The fans love Barry Manilow - and that includes celebrities! The Grammy-winning music legend greeted the incomparable Joan Rivers (a lady he once accompanied on the piano) on January 30 after delivering his greatest hits in the fabulous Main Stem concert event Manilow on Broadway.
The iconic comedienne and Fashion Police host looked positively delighted to catch up with her longtime friend backstage at the St. James Theatre.
Still basking in the previous night's musical excitement, Rivers tweeted on January 31: "Saw my dear friend (and former pianist!) Barry Manilow perform last night. Sensational!!! Everyone - of all ages - was up and dancing."
Barry Manilow, after canceling a week of performances including his opening night due to illness, finally launched his first Broadway show since 1989 Tuesday night. "What a week!" Manilow said of his bout with bronchitis and the flu, following "Give My Regards to Broadway." "I have hacked up enough phlegm to float Fire Island." He hasn't fully recovered from the strain -- as well as the "Jewish guilt" Manilow said came with forcing so many of his fans to reschedule their plans last week. But that hardly mattered.
"Manilow on Broadway" is a fast-paced retrospective of the Brooklyn native's life and career, built on his warmth and charm as a storyteller as much as the songs that make the whole world sing. "We don't have any phantoms, any lions or any Spider-Men," Manilow said of his show, which runs through March 2. "All we have is hit songs."
That is more than enough. Manilow showed how expansive his catalog is -- from Broadway musicals to salsa, from "Brooklyn Blues" to the disco-era anthems of "Copacabana" and "Could It Be Magic." And, of course, the '70s piano ballads, from "Mandy" to "Weekend in New England" that made him a star. "I was the Justin Bieber of the '70s," Manilow said. "Ask your mothers."
Even as he struggled, Manilow's show was good, and it's only going to get better as his health returns. As his voice warmed up, those worries fell away and he was able to tell a lovely story about how his grandfather recognized young Barry's musical ability, paired with a touching performance of "This One's for You." He showed how sturdy "I Made It Through the Rain" is by dedicating it to those hurt by superstorm Sandy, while still delivering it as a forerunner to all the recent "It Gets Better"-styled songs from Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.
"I feel you willing me through this," Manilow told the audience, after his voice faltered slightly. They did. Looks like he made it.
WHO Barry Manilow. WHEN 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through March 2, St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St., Manhattan. INFO $50-$350; 212-239-6200, manilowonbroadway.com
To the shouts of "We love you, Barry!" music superstar Barry Manilow returned to the stage of the St. James Theatre on Tuesday, January 29 to finally celebrate his Broadway opening night – an event that was postponed for a week after a case of bronchitis kept the Grammy winner from singing. Following the evening's performance of Manilow on Broadway (which features his biggest hits like "Copacabana," "Mandy," and "Can't Smile Without You,") the singer headed – of course – to the Copacabana on West 47th Street to commemorate his Broadway return.
Manilow's previous Broadway credits include his Tony Award-winning Barry Manilow on Broadway and Barry Manilow at the Gershwin. He also contributed songs to Bette Midler's Clams on the Half Shell Revue and The Madwoman of Central Park West. In the West End, his music was featured in Barry Manilow's Copacabana - The Musical, which went on to tour the U.S., Australia, and Asia. Manilow on Broadway runs through March 3.
Bronchial but unbowed, Barry Manilow emerged a hazy blur from shafts of blinding backlighting Jan. 29, marched manfully to the center of the stage at the St. James and received, unconditionally and adoringly, a theatre-full of mass love for what ails him.
Manilow On Broadway began not with a bang but with a cough, which developed into bronchitis and then into That Flu that has been going around, forcing the entertainer off the stage after two previews. If it was the walking wounded that returned to that stage ten days later, his showmanship pretty much patched that up.
Of course, it helped he was playing to an audience of easy graders who greeted just about every song with thunderous applause, wildly waving their green glow-sticks that had been provided with Playbills at the door. Literally and lyrically, his fans made it through the rain, filing into the St. James a bit drenched, spirits undamped. "This flu thing really was a bear," he told the crowd at his hit-parade's first break. "But for me it wasn't just the flu part, it was the Jewish guilt part that got me."
A Brooklyn boy, he was pretty impressed with where he had landed on Broadway: "This theatre has just got such history to it. Great musicals opened here on this very stage - Hello, Dolly!, The King and I, Oklahoma!, The Producers - really, it's got such history. It is such an honor to be here, working on this stage. We haven't got a show like that. We don't have any phantoms, we don't have any lions, we don't have any spider-men. All I got is a whole bunch of hit songs." This was, to understate, enough.
He promised, a la Garland, he'd sing them all and we'd stay all night, and - on opening night, his first night back in harness - he mustered 85 minutes. With two backup singers and a big-blasting band of nine, Manilow charged lickety-split down his lane of gold records: "Could It Be Magic" (a particularly fitting opener), "It's a Miracle," "Even Now," "This One's for You," "Weekend in New England," et al.
The direction of the show - you'd hardly call it "a book" - was that of a hometown boy looking back over his 69 years, pausing for a nod to his grandfather who was the first to spot his musical talent and record it in a Times Square recording booth or revisiting his old apartment ("It's still a mess, but they're charging $3,500 a month for it now") or setting to music some lyrics that Johnny Mercer left behind.
Accompanying all of the above were some dazzling visuals - from paisley swirls to waves dashing against rocks in slo-mo. At one point, Manilow does a duet of "Mandy" with his younger self via a clip from "The Midnight Special." Record mogul Clive Davis, who introduced him in that taped segment, was an opening-night guest.
Manilow is of the old "Sing Out, Louise" school of crooning - arguably, not the best way to go for anyone recovering from the flu. If he was in a diminished state, his fans must have figured a little touch of Barry in the night was better than no Barry at all.
He played the audience like a harp and reaped so many standing ovations that some fans just decided to stand and dance in place. There was, in particular, a whole lot of side-swaying and head-bopping going on with "Can't Smile Without You."
The New York Post's Elisabeth Vincentelli, ordinarily the model of unreadable restraint at shows, exploded in her aisle seat like a fireworks display over "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." It's the most fun I've ever seen a critic have in the theatre.
The debut of a possible new club act - Carson and the Countess - debuted in the aisles during one lusty number - Carson Kressley of "Queer Eye" and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of "The Real Housewives of New York City," inspiring other couples to take to the dance-aisle. Fox 5 News' Rosanna Scotto, there with "Good Day New York" cohorts Dave Price and Greg Kelly, got a conga line going for "Copacabana," clogging the aisle for fotogs trying to shoot the curtain call.
Manilow signed off with "I Write the Songs," which he didn't write but which he did make supremely famous. It still seemed apt in light of the golden-oldies he did write.
The show's after-party was held - where else? - at Copacabana three blocks away, only not in those second- and third-floor rooms so often favored by the non-profit theatre groups. This was Barry Manilow, and only the Rooftop was good enough. The bad news was that the elevator wasn't working until Manilow had come and gone, necessitating an enormous amount of staircase-climbing for one and all.
When he did arrive, Manilow was conspicuously more subdued and just as quickly mobbed by friends as he had been by fans. He was genial and gracious to all who crossed his path, but his eyes were constantly darting about, saying "Where did I put that exit?" But he took his own sweet time about exercising the exit. And he wasn't a stickler for vocal rest, although my exclusive quote consisted of "Hangin' in there."
Among the Fanilows we spotted: NY1's Patrick Pacheco, Tony-winning lyricist David Zippel and director-choreographer Warren Carlyle. The latter really goes back with Manilow. "We did Copacabana together in the West End in the early 1990s. I was a chorus boy in those days."
"I thought he sounded fantastic," opined Jim Caruso, who hosts Birdland's Cast Party every Monday. "When he sings with the video of himself, he's still singing in the same keys 30 years later! That's rather unusual, I think. He and his songwriters were the Gershwins of their day because these songs are really going to live."
Kirsten Holly Smith (a.k.a. Dusty Springfield in Forever Dusty) and Commissioner Katherine Oliver from the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment were the evening's "star power." The original opening last week had a glittery list of celebs.
Liza Minnelli was one of those who couldn't reschedule. She had an early a.m. call - to do a "Today" show interview with Joel Grey, Michael York and Marisa Berenson on the 40th anniversary of their "Cabaret" flick. All four will be turning out Jan. 31 for its gala "re-opening" at the Ziegfeld arranged by Turner Classic Movies.
There was plenty of drama onstage at the St. James Theatre during the opening night of Manilow on Broadway, but it didn’t emanate from such songs as "Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again" or "This One’s for You." Rather, it was from watching the 69-year-old singer struggle valiantly to get through the show, despite still obviously battling the bronchitis that caused him to cancel several previews. It was a lesson in showbiz grit and dedication that younger performers would do well to emulate.
It also was a good example of why Barry Manilow still enjoys a dedicated following [in] a recording career spanning four decades. The numbers speak for themselves: 25 Top 40 hits between 1975 and 1983 alone and sales of more than 80 million records worldwide. This limited Broadway run marks his first appearance on the Great White Way in nearly a quarter-century.
With the stage dotted with boxes of tissues in a comic nod to his recent health travails, Manilow clearly was jazzed to finally be onstage again. "Well, looks like we made it," he said, referencing one of his best-known songs. "What a week! I have hacked enough phlegm to float Fire Island! ... I don’t know what’s going to come out of my mouth, but so far, so good," he said after one number.
Manilow is savvy enough to know what his audience wants to hear, and he gave it to them. His 100-minute set featured a multitude of hits, inspiring sing-alongs by an audience clearly familiar with every word. Such songs as "It’s a Miracle," "Somewhere in the Night," "Can’t Smile Without You," "Even Now," "I Made It Through the Rain," "[Weekend In New England]" and many others provided ample evidence of his amazing success on the pop charts.
Occasionally, he ventured into more diverse territory. He dutifully sang "Give My Regards to Broadway" in acknowledgment of the venue, a theater that has housed such hits as The King and I, Oklahoma! and The Producers. The jazzy "Brooklyn Blues" paid tribute to his roots in the borough, while "When October Goes" represented one of his posthumous collaborations with lyricist Johnny Mercer. And he proudly sang "Every Single Day," a song from his long-gestating musical Harmony that has yet to make it to Broadway.
One of the show’s most touching segments came with his rendition of "This One’s for You," which was dedicated to his grandfather. The number was amusingly prefaced by a vintage recording of Manilow as a tyke, being coaxed to sing "Happy Birthday."
The show, in which Manilow was accompanied by a seven-piece band and two backup singers, was a largely no-frills affair, with the only theatrical touches being projected videos and a wan burst of confetti at the end. But the audience made their own fun, happily waving the glow sticks that had been provided by the ushers and frequently leaping to their feet for standing ovations.
Like every great showman, he saved his biggest crowd pleasers for the end of the evening, including "Mandy," the rousing "Copacabana," "I Write the Songs" (written, ironically, by The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston) and "It’s a Miracle." They sent the audience out on a high, hoping it won’t take a miracle for Manilow to return to classic form.
"I was the Justin Bieber of the ’70s. Really. Just ask your mother," Barry Manilow boasted from the stage of the St. James Theater early in Tuesday’s opening-night show of his return to Broadway for the first time in decades.
It is worth noting that unlike Mr. Bieber, Mr. Manilow was no teenager when he hit it big. Puppylike he may have seemed, but he was already in his 30s. And whether Mr. Bieber can sustain the kind of stardom Mr. Manilow still enjoys remains to be seen. Like him or not, after nearly four decades in the limelight, Mr. Manilow, now 69, has crossed the invisible line from durable pop entertainer to pop institution occupying a platinum pantheon alongside the likes of Rod Stewart, Elton John and Neil Diamond.
Mr. Manilow was still recovering from the flu, which had caused him to cancel several preview performances, and the front of the stage was lined with boxes of tissue in case he needed them. (He didn’t.) In the past few days, he said, he had coughed up enough phlegm "to float Fire Island."
While singing "Weekend in New England," one of the most vocally challenging of his biggest hits, Mr. Manilow congratulated himself on landing safely after negotiating a wide interval. The fans who sang along with his hits didn’t seem to notice. What mattered was that he was present and doing what he has always done and simply being himself.
Ultimately the 1-hour-50-minute concert, performed without an intermission, revealed Mr. Manilow’s brand to be intact. That brand might be described as musical chicken soup for the soul. One crucial ingredient, of course, is the voice, a medium-light baritone that conveys an innate homeyness, familiarity and a likable mixture of pride and self-deprecation. To his fans he is someone as vulnerable as they are: a spiritual BFF.
The typical emotional life cycle of a Manilow hit is a journey from yearning to fulfillment followed by heartbreak, recovery and finally regret, all expressed with greeting-card directness. Unlike the songs of his rock contemporaries Mr. Manilow’s never expresses even a hint of violence or revenge. Playfulness? Yes: in songs like "New York City Rhythm" and "Copacabana." Back in the day his refusal or inability to express rage or raw aggression elicited savage bullying from the critical wolf pack resentful of the female adoration he commanded.
For the essential Manilow persona is a lonely dreamer who only wants to be loved. "Mandy," his first hit, established his emotional priorities, of which safety was at top of the list: "Oh Mandy, / Well, you kissed me and stopped me from shaking, / And I need you today."
Another later hit that received one of the biggest responses, "I Made It Through the Rain," expresses the same longing for a safe harbor: "I made it through the rain / I kept my world protected."
The brand’s final major ingredient is Mr. Manilow’s musical song sense. Most of his biggest hits have the sound and structure of elongated jingles that modulate up the scale as the lyrics aspire to a higher, more ineffable realm of feeling.
The show was structured as a personal musical biography in which Mr. Manilow’s grandfather loomed large, as did the importance of his high school orchestra. He recalled that in his first Manhattan apartment, a studio, he slept for years in a pullout bed under the grand piano that took up most of the space.
Near the end of the concert the excitement built as Mr. Manilow played and sang duets with his younger self on television. At last came the triumphal "I Write the Songs," with which the audience sang along waving green light sticks. [The] theater erupted with joy.
Barry Manilow performs through March 2 at the St. James Theater, 246 West 44th Street, Manhattan; (212) 239-6200, manilowonbroadway.com.
It's a miracle. But it looks like he made it -- back to health.
On Tuesday, Barry Manilow officially opened his greatest-hits concert with hardly a cough or sniffle or any sign of the flu that forced him to cancel five performances. The Brooklyn-raised Grammy winner was ready with eight boxes of tissues around the stage of the St. James Theatre. It’s home to the warm and winning "Manilow On Broadway" through March 2.
The Kleenex makes me laugh, but handy "just in case," Manilow said, adding that "Jewish guilt" over missing shows was worse than the fever. Well-wishers, he said, got him "through a terrible week."
It’s been nearly 25 years since his last Broadway show.
A Manilow concert is like dining at Medieval Times: You know you’re going to wind up with a greasy face. Yes, there will be cheese. Case in point: The sing-along version of "Can’t Smile Without You," which came with a projection of a sunny, yellow ’70s-style smiley face. But there was also lots of heart, hit songs and a heady blast of nostalgia that was surprisingly moving.
If you lived through the ’70s and ’80s, you lived the Barry Manilow catalogue. The show began with "Could It Be Magic," then moved in rapid succession across familiar tunes — from "Looks Like We Made It" to "Weekend in New England" to "Even Now."
At 69, Manilow still gives it his all, shaking and baking as much as he could muster. Yes, his moves and his patter are a little canned. But despite being sick for a week, he was in good voice. Recollections of his Williamsburg childhood and of his grandfather, who recognized his musical gift at an early age, were funny and sweet.
Fanilows, out in force and carrying signs declaring "We love you Barry" ate it up with a spoon. They cheered each number and waved gleaming green glow sticks handed out with Playbills. And some danced, including "Real Housewife" LuAnn de Lesseps and anchorwoman Rosanna Scotto, who rocked her disco moves in the aisle during "Copacabana (At the Copa)."
The show, which included nine musicians and two vocalists, ran a little shy of two hours. After a few costume changes -- from black to pink to white jacket -- and a couple dozen tunes ended, aptly, with "I Write the Songs.
The professional photographer shooting the curtain call next to me had tears in his eyes. He couldn’t help it. He wasn’t alone.
Title: Manilow on Broadway. Venue: St. James Theater, through March 2. Location: 246 W. 44th St. Price: Tix $50-350.
Last night was opening night of "Manilow on Broadway," at the St. James Theatre. Hundreds of Barry Manilow fans, some ornery in fake-fur coats, many short and white-haired, some young and sleek, lined up outside. In the lobby, a woman showed a film crew the yearbook she’d brought, presumably from Manilow’s Brooklyn high school: rows of black-and-white pictures, one page signed in a lavish script. Inside the theatre, a friendly usher handed out a green glow stick with each program. A bit of theatrical fog floated in the air. The front of the stage was dotted with Kleenex boxes - a wry gesture acknowledging that opening night was a week late. Manilow was sick last week and all shows were cancelled, which had Manilow talking about jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge and having Jewish guilt and being so overcome with love from fans that he wanted to buy everybody a Buick. Now he is better.
Was that man in the center front Clive Davis, the record executive who made Manilow’s career? Yes, it was. And there was Carson Kressley, the former "Queer Eye" guy, and there was Rosanna Scotto, from Channel 5. Crisply dressed men greeted one another. One of them explained to his neighbors that he was a friend of Barry’s. "Very nice guy," he said, shaking his head as if the niceness were not to be believed or outdone.
The house lights went down, then red lights swirled around. It was not a surprise that this was happening, or that the spotlight was shaped something like a heart, or that the background music before showtime had been early Beatles and late Sting, a mélange that one theatregoer described as "Sirius Café." It was a surprise, as the lights flashed onto the audience, to hear the opening notes of Underworld’s "Born Slippy (Nuxx)," the 1996 U.K. trance song made famous by the movie "Trainspotting." Yet, like Barry Manilow, the beginning of "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" is undeniably exciting. Into the song’s electronic beats floated snippets of Manilow songs, like twists in a drink. The curtain rose. The crowd was on its feet, cheering and waving their glow sticks. For a second, "Manilow on Broadway" was more like a rave than you might have expected.
There he was: Barry Manilow, sixty-nine years old, spiffy in a black dinner jacket, black pants, and white shirt; hair moussed and mussed; face lifted. His expression was one of joy. He waved his arms, bowed, laughed, rolled his eyes. Aww, shucks. He loves his people and his people love him. He looks, as Dick Clark once did, or as Joan Rivers and Liza Minnelli do now, like an entertainment survivor, a person in whom youth and age are in a playful and public war. He is no less lovable - he is, maybe, even more lovable - for the fact that he appears to be animatronic.
He sang "It’s a Miracle," and the crowd understood why. His voice sounded good, but he hadn’t been faking the cold. He hit his marks, there and in the songs that followed, but he didn’t try for every huge swell, every full-throated blast. He knew exactly what he could do that night, at his age and after this cold, and he did it. He turned the wrenching "Could It Be Magic" into a disco number, to the secret disappointment of a few, but it was too much fun to dampen the mood. "Hello, New York!" he said. "We made it to Broadway!" Then he sang "Give My Regards to Broadway." Every song felt like a big finish; every song had a big finish, and he grabbed it with his hand and pumped his fist. He mentioned some of the big shows that have played at the St. James—"Hello Dolly," "Oklahoma!," "The Producers"—and said that he was proud to be in their company but that his show was something different. "All I got is a whole bunch of hit songs, and I’m going to do them all," he said.
"He’s very self-congratulatory," an observer whispered. He is, for sure. The fans love Manilow, and he loves himself, too. He has nothing to prove, and it’s very relaxing. He’s not a prickly diva who only wants to play his new stuff. He’s had enough success—in the seventies and eighties, but also with recent chart-topping albums of covers of hits from various decades—to reward the people with what they want. It’s the same sort of pleasurable effect as when Stephen Colbert introduces each guest with a victory lap for himself.
He did play the hits - "The Old Songs," "Weekend in New England," "I Made It Through the Rain." He had a few costume changes—a magenta jacket, a black shirt, a white jacket. For "Bandstand Boogie," he showed black-and-white film of himself on "American Bandstand," with Dick Clark. He encouraged a sing-along to "Can’t Smile Without You," and the whole crowd, on its feet, sang its heart out.
He performed "Brooklyn Blues" against a backdrop of slides of Brooklyn, talked about his tough high school ("Can you imagine me in a gang?"; another eye roll) and the orchestra he joined there, the musical education that was his ticket out. He talked about his grandfather and played a recording of the two of them, old man and little boy, in a booth in Times Square. We were continually reminded that he is a Brooklyn kid. He grew up in a "dump" of an apartment there. He told us that in Manhattan, in his first studio apartment, he slept under a grand piano. He has a slight accent, too, and says things like "Last week I had enough phlegm to float Fire Island." This all encourages the idea that Manilow’s style, the showmanship that veers into schlock - "Copacabana," for example, sung in front of a cartoon of tropical fruit, bananas and pomegranates flying around, dizzying and kaleidoscopic - isn’t such a crime against art. It’s an old Brooklyn version of what Dolly Parton, describing her own style, has cheerfully called "a country girl’s idea of glamour."
Toward the end of the show, Manilow disappeared, and a color TV clip played: young Barry, in a sequinned blue shirt and white pants, and sporting a longish mop of hair, talking with young Clive Davis, and then sitting at a white piano and playing "Mandy." Midway through, the Barry of today reappeared, sat at a black piano, and joined him. This Barry couldn’t hit young Barry’s notes quite the same way, but was perhaps twice as beloved - the two of them created another infinite loop of crowd joy.
Everybody knew the words to the finale, the big finish of big finishes: Manilow is music, of course, and he writes the songs. Another sing-along, an explosion of confetti over our heads, and then home, in white limousines, black limousines, and subways.
NEW YORK — It has never been hard to make fun of Barry Manilow. Certainly, it wasn't last week, when the veteran singer/songwriter issued a miniseries of cheeky but vaguely whiny press releases canceling two previews and then postponing the opening of his new concert event, Manilow on Broadway, citing doctor's orders. One had the Brooklyn native perched on the bridge connecting that bureau to Manhattan, "getting ready to jump," while another declared, "It turns out the only thing worse than hell or high water is bronchitis."
Manilow actually blamed the flu when he finally made it to the stage of the St. James Theatre on Tuesday night. It hadn't been easy, he assured the crowd: "I've hacked up enough phlegm to float Long Island." Ba-dum-bump.
His 69-year-old voice was clearly still recovering [but] vocal prowess was never Manilow's selling point anyway. His chief asset as a performer has always been a certain endearing neediness - not the smarmy solicitation of a lounge lizard, but a sense that he genuinely feeds off his fans' affection and feels compelled to return it.
"We've been friends for a long time, haven't we?" he rhetorically asked Tuesday's crowd, whom ushers had supplied with green glow sticks to shake like maracas during the upbeat numbers and wave theatrically through the ballads. He promised to play all the hits, noting, "I'll bet you're going to know every song," and asking - with more wonder than arrogance — how many other artists could make such a claim.
Indeed, Manilow's string of smash singles from the '70s were as seared into our collective consciousness as the jingles he penned or sang earlier, for brands from Band-Aid to McDonald's. At their best - the plaintive "Weekend in New England," the pining "Could It Be Magic" - his tunes relay an almost childlike wonder and longing that mitigate their sentimentality.
The high points of Manilow on Broadway generally found him seated at the piano or a smaller keyboard across the stage. "I Made It Through the Rain" was dedicated to survivors of Hurricane Sandy, building from an a cappella intro to a sweeping finish that brought audience members to their feet...
If other attendees were more interested in the kitsch value of the proceedings, their host surely didn't mind. While irony is one of the last qualities you'd associate with Manilow, he's clearly more comfortable with self-deprecating humor than many more venerated troubadours. His stiff dance moves were tossed off with the same good-natured enthusiasm as his jokes, which ranged from Borscht Belt-zippy to just silly, as when he called himself the Justin Bieber of the '70s...
Turns out, Barry Manilow does write the songs that make the whole world sing. Or at least the whole audience at the St. James Theatre, where his joyous if a bit predictable Manilow on Broadway opened last night. "Well, looks like we made it," a still sniffly Manilow told the sold-out crowd of Fanilows, referencing the show's delayed opening after his bout with bronchitis. "What a week. I have hacked up enough phlegm to float Fire Island," he said. "It wasn't just the flu part. It was the Jewish guilt part."
Clearly, Manilow was determined to make up for the week of cancellations. He thrust his hips with awkward gusto, peppered song endings with hand gestures teetering dangerously close to jazz hands, and even led an unfortunate conga line. And if that was all he did, you could dismiss the production as an East Coast version of Vegas cheese. But Manilow, now 69, brought such a combination of tender personal moments, an easy connection to the audience, and a geniune elation to performing that you couldn't help but dance in the aisles or swing the glow-sticks handed out by ushers. (Well, at least Bravo-lebrities past and present Countess LuAnn, Carson Kressley, and Kelly Cutrone couldn't help themselves.)
"We've been friends for a long time, haven't we?" he told the crowd at one point in his hour-and-a-half long performance. Indeed, at times it felt like he had invited you over to sing along with his classics. Without a TelePrompter and with some hilariously low-rent moments (as when he noticed an unadorned box of Kleenex perched on his keyboard), Manilow threw himself into familiar hits such as "Looks Like We Made It," "Copacabana," and "Can't Smile Without You." "I love singing these songs!" he exclaimed without a droplet of irony.
The shining moments all occured when Manilow abandoned his Vegas showman persona and sat down at the piano. His renditions of "Even Now" and "I Am Your Child" were beautifully tender. "This One's For You" followed a lovely story about Manilow's grandfather, Grandpa Joe, who used to take him into Manhattan to record him singing. And he was downright innovative singing backup for himself, as footage of him singing "Mandy" on a mid-'70s episode of Midnight Special played on the screen behind him. (Clive Davis, who introduced Manilow to the audience in that episode, was sitting front and center last night.) But the evening's highlight came when he belted out "Weekend in New England." He had a hard time hitting some early notes between occasional coughs, but the audience started cheering for him. "Still?" he asked, clearly relieved that his fans love his song catalog as much as he does. "I still got it!" It may come as a shock to some, but yes, he's still got it. After all, he is music. (Tickets: Telecharge.com or 800-432-7250)
Was there a rave at the St. James Theatre? Between the loud, thumping opening and the revved-up audience shaking glow sticks, you’d think the venue had booked a Swedish House Mafia gig by mistake. But no, this was opening night of "Manilow on Broadway," and the joint was jumping last night. At least for the first five minutes. Then everybody settled into a mellow groove and recuperated for 85 minutes, before going wild again during "Copacabana."
You’ve got to hand it to Barry Manilow: The man’s 69 and unlike the vast majority of his peers, he still sells lots of records and can fall back on Vegas residencies - he really doesn’t have to be out peddling his wares on a cold winter evening. Yet there he was, in his first Broadway run in 24 years.
Barry Manilow croons his classics last night as he opens a monthlong run. And if there were any doubts left about Manilow being a pro, let’s just say that he sounded good enough on opening night, after a bout of bronchitis forced him to cancel several shows last week ... "All I got is a whole bunch of hit songs," the star announced genially, "and I’m going to do them."
"It’s a Miracle": check. "Could It Be Magic": check. "Mandy": check. And so on up to Lola, who "was a showgirl with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there." Unlike many similar vintage acts, Manilow went easy on the multimedia thingamajigs, with mostly basic projections like a smiley face during "Can’t Smile Without You." We did get the mandatory stroll down memory lane - he grew up in Williamsburg - but it didn’t overstay its welcome. That bit also provided the setting for one of the evening’s highlights: a driving version of 1987’s "Brooklyn Blues," a fascinating hybrid of Billy Joel and Steely Dan.
A couple of other numbers were winning in different ways, making you wish Manilow threw more back catalogue nuggets our way, and less of the schmaltzy stuff. One highlight was 1984’s "When October Comes," in which Manilow set words by Johnny Mercer ("Moon River") to a lovely melody reminiscent of Michel Legrand at his swooniest. Another was "Every Single Day," a stirring ballad from "Harmony," a musical Manilow co-wrote with lyricist Bruce Sussman in ’97. Ironically, the song made its Broadway debut before the rest of the show, which has only been done out of town. Dare we ask for more?
What drama! Laid low by the flu, old schooler trouper Barry Manilow had to cancel shows and delay his Broadway opening night. But with the legendary Clive Davis and legions of devoted fans in place, he finally hit the stage on Tuesday night and belted it out as best he could.
Not since Hugh Jackman has there been a show on the Great White Way as critic proof as this one. Before his illness, Manilow was packing them in and hitting grosses that ranked alongside mega-hits like Wicked and The Book Of Mormon. Obviously, the chance for fanilows to see him in the relatively intimate setting of the St. James Theatre is a powerful lure and whatever critics say, they'll keep coming as long as the show keeps extending.
It's a tricky night to review since Manilow was clearly not at full steam or at times even half steam. His voice was sketchy and intentionally mixed low into the sound system so that the music and the backup singers could carry him as much as possible. He's a real pro, though and always engagingly modest. If he pulled off a big note, Manilow would amusingly make a face of self-deprecating surprise. He apologized repeatedly, urged people to come back again soon (when his voice would fully recover) and worked his voice with skill, making the most of what he had. (And dashing off stage for a second towards the end of the evening, only to come out sounding -- briefly -- stronger than he had the entire night.)
Did it matter to the fans? It did not. They yelled and screamed and sang along and listened to the old stories and old jokes with delight. Manilow said at the start he was so sick, "I coughed up enough phlegm to float Fire Island. " Later he joked (sort of) that he was the Justin Bieber of his era. "No seriously," he said. "Ask your mother." To which the woman sitting behind me responded to her seatmate, "Don't worry. She's here!"
At 69 years old, Manilow wouldn't have the voice he had in the 1970s even at the best of times, of course. But he's a showman. Even when he's done singing or runs out of breath on a song, the arrangement builds to a crescendo and Manilow flings his arms out wide at the musical finale as if he's just hit a high C and the audience loves it.
Without irony, Manilow says the audience will probably know every single song he's going to sing that night and isn't that amazing? "Not many people could say that," he notes. This is schmaltz of the sort Hugh Jackman might winkingly refer to or Martin Short out and out satirize but it comes across somehow sweetly or perhaps endearingly boastful from Manilow, who's been a pop music fixture for 40 years. He's got 25 Top 40 hits and almost twice as many on the Adult Contemporary charts, a radio format where Manilow is considered the most popular artist of all time.
And he promised to play them all (in a knowing nod to Judy Garland), from "Looks Like We Made It" to "Copacabana (At The Copa)" to "I Write The Songs" to "Can't Smile Without You." (Actually, we sang that last one for him.) While most of them are not standards as such (that is, songs that are covered regularly by other artists), they are very durable pop songs indeed. Given Manilow's strong album sales in the last few years with his tributes to the 1950s and so on, this was not a nostalgia fest as such but a victory lap ... His strongest moments [included] a video duet with himself, a very sweet "I Am Your Child" from his debut and a key song from his musical Harmony.
After resting from a bout with bronchitis Jan. 22-28, singer-songwriter Barry Manilow is expected to again take the stage of the St. James Theatre Jan. 29, resuming his engagement of Manilow On Broadway. His illness prompted five performances - including the Jan. 24 official opening - to be rescheduled.
There was some hope among his team that the Thursday, Jan. 24 official opening night might happen following the cancellation of Tuesday and Wednesday performances last week, but, "on doctors' orders," he sat out the entire week. "Barry is deeply sorry to disappoint his fans and is doing everything he can to ensure a speedy recovery," was the previous statement.
The 7 PM Jan. 29 performance is now considered opening night; a party will follow at - where else? - Copacabana on West 47th Street. Critics invitations were readjusted following last week's scotched performances.
The Thursday, Jan. 24 show has been rescheduled to Thursday, Feb. 28 at 8 PM. The Friday, Jan. 25 show has been rescheduled to Friday, March 1 at 8 PM. The Saturday, Jan. 26 show has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 2 at 8 PM. As previously reported, a makeup performance has been added on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 PM to accommodate Jan. 23 ticketholders. A makeup performance for the Jan. 22 show was announced to play Feb. 26, three days after the announced original closing date of the limited engagement.
The taping of Barry Manilow at the ShoWare Center in Kent will be televised from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, Jan. 27 on NBC as part of the Pandora Unforgettable Moments of Love on Ice series.
The Jan. 11 event at the ShoWare brought romance to the ice rink with Olympic, world and national medalists who skated to hits performed live by Manilow.
The list of skaters included Nancy Kerrigan, Elvis Stojko, Sasha Cohen, Liz Manley, Ben Agosto, Kimmie Meissner, Michael Weiss, Nicole Bobek, Steven Cousins, Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko.
The first inkling of trouble came Tuesday night, right after Barry Manilow finished the first performance of his Broadway concert at the St. James. The curtain came down, the house lights went up. But Manilow’s fans wouldn’t leave. They screamed and stomped their feet for more. "My voice was gone, but if I didn’t go back out there, they were going to riot," Manilow says. And so, despite a nagging sense that something wasn’t quite right with his voice, he returned to the stage and sang "One Voice." The audience sang along.
Two days later, after chatting with me for an hour, Manilow went backstage for a sound check before the show. He opened his mouth, and nothing came out. Manilow’s been laid low with the vicious flu that’s ricocheting ’round New York, and has been forced to cancel last night’s opening and this weekend’s performances.
His fans were crushed. But no one’s as devastated as Manilow himself. "I’ve never felt this bad in my career," he says. "Even when I had hip surgery and was in agony, I performed. I really want to throw myself off the bridge."
Manilow, 69, plans to be back Tuesday night, and he’s adding make-up shows in February. These concerts mean a lot to him. Raised in Williamsburg "before it was hip," he’s been a Broadway baby since he was 13 and his stepfather brought home a bunch of albums that changed his life. "That stack of records was a stack of gold," he says. "There was classical, jazz, Sinatra, Judy, Bobby Darin, and mixed in were Broadway original cast albums - ‘The Most Happy Fella,’ ‘The King and I,’ ‘Oklahoma!,’ ‘Candide.’ I memorized every one. My musical motor was turned on."
When he was 15 he saved up enough money to sit in the back row of the Broadway Theater for Ethel Merman’s final performance in "Gypsy." But as good as she and the show were, what transfixed Manilow was the orchestra pit. "That’s where I wanted to be, playing in the orchestra pit of a Broadway show," he says. "I would have been very happy being a member of Local 802 [the musicians’ union]."
In the early ’70s, Manilow started making the rounds of the New York music scene. He was a gifted piano player. "I can make a piano sound like the band behind the singer," he says. He accompanied Donna McKechnie at her final audition for "A Chorus Line." He played for Bernadette Peters and Margaret Whiting and, famously, for Bette Midler at the Continental Baths in the Ansonia.
He also wrote and arranged jingles - "I’m Stuck on Band-Aids," "State Farm Is There," "Kentucky Fried Chicken." "Standards, Michael, standards!" he says. Jingles taught him an important lesson about songwriting: "You had to have a hook. You had to write the catchiest melody in a very short space." But not once did Manilow think he’d become a singer himself. What he wanted to do was write a Broadway musical.
All that changed when a demo album he made of some songs he’d written came to the attention of Bell Records. Bell hired him to make a record. Midler was incredulous. "But you don’t sing!" she said.
Manilow had to tour to promote the record. "It was a terrible experience," he says. "I was awkward. I just wanted to get out of the way. But the audiences didn’t seem to mind." When did he finally get comfortable singing onstage? "Last week," he says, laughing. "I’m happiest when I’m writing songs."
In 1974, legendary music producer Clive Davis took over Bell Records and folded it into Arista. Of Bell’s long list of artists, Davis kept just three - Melissa Manchester, the Bay City Rollers and Manilow. "You need a hit single," Davis told Manilow, and handed him an up-tempo rock song called "Brandy." "If you do it right, it’s a hit single," Davis said.
Manilow tried it as a rock song, but it didn’t work. So he re-arranged it as a ballad, changed the title to "Mandy" and sang it for Davis. "That’s it! That’s it!" said the Man with the Golden Ears. "Mandy" rocketed to the top of the charts, and a kid who dreamed of playing in the pit of a Broadway musical became a pop icon.
With the money from "Mandy," Manilow moved into the San Remo. His next-door neighbor was the Broadway lyricist Fred Ebb. "The day I moved in, he saw me struggling with the door, so he gave me his Emmy to use as a doorstop. So now I use my Emmy as a doorstop, too." Manilow was shaving one morning when he heard through the wall John Kander at Ebb’s piano, pounding out the notes to what would become "New York, New York."
Though he's on Broadway, there are no show tunes in his act. "Barry Manilow on Broadway" is 90 minutes of Barry Manilow hits - "I Write the Songs," "Can’t Smile Without You," "Ready To Take a Chance Again," "Could It Be Magic" and - how could he not do it? - "Copacabana."
"I rehearsed a bunch of standards," he says. "I’d love to do 'Dancing in the Dark.' I had a great arrangement of 'Give My Regards to Broadway.' But they all hit the floor. After all these years, I know what my audience wants, and it’s my job to give it to them. This is not an artistic Broadway show. But I know I’m right."
Singer Barry Manilow has been forced to call off the opening three nights of his Broadway comeback show after coming down with bronchitis. The 69-year-old had been due to play the first of 25 concerts at New York's St James Theatre on Thursday. A statement on his website read: "Barry is deeply sorry to disappoint his fans and is doing everything he can to ensure a speedy recovery."
The concerts will be rescheduled for February and March. The tour - Manilow's first on Broadway for more than two decades - will now have its the first night on Tuesday.
After two preview shows were cancelled earlier this week, Manilow's website posted a statement saying the Grammy-winning performer would be ready for opening night "come hell or high water". But after the cancellation of this week's concerts were confirmed, it was replaced by the line: "It turns out the only thing worse than hell and high water is bronchitis."
Barry Manilow's worldwide record sales exceed 75 million, thanks in part to such hit records as Copacabana, Mandy and I Write the Songs.
Barry Manilow has postponed the grand opening of his new Broadway residency after failing to recover in time from a serious bout of bronchitis. The Mandy hitmaker fell ill earlier this week and had to cancel two preview performances of Manilow on Broadway on Tuesday and Wednesday, but he was determined to overcome the illness and return to the stage to launch the show on Thursday. However, the singer's condition has worsened and he has been forced to pull out of plans for the big opening - although he is hoping to be well enough to pick up the performances next week.
A statement released by show producers on Thursday morning reads "On doctors' orders, Manilow On Broadway has been forced to reschedule tonight's opening night along with the remainder of this weekend's performances. Manilow On Broadway will resume performances on Tuesday, January 29... Barry is deeply sorry to disappoint his fans and is doing everything he can to ensure a speedy recovery."
The 69 year old has vowed to make it up to fans by extending his run on the New York stage so he can accommodate the affected dates in late February and March. Manilow had been hoping to kick off his Broadway residency in style after being honoured with his own Manhattan street corner on Tuesday.
Illness has forced Barry Manilow to postpone the opening night of his latest concert show on Broadway. Thursday's performance of "Manilow on Broadway" -- as well as ones scheduled for Friday and Saturday -- have been rescheduled for late February and early March, producers said. Wednesday's show was also canceled. Producers said in a statement, "It turns out the only thing worse than hell and high water is bronchitis."
Manilow, the 69-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer of such songs as "Mandy," "I Write the Songs" and "Looks Like We Made It," will now hold his opening night on Tuesday at the St. James Theatre. Producers said: "Barry is deeply sorry to disappoint his fans and is doing everything he can to ensure a speedy recovery."
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow says he has canceled performances of his Broadway show through the weekend as he recovers from bronchitis.
The music icon began performances of "Manilow on Broadway" last week and the show was set to open Thursday. However, he fell ill Tuesday and canceled Tuesday and Wednesday nights' performances. On Thursday, he announced he is canceling shows for the rest of the week but would be back on stage Tuesday, Jan. 29.
"On doctors' orders, 'Manilow on Broadway,' has been forced to reschedule tonight's opening night along with the remainder of this weekend's performances," a statement from the show's representatives said Thursday. "'Manilow on Broadway' will resume performances on Tuesday, Jan. 29. It turns out the only thing worse than hell and high water is bronchitis. Barry is deeply sorry to disappoint his fans and is doing everything he can to ensure a speedy recovery."
On Tuesday night, the publicity team representing Barry Manilow's new concert event, Manilow on Broadway, issued the following statement: "With deep apologies, and due to a sudden case of bronchitis, tonight's show will be postponed until February 26. Mr. Manilow can be found on the Brooklyn Bridge, getting ready to jump."
Manilow's fans will be happy to know that he didn't make the leap - and that he'll likely be back on stage in time for opening night on Thursday. Show spokesman Rick Miramontez said early on Wednesday that Manilow would try to be back that night, "pending doctor's approval"; but a release later that afternoon indicated that doctors ordered another night off, adding that another makeup performance would be added, on Feb. 27, to accommodate ticketholders. The release continued: "Barry thanks everyone for their understanding and is looking forward to returning to the stage of the St. James for tomorrow's opening night performance... Come hell or high water!"
Manilow on Broadway has generated obvious excitement among his fans; in early January, before previews had begun, it was announced that the run would be extended two weeks, through Feb. 23, by popular demand. Critics were originally invited to attend Tuesday and Wednesday, but have been asked to wait till after the still-recovering star takes his official bow.
Not even icon Barry Manilow is safe from the plague of wintertime illnesses sweeping through New York. Following doctors' orders, the crooner rescheduled his January 23 performance of Manilow on Broadway due to bronchitis. It's the second show he's missed (January 22's performance was cancelled as well) to save up energy for the concert's official opening tomorrow night, January 24. Manilow assured fans in a press release that his opening night show will go on. A makeup performance has been added on February 27 to accommodate ticket-holding Fanilows.
Manilow on Broadway marks the Grammy Award-winning musician's return to the Great White Way. He will play a limited engagement at the St. James Theatre, opening on January 24. Manilow's previous Broadway credits include his Tony Award-winning Barry Manilow on Broadway and Barry Manilow at the Gershwin. He also contributed songs to Bette Midler's Clams on the Half Shell Revue and The Madwoman of Central Park West. In the West End, his music was featured in Barry Manilow's Copacabana - The Musical, which went on to tour the U.S., Australia and Asia.
Among his numerous hit songs are "Mandy," "I Write the Songs," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," and "Can't Smile Without You." The Fanilows can't smile without you, Barry. Get well soon.
As Broadway World reported yesterday, Barry Manilow postponed last night's performance of Manilow on Broadway, playing at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) due to illness. Now tonight's performance has also been cancelled. A just-issued statement reads: "On doctors' orders, tonight's performance of MANILOW ON BROADWAY has been rescheduled. A makeup performance has been added on Wednesday, February 27 at 7:00 pm to accommodate ticketholders. Barry thanks everyone for their understanding and is looking forward to returning to the stage of the St. James for tomorrow's opening night performance....Come hell or high water!" Last night's cancelled show was postponed until February 26th...
Unfortunately, Barry Manilow can't sing the songs that make the whole world sing at the moment. The legendary crooner, fighting a bout of bronchitis, was forced to cancel Tuesday and Wednesday preview performances of his Broadway concert show at the St. James Theatre, Manilow on Broadway, just before its scheduled opening night this Thursday. "Barry thanks everyone for their understanding and is looking forward to returning to the stage of the St. James for tomorrow’s opening night performance... Come hell or high water!" his reps said in a statement.
Makeup performances for the two postponed shows have been rescheduled for Feb. 26 (for Tues.) and Feb. 27 (for Wed.). Given that critics had been invited to the canceled performances, the hitch will force reviewers to attend on opening night or later, likely delaying coverage.
After the postponement of Tuesday's show was announced, a post on Manilow's official website humorously stated, "With deep apologies, and due to a sudden case of bronchitis, tonight's show will be postponed until February 26th. Mr. Manilow can be found on the Brooklyn Bridge, getting ready to jump."
Manilow did make a public appearance on Tuesday in frigid New York City temperatures to witness the unveiling of the ceremonial street sign for Barry Manilow Way on W. 44th St. and 7th Ave., where the St. James Theatre is located.
Manilow on Broadway is scheduled to open on Thursday and will officially end its limited run on Feb. 23, with the two rescheduled shows tacked on a few days after.
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, struggling with bronchitis, cancelled the Jan. 23 performance of Manilow On Broadway, the concert event boasting "the songs that make the whole world sing," as his lyric goes. He also sat out on Jan. 22, owing to illness. Fans can expect him back on Thursday.
"On doctors' orders, tonight's performance has been rescheduled," according to a statement released at 4:30 PM Jan. 23. "A makeup performance has been added on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7 PM to accommodate ticketholders. Barry thanks everyone for their understanding and is looking forward to returning to the stage of the St. James for tomorrow's opening night performance...Come hell or high water!"
Previews began Jan. 18 at Broadway's St. James Theatre toward an official opening night of Jan. 24. Critics invitations are being adjusted this week, but the Jan. 24 opening party and celebration of the run is going on as planned at the Copacabana.
New Yorkers in recent weeks have been struggling with cold and flu viruses, to say nothing of bitter cold temperatures. At noon Jan. 23, it was 16 degrees in New York City...
The City of New York has honored Grammy Award-winning superstar (and Brooklyn native) Barry Manilow with his very own street. In a ceremony performed earlier today, Todd Asher, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (and self-professed "Fanilow"), unveiled a new street sign dubbing the West 44th Street at 7th Avenue "MANILOW WAY." The corner is mere steps from the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street) where Manilow began a special Broadway concert series, Manilow on Broadway, last Friday, January 18. The limited Broadway engagement was recently extended and will now play through Saturday, February 23, 2013.
"On behalf of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City of New York, I want to welcome Brooklyn-born music icon Barry Manilow back home to the greatest city in the world!," said Deputy Commissioner Asher. "In honor of his concert series, Manilow on Broadway, playing just up the street at the St. James Theatre, we have renamed West 44th Street at 7th Avenue MANILOW WAY!" Fans had lined the street beginning in the early morning. By the time Mr. Manilow arrived, a large crowd of fans and photographers were waiting...
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, struggling with bronchitis, cancelled the 7 PM Jan. 22 performance of Manilow On Broadway, the concert event boasting "the songs that make the whole world sing," as his lyric goes. Previews began Jan. 18 at Broadway's St. James Theatre toward an official opening night of Jan. 24.
A makeup performance for the Jan. 22 show was announced to play Feb. 26, three days after the announced closing date of the limited engagement. A glib posting at Manilow.com Jan. 22 stated, "With deep apologies, and due to a sudden case of bronchitis, tonight's show will be postponed until February 26th. Mr. Manilow can be found on the Brooklyn Bridge, getting ready to jump." It was not immediately known if the other performances this week are affected.
On the morning of Jan. 22, in bitter cold, Manilow was present for an outdoor unveiling of the ceremonial street sign for Barry Manilow Way on West 44th Street, where the St. James is located.
The Grammy Award winner has sold 80 million records. He's also got a passion for musical theatre; he wrote the scores for the musicals Harmony and Copacabana.
"Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway -- marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades," according to producers, who announced the booking on Oct. 22, 2012.
At the age of seven, Brooklyn native Manilow was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. He attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback," a predecessor to "American Idol," which led to working in the world of advertising jingles.
Manilow has had 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes songs that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's a Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)."
"Growing up in New York, Broadway has always held a special place in my heart and I am honored to have the opportunity to make the St. James Theatre my home in the New Year," stated Manilow. Manilow on Broadway is presented by Jujamcyn Theaters and STILETTO Entertainment.
Tickets range in price from $50 to $350. For tickets, visit ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250. Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available at manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788. Manilow on Broadway plays the following weekly performance schedule: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday at 7 PM, Thursday at 8 PM, Friday at 8 PM and Saturday at 8 PM.
The NY Daily News Reports that Barry Manilow was "absolutely floored" to hear that New York City officials planned to name a street corner of Manhattan after him. The legendary singer called the news the "biggest honor" he has ever received. Manilow is currently headlining a month-long run of Broadway shows at New York's St. James Theatre.
In recognition of the current production, a street corner in Midtown Manhattan will be renamed 'Barry Manilow Way,' beginning Tuesday, January 22nd. The singer told the Daily News, "When I found out they were going to be naming a street after me, I was absolutely floored. I flipped out and it's probably the biggest honor I've ever had."
Commenting on his decision to return to the Broadway stage after a long absence, the 69-year-old crooner said, "At first, I was like, 'I've done this twice already,' but then I remembered how much I loved it and I got the itch to do it again just One More Time before I croak."
Of his long and successful career in show business, Manilow shared, "I resisted accepting this incredible career for years until I finally decided to make Friends with it, and I have. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I love it and I'm going to keep doing it until I die."
With Worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, success is a benchmark in popular music. Rolling Stone crowned him "a giant among entertainers... the showman of our generation," and Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol' Blue Eyes told the British press, "He's next." He currently has 50 Top 40 hits. And now, Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway - marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two Decades with Manilow on Broadway.
Manilow's roots remain in his native Brooklyn, where music was an integral part of his life. By the age of seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback" (the predecessor to "American Idol") which led to a lucrative sideline on New York's advertising jingle circuit.
Since then, Manilow has been ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with no less than 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes all-time Favorites that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)." Manilow's Broadway show is destined to be as legendary as the man himself.
Tickets, ranging in price from $50 to $350, are now on sale. For tickets, please visit www.ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 / (800) 432-7250. Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available now at www.manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788. Citi cardmembers will have access to preferred tickets and exclusive VIP packages through Citi's Private Pass program (details at www.citiprivatepass.com).
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow moved to Broadway starting Jan. 18, when Manilow On Broadway -- his new concert -- began at the St. James Theatre. On Jan. 22, West 44th Street was renamed "Manilow Way" in his honor. Opening night is Jan. 24. The engagement plays to Feb. 23. (Manilow was originally announced to play a 17-performance engagement to Feb. 9). The St. James, at 246 W. 44th Street, was the recent home of Bring It On: The Musical...
He’s been crooning songs that "make the whole world sing" for decades, but Barry Manilow is only now finally content with who he is. And he has a lot to smile about lately. On Tuesday, a street corner at Seventh Ave. and 44th St. will be renamed "Barry Manilow Way" and his new show, "Manilow on Broadway," opens Thursday for a month-long run at the St. James Theatre. "When I found out they were going to be naming a street after me, I was absolutely floored," he says. "I flipped out and it’s probably the biggest honor I’ve ever had."
So, too, is coming back to Broadway for the first time in nearly 25 years. There, he had starred in a solo act (for which he received a special Tony Award) and recorded two live albums in 1976 and 1989. Manilow decided to return to the Great White Way about a year ago, during a Broadway performance of "Follies" after one of the producers approached him during intermission. "At first, I was like, 'I’ve done this twice already,' but then I remembered how much I loved it and I got the itch to do it again just one more time before I croak," he says.
Manilow’s latest show features eight longtime band members and will be a scaled-down version of his recent five-year stint at the Las Vegas Hilton. He’ll add a few songs he doesn’t "normally do that make more sense on a Broadway stage."
Manilow doesn’t take anything for granted, after a topsy-turvy career that began in the mid-1970s with hits like "Mandy," "I Write the Songs" and "Copacabana" and has taken more twists and turns than the love ballads that put him on the map.
Born Barry Alan Pincus, he grew up in Williamsburg and was raised by his single mother, Edna, an aspiring cabaret performer who worked as a secretary, and moved in with her parents after Manilow’s truck-driver father abandoned the family when Barry was 2. "I was raised by some really great people even though we didn’t have much of anything materialistically," he recalls. Realizing his musical interests early on, the family scraped money together for accordion lessons when he was 7. He got a piano as a bar mitzvah gift at 13, and a new stepfather introduced him to Broadway musicals and jazz greats.
After his success in the '70s, despite having 26 straight top 40 hits and 10 platinum albums, Manilow was nearly broke by the mid '80s, which he blames on losing touch with his roots and bad financial decisions. "I just couldn’t handle the success early on and walking into a room and being Barry Manilow in capital letters," he says. "It got to the point where I resented it."
These days, Manilow says he’s "on top of the world and feeling great" -- following hip surgery in 2011, resulting in steroid injections he received "that make me look a little weird, and is the only reason I can come up with for why people think I’ve had too much plastic surgery."
Though he no longer tours as often, he’s in discussions about a revival of his 2005 musical "Harmony." He also hosts a radio program on the BBC. "I resisted accepting this incredible career for years until I finally decided to make friends with it, and I have," Manilow says. "I’m the luckiest guy in the world. I love it and I’m going to keep doing it until I die."
You Should Know: Performances for "Manilow on Broadway" run Wednesday through Feb. 23 at the St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St. Performances run Thursdays through Saturdays. For tickets, go to manilowonbroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 or 1-800-432-7250.
Grammy Award-winning superstar Barry Manilow's hometown concert event, Manilow on Broadway, began its limited Broadway engagement on January 18, 2013, at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Opening Night is set for Thursday, January 24, 2013. BroadwayWorld brings you photos of Manilow greeting his fans (CLICK HERE) at the stage door following first performance on the 18th.
With worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, success is a benchmark in popular music. Rolling Stone crowned him "a giant among entertainers... the showman of our generation," and Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol' Blue Eyes told the British press, "He's next." He currently has 50 Top 40 hits. And now, Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway - marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades with Manilow on Broadway.
Manilow's roots remain in his native Brooklyn, where music was an integral part of his life. By the age of seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback" (the predecessor to "American Idol") which led to a lucrative sideline on New York's advertising jingle circuit.
Since then, Manilow has been ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with no less than 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes all-time favorites that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)." Manilow's Broadway show is destined to be as legendary as the man himself.
Tickets, ranging in price from $50 to $350, are now on sale. For tickets and more information, visit www.ManilowOnBroadway.com.
Singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, the man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing, as his lyric goes, moves to Broadway starting Jan. 18, when Manilow On Broadway -- his new concert -- begins at the St. James Theatre. Opening night is Jan. 24. The engagement plays to Feb. 23. (Manilow was originally announced to play a 17-performance engagement to Feb. 9). The St. James, at 246 W. 44th Street, was the recent home of Bring It On: The Musical.
The Grammy Award winner has sold 80 million records. He's also got a passion for musical theatre; he wrote the scores for the musicals Harmony and Copacabana. "Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway - marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades," according to producers, who announced the booking on Oct. 22, 2012.
At the age of seven, Brooklyn native Manilow was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. He attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback," a predecessor to "American Idol," which led to working in the world of advertising jingles.
Manilow has had 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes songs that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's a Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)."
"Growing up in New York, Broadway has always held a special place in my heart and I am honored to have the opportunity to make the St. James Theatre my home in the New Year," stated Manilow. Manilow on Broadway is presented by Jujamcyn Theaters and STILETTO Entertainment.
Tickets range in price from $50 to $350. For tickets, visit ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250. Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available at manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788. Manilow on Broadway plays the following weekly performance schedule: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday at 7 PM, Thursday at 8 PM, Friday at 8 PM and Saturday at 8 PM.
Barry is back! Music legend Barry Manilow begins his Manilow on Broadway concert engagement on January 18 at the St. James Theatre. Marking the pop icon’s return to Broadway for the first time in two decades, the 27-performance engagement will officially open on January 24 and play through February 23.
Manilow (a.k.a. "The Man Who Makes the Whole World Sing") has produced albums for other artists and written songs for musicals, films and commercials. In his last appearance, Barry Manilow on Broadway, Manilow earned a 1977 Special Tony Award. The Grammy winner’s pop hits include "Could It Be Magic," "Mandy," "Copacabana" and "Can’t Smile Without You." He has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and has had 49 Top 40 hits.
Barry Manilow's upcoming concert engagement, Manilow On Broadway, has implemented a $20 rush ticket policy. A limited number of rush tickets will be reserved for every performance for same-day sales. These rush tickets will be available only at the St. James Theatre Box Office (246 West 44th Street) beginning at 10 AM on the day of the performance. Rush tickets will provided on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to two tickets per customer. Manilow on Broadway will begin performances Jan. 18 at the St. James Theatre with an official opening Jan. 24. Performances will continue through Feb. 23.
Manilow has been ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with no less than 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes "Mandy," "It’s A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin’ To Get the Feeling Again," "This One’s For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can’t Smile Without You," "Even Now" and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)."
Show times will be Tuesday-Wednesday at 7 PM, Thursday-Saturday at 8 PM. Tickets, ranging in price from $50 to $350, are now on sale. For tickets visit www.ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 / (800) 432-7250.
One of the most successful pop artists and songwriters of all time, Barry Manilow returns to Broadway for the first time in nearly twenty years. This limited engagement promises a variety of Manilow's 49 Top-40 hits including 'Mandy,' 'Copacabana (At the Copa),' 'I Write the Songs' and many more.
Manilow on Broadway Tickets and Showtimes Preview Date: January 18, 2013 Opening Date: January 24, 2013 Closing Date: February 23, 2013 Next Five Shows: Friday, January 18, 2013 8:00 PM Saturday, January 19, 2013 8:00 PM Tuesday, January 22, 2013 7:00 PM Wednesday, January 23, 2013 7:00 PM Thursday, January 24, 2013 8:00 PM
St. James Theatre. 246 W. 44th St. New York, NY 10036. Ticket Price: $50-$350. Ticket Information: http://www.telecharge.com
NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Two additional weeks of performances have been added to "Manilow on Broadway," due to popular demand for tickets, the New York show's producers said. Barry Manilow's concert series will now play through Feb. 23.
The music icon's limited Broadway engagement is to begin Friday at the St. James Theatre. Opening night is set for Jan. 24. This marks the singer's return to the Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades.
The Grammy Award-winning artist has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and has racked up 50 Top 40 hit songs, including "Mandy," "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now" and "Copacabana [At the Copa.]"
The people have demanded more Manilow, and they shall receive more Manilow. Barry Manilow announced a 17-show stint at the St. James Theatre on Broadway in October, but due to high demand for tickets, the singer has extended his stay for an additional ten nights. The string of shows will begin on January 18th and now run until February 23rd as opposed to the original end date of February 9th.
Manilow on Broadway will have the Brooklyn born singer performing some of his biggest hits like "Mandy," "Looks Like We Made It" and "Copacabana." It’s has been more than 20 years since Manilow graced the Broadway stage in 1989 when Barry Manilow at the Gershwin had a 44-show run. Tickets for Manilow on Broadway at the 1,700-seat St. James Theatre range from $50 to $350.
For more information on Manilow and his upcoming shows visit barrymanilow.com.
He wrote the songs that make the whole world sing, and now he's taking the world’s questions.
Barry Manilow has been entertaining the world with his memorable voice for 40 years, and this is your chance to interview him.
CNN will be sitting down with the singer-songwriter, with the best of your questions on video. If you would like to interview Manilow, just upload a video AT THIS LINK with your question (please keep all questions under 15 seconds long).
Post your question by Sunday, January 13 at 11 p.m. ET, and you could see Manilow answer you on CNN!
It was announced today that, due to popular demand, Grammy Award-winning superstar Barry Manilow's hometown concert event, Manilow on Broadway, has added two additional weeks of performances and will now play through Saturday, February 23, 2013. The iconic performer will begin this limited Broadway engagement on Friday evening, January 18, 2013, at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Opening Night is set for Thursday, January 24, 2013.
With worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, success is a benchmark in popular music. Rolling Stone crowned him "a giant among entertainers... the showman of our generation," and Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol' Blue Eyes told the British press, "He's next." He currently has 50 Top 40 hits. And now, Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway - marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades with Manilow on Broadway.
Manilow's roots remain in his native Brooklyn, where music was an integral part of his life. By the age of seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback" (the predecessor to "American Idol") which led to a lucrative sideline on New York's advertising jingle circuit.
Since then, Manilow has been ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with no less than 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes all-time favorites that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's A Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)." Manilow's Broadway show is destined to be as legendary as the man himself.
Tickets, ranging in price from $50 to $350, are now on sale. For tickets, please visit www.ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 / (800) 432-7250. Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available now at www.manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788. Citi cardmembers will have access to preferred tickets and exclusive VIP packages through Citi's Private Pass program (details at www.citiprivatepass.com).
Barry Manilow’s return to Broadway for a limited engagement at the St. James Theater has been extended for an additional 10 nights because of a strong demand for tickets, the producers have announced.
The producers are promising a nostalgic production full of Mr. Manilow’s greatest hits. Now 69, Mr. Manilow is one of the most successful pop singers and songwriters of the last century, having sold 80 million records. He had more than two dozen Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in his heyday, between 1975 and 1983, including "Mandy," "Could It Be Magic," "Looks Like We Made It" and "I Write the Songs."
In October he announced he would perform for 17 nights at the St. James Theater, with preview shows starting on Jan. 18 and an official opening night on Jan. 24. The engagement will be the first time that Mr. Manilow has had a concert series on Broadway since 1989, when "Barry Manilow at the Gershwin" had a 44-show run.
Though "Manilow on Broadway" was originally to end on Feb. 9, the producers have added two weeks of performances, and the show will now close on Feb. 23. Mr. Manilow is planning five shows a week at the 1,700-seat theater, Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Back in October, Barry Manilow announced that he would perform a limited engagement of 17 nights on Broadway, at New York’s St. James Theater. That run has now been extended because tickets are in such high demand.
According to his website, Manilow’s engagement will now go for an additional 10 nights. Initially, he was to have begun previews on January 18, with the official opening coming January 24, and was going to wrap things up February 9. Now, the show will close February 23.
This is the first time that Manilow has done a concert series on Broadway since 1989, when Barry Manilow at the Gershwin ran for 44 performances. The ticket demand isn’t surprising, considering that the singer is a New York City native and for the past few years his live performances have mostly been concentrated in Las Vegas, where he had two different residencies: one at the Las Vegas Hilton and one at the Paris Hotel & Casino.
The show, Manilow on Broadway, will run five nights a week, Tuesdays through Saturdays, and will feature the singer performing his greatest hits. He definitely has a lot of them: he’s scored 50 top-40 singles in his long career, and sold more than 80 million records.
Barry Manilow fans now have even more chances to catch the man who writes the songs "that make the whole world sing" during his Broadway concert run. Manilow's concert engagement, Manilow on Broadway, will now play through February 23 at the St. James Theatre. The concert engagement, which begins January 18, was orignally scheduled to conclude on February 9. Opening night is set for January 24.
Manilow on Broadway marks the music legend’s return to the Great White Way for the first time in two decades. Manilow earned a 1977 Special Tony Award for his last concert appearance, Barry Manilow on Broadway. The Grammy-winning singer’s hits include "Copacabana," "Mandy, "Can’t Smile Without You," "I Write the Songs" and "Could It Be Magic."
Two weeks have been added to Manilow On Broadway, singer-songwriter Barry Manilow's new concert at the St. James Theatre. The man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing, as his lyric goes, will begin performances Jan. 18, open Jan. 24 and continue to Feb. 23, producers announced.
Manilow was originally announced to play a 17-performance engagement (to Feb. 9). The St. James, at 246 W. 44th Street, was the recent home of Bring It On: The Musical.
The Grammy Award winner has sold 80 million records. He's also got a passion for musical theatre; he wrote the scores for the musicals Harmony and Copacabana.
"Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway — marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades," according to producers, who announced the booking on Oct. 22, 2012.
At the age of seven, Brooklyn native Manilow was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor's piano. He attended New York College of Music and the Juilliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for a CBS show named "Callback," a predecessor to "American Idol," which led to working in the world of advertising jingles.
Manilow has had 25 consecutive Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1975 and 1983. The list includes songs that Manilow still sings today: "Mandy," "It's a Miracle," "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs," "Tryin' To Get the Feeling Again," "This One's For You," "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Even Now," and the Grammy Award-winning "Copacabana (At the Copa)."
"Growing up in New York, Broadway has always held a special place in my heart and I am honored to have the opportunity to make the St. James Theatre my home in the New Year," stated Manilow. Manilow on Broadway is presented by Jujamcyn Theaters and STILETTO Entertainment.
Tickets range in price from $50 to $350. For tickets, visit ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250.
Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available now at manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788.
Manilow on Broadway will play the following weekly performance schedule: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday at 7 PM, Thursday at 8 PM, Friday at 8 PM and Saturday at 8 PM.
With worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, Grammy Award-winning superstar Barry Manilow is returning to the place where it all began, his hometown, New York City, with a new concert series on Broadway - marking his return to The Great White Way for the first time in more than two decades with Manilow on Broadway.
The iconic performer will begin a 17-performance engagement on Broadway on Friday evening, January 18, 2013, at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Opening Night is set for Thursday, January 24. The marquee just went up at the St. James Theatre! For tickets, please visit ManilowOnBroadway.com or call (212) 239-6200 / (800) 432-7250. Barry Manilow Fan Club tickets are available now at www.manilow.com and by calling (310) 957-5788.
Singers in the Rainier Youth Choirs are rehearsing to perform with Barry Manilow at 7 p.m. Friday at the ShoWare Center for Pandora Unforgettable Moments of Love On Ice. Manilow will perform more than 20 of his hits live while Olympic stars Nancy Kerrigan, Ben Agosto, and others perform on the ice.
Being asked to sing during the grand finale is a great honor for Rainier Youth Choirs. "It is with great confidence that I've accepted this last-minute challenge," said RYC Choral Director Leora Schitters. "I know RYC singers can learn and memorize quickly, and have the professional stage presence to be able to work with another world famous entertainer."
