbelief. However, the celebration wasn't a long one as Joseph immediately dove into rehearsals and production as the November air date was fast approaching. It wasn't long into the production that people started noticing Joseph's peculiar way of acting, doing things naturally, and of course his singing voice as well started bringing a lot of attention his way. Unbeknownst to Joseph at the time, in the audience during rehearsals were some talent scouts and producers for Sony Bmg that were keenly watching his performance and listening to him, gauging his reactions and how well he presented himself. Again, Joseph not realizing any of this just went about his role flawlessly, as he put it.."having a great time" and finally the day arrived where it was all put together and aired for the whole nation to watch.

November 27th, 2004 on BBC Channel 2 people all over the UK were treated to "The Little Prince" and for many, a first time look at Joseph in the starring role. The small screen adaptation was hailed throughout the UK, and even here in the US as being a "Magnificent" performance. At the same time it propelled Joseph right into the national spotlight as being one of Britain's greatest rising stars, comparing him alongside of Aled Jones, who started his career around the same age as Joseph. Congratulations poured in from all over the country and when the performance became available on DVD the next month people were snatching them up one right after another.

People were also amazed to find out that despite Joseph's fantastic performance, they found it hard to believe that anyone, especially one as young as he was at the time, 11, could do so well without any formal stage or voice training, something that we will hear again and again when "In Dreams" was released…and this is where our story goes next.

As I said earlier, all through production of the "Little Prince", there were some pretty important people in the audience watching Joseph. Sony Bmg's producers were in awe, just like everyone else, and after hearing him singing, started putting together some idea's that, when all said and done, would put the name "Joseph McManners" not only once again on the national stage, but for the whole world to see.

2004 was a whirlwind year for Joseph. Little did he realize that it would pale in comparison to what the future held for him as we now look into the "In Dreams"…well…..probably the best way to put this…."Dream"!

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