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| October 23, 2004 | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | "Manilow turns Bradley into Broadway" by Gemma Tarlach |
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| "Adult contemporary" has never been a good fit for Barry Manilow. Although it's the genre most often assigned to the veteran showman, the word "contemporary" just doesn't suit a man whose every gesture and bit of between-song banter recall in equal parts the eras of Tin Pan Alley and The Rat Pack. Performing to an adoring crowd in the half-full Bradley Center Friday evening, Manilow's seamless set of lost love, G-rated passion, dashed dreams and humor was more like the long-lost score of a Broadway musical than a cobble-together of greatest hits. Of course, Manilow did justice to a substantial chunk of his chart-toppers, opening with "It's A Miracle" and quickly adding "Somewhere in the Night" and "Mandy," among others, onto the set list - the latter introduced with a video from the mid-'70s of a gangly Manilow performing the song in baby-blue sequined shirt. As if displaying his yesteryear Fashion Don't for all to see wasn't proof enough of his sense of humor, the 58-year-old made himself the frequent, er, butt of jokes throughout the evening. "I have no ass. Can I borrow someone's ass?" Manilow said when he had trouble sitting on a railing to deliver "Somewhere Down the Road." "This is what Clay Aiken is going to look like in 30 years," he joked at another point in the show. Midset, Manilow 'fessed up to paying the bills early in his career by writing jingles - "you know, those obnoxious melodies that drive you nuts," as he described them - and delivered a sampling of ditties hawking Band-Aids and State Farm Insurance. "I think I'm proud of that one," Manilow quipped afterward. Following a brief intermission, Manilow belted out a few selections from his Broadway musicals, including "Every Single Day," a love song from "Harmony," a new production slated to hit The Great White Way in 2005 about a popular '30s act in Germany shut down by the Nazis. He followed it with "Dancin' Fool" and his signature song "Copacabana (At the Copa)," both of which featured in his '90s Broadway hit of the same name. For the majority of the evening, Manilow was alone on a minimalist black stage in the round, his band hidden in near-darkness at crowd level. The Spartan production got extra oomph, however, whenever his four back-up singers, including American Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd, joined him onstage. Especially delightful was the quintet's a capella rendition of the William Tell Overture, an arrangement Manilow said he picked up during his years at Juilliard. |
| October 22, 2004 | Flint Journal First Edition | "Manilow tires of road, but not music: Veteran artist issues album, eyes stage show" by Doug Pullen |
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| Barry Manilow doesn't write many songs that make the young girls cry anymore. On Nov. 14, Manilow won't be touring anymore either. At 58, the man born Barry Alan Pinkus in Brooklyn, N.Y., is tired of the demands of touring, but he's hardly slowing down. Manilow's 43rd album, "Scores: Songs from 'Copacabana' and 'Harmony'," was released Sept. 28, two days before the launch of his 21-city "One Night Live! One Last Time!" farewell tour, which comes to The Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday. He hopes to stage his newest musical, "Harmony," on Broadway by early next year. Rearranged versions of seven songs from "Harmony," about a popular German singing group banned by the Nazis, appear on the new CD, which also features seven songs from his biggest musical, 1994's "Barry Manilow's Copacabana - The Musical." Right now, though, he's focusing on his farewell tour, which ends Nov. 13. The show features songs from "Harmony" and several of the 38 Top 40 hits he charted in the 1970s and '80s, including "Mandy," "Could It Be Magic" and "It's a Miracle." The 21-city tour is considerably shorter than his last major tour, the nine-month "Live2002!," which grossed $23 million. "Whenever I put a tour together - and nobody knows this but me - there's always a spine; the starting and where I want it to wind up," he says, speaking by phone from a recent tour stop. "This year, there are two places I wanted to wind up. I wanted to make sure people know how lucky we are to live in America. Nobody knows that's my subtext, but it is; it's there for me. The second one is I wanted it to be one of the most exciting feeling shows I could put together." One thing he didn't want to do, he adds, is get too sentimental. "(I) would not be saying goodbye. Emotionally, I didn't go for that. It's too hard for me," he says, "plus, it could come across a little sappy and insincere." Manilow certainly has been accused of that by critics over the years. But he sounds genuinely surprised by the outpouring of emotion he's experiencing on this tour. "This last tour is over the top," he says, his familiar nasal voice rising with excitement. "I've never experienced anything like this. My band, my singers, my crew, we're all stunned at the spectacular response we're getting." Manilow joins Cher, Gloria Estefan, Phil Collins and a growing list of veteran entertainers who have tired of life on the road. He'd rather do residencies in theaters, similar to what Celine Dion is doing in Las Vegas. "All of us who have been touring a long time just need to get our lives back. It's one thing to just start off touring (when you're young), but I want to get my life back, just like them. None of us are quitting," he insists. Manilow never envisioned this kind of career when he was an aspiring musical theater composer in the early 1970s. He paid the bills writing TV jingles for Pepsi and Band-Aid and playing piano for the likes of a then-unknown musical force known as Bette Midler. His life changed dramatically when "Mandy" (which, like "I Write the Songs," he didn't write) became his first No. 1 hit in 1974. "Other than arranging and composing for other people, like Bette, I was going to be a composer for the stage. I had to learn how to do this pop stuff," he says with a laugh. "The first time I listened to pop radio was when I was on it, between 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' and 'Kung Fu Fighting.' I was so humiliated. I thought, 'They need me.' It's like a mission. I have to upgrade this style of music." It was, he admits, "a wonderful detour" that made him famous, fabulously wealthy - and the scourge of critics, who dismissed his music as overly sentimental. His impressive chart run slowed considerably in the late 1980s, but Manilow found inspiration in other styles of music he loved, particularly jazz, classic pop and Broadway musicals. Manilow considers himself a craftsman, but maintains he still doesn't know how to write a hit song. "It's much easier for me and Bruce (Sussman, his writing partner) to write for a situation and character than it is to write a pop song. I don't know how people do it," Manilow says without a hint of irony. "When you start, it is a blank page. For a pop song, you can only chose from about four subjects to write about, otherwise they won't play you on the radio: come back; go away; I miss you. That's it. You're limited. People like Elton John and Diane Warren, these geniuses who just do it year after year, night after night, I don't know how they do it." Middle-aged pop singers like Manilow have had a tough go of it with record companies, which he believes are more concerned with bottom lines than bass lines. He left Arista, his label of 30 years, for Concord Records, known primarily for its jazz roster, in 2001. The move, he says, was "totally an emotional decision," based largely on his belief that Concord is "a real music label; they only care about product and releasing music they can be proud of." Plus, he adds, they "didn't know what Britney Spears did." He's released two albums on Concord, including 2001's acclaimed "Here at the Mayflower." He has an arrangement with BMG, which owns Arista, to reissue his old albums and package special projects, such as 2002's two-million-selling "Ultimate Manilow" hits CD. Manilow devotes much of his time now to musical theater, writing, producing and arranging. His stage version of "Copacabana" opened in London in 1994 and continues to tour the world. He also helped put together a musical based on his pop catalog, "Could It Be Magic? - The Barry Manilow Songbook" in 2001. Last year, he reunited with Midler to produce and arrange her Grammy-nominated "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook," their first studio collaboration in 30 years and her most successful album in a decade. "It was a great experience. Who knew which way it would go? It was just great," he recalls of his famous friend, whose "Kiss My Brass" tour follows him to the Palace on Nov. 5. He's also tried to nurse along "Harmony," a musical nearly 10 years in the making. It's based on the Comedian Harmonists, a young German singing group with hit records and movies that was banned by the Nazis in the late 1930s. "It's one of the most compelling stories I ever heard," says Manilow, who discovered them after reading a New York Times review of a documentary about the group he describes as "the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and Beatles of pre-Nazi Germany." "(Bruce) went down to see it," Manilow remembers, "and called me on a Sunday night from a rainy phone booth to say, 'I think we found it. Let's go get it.'" "Harmony" has had several fits and starts. It has been revised numerous times, backers have committed to it and backed out of it, but with new investors, reportedly including Beyonce Knowles, it looks like a go. "Harmony" had a successful run at California's La Jolla Playhouse, and Manilow says a Broadway opening seems certain for next year. "It'll be a triumph if it opens," Manilow says a little cautiously. "Forget about reviews. I know the reviews will be wonderful." As much as Manilow is enjoying one last lovefest with his fans, he's looking forward to the day three weeks from now when he doesn't have to live out of a suitcase or hotel room anymore. "This is it," he says. "It's 21 shows, then send the trucks home." Barry Manilow. Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills. When: 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $39.50, $69.50, $89.50 and $135, at the box office and Ticketmaster outlets; charge at (248) 645-6666 or ticketmaster.com. Details: (248) 377-0100, palacenet.com. |
| October 20, 2004 | Chicago Sun-Times | "Settling a few scores" by Miriam Di Nunzio |
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| The shows are worlds apart conceptually and musically, but they demonstrate the myriad talents of the 58-year-old entertainer. Despite the decades of criticism from those who love to hate him, Manilow remains one of pop music's most successful artists (in 2002, Radio & Records magazine named him the No. 1 adult contemporary artist of all time), easily able to sell out 20,000-seat arenas to throngs of adoring "fanilows." And those fans seem to be getting younger. Following his guest appearance this past season on "American Idol," Manilow is finding a whole new generation is tuning in to his music. "We played to 17,000 people at the Meadowlands [in New Jersey, where he kicked off his current tour earlier this month], and we've never heard people singing so loud and I haven't seen so many young faces in the crowd as I did that night," Manilow says. Is he cool again? "I've always been cool," the singer says with a chuckle. His featured appearance on "Idol" (other stars have included Elton John and Gloria Estefan) included being judge and arranger, working with the young singer wannabes to hone their musical craft -- and do proper homage to his music. Even the curmudgeonly Simon Cowell could do nothing but dole out high praise for the star. "I babied [the contestants] and gave each of them tailor-made arrangements," Manilow says. "They sounded great. But there's something to be said for not doing that, to see if they can sing that good [without special music arrangements]. With my songs, you have to be very careful how they're arranged or you end up sounding like you're at a bad karaoke bar. I had to update the songs and give them new arrangements. The band had to sound right. I mean, you can do McCartney songs and you're fine. You can do Elton and you're fine. But if you do my songs with the wrong arrangements, the songs are gonna suffer and the artists are gonna suffer." While he's put out several albums over the course of the past decade, what has kept Manilow most occupied has been what he calls his ultimate labor of love, composing "Harmony," the Broadway musical that he says should get its first curtain call next year. The true story of the Comedian Harmonists, a "boy band" that toiled under the Nazi regime in 1930s Berlin (and ultimately was disbanded because some of its members were Jews), is not exactly the stuff of Broadway musicals, but the selection of the show's songs featured on "Scores" could prove otherwise. "I was hoping the songs from both the shows [on the new album] would make sense to the public without having to hear [the complete show] where they came from," Manilow says. I think they hold up on their own in that respect." While "Copacabana" (which was originally a made-for-TV movie in 1985) is fueled by the goofy title tune that just gets under people's skin, "Harmony" is based on real life, real people and a very dark part of history. "The Producers" notwithstanding, perhaps Nazi Germany is just too heavy for musical fare. "I don't see 'Harmony' as a downer in terms of subject matter," Manilow insists, "but I do find the complexity of it hard for people to grasp. [Investors] were throwing money at us for 'Copacabana' because they could grasp that kind of show more easily. But we just mounted a full workshop of 'Harmony' for a group of investors, and once they saw it, they got it. It wasn't so hard to wrap themselves around it after that." Getting "Harmony" to the stage proved to be the most demanding work of his career, Manilow says. "What I've learned about the Broadway musical is that mounting a Broadway musical is not for sissies," he says matter-of-factly. "I thought concerts and records were intense and hard to pull together, but I've never seen anything like this process. It gets to the point where it has nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the piece. It's all about investors and real estate. You can write 'My Fair Lady' today and you'll be at the mercy of trying to raise millions and millions of dollars to get it produced. Then once you have the financing, you're at the mercy of begging theater owners for a stage." And for Manilow, renowned as a perfectionist who does things his way without interference from record label honchos or concert promoters, getting a musical produced was an enormous lesson in giving up total control. "This is the most collaborative medium there is," he says with a laugh. "There is no one boss. To put something beautiful on that stage you need to collaborate with hundreds of people. I had no idea. I'm so spoiled. Nothing prepared me for putting together a musical." Would he go through it all again? "I love the creation of [a Broadway show]," Manilow says. "So creatively, I'd say absolutely I'd do it again. This other [business] part of it, I don't know." He says it's "the greatest album of his career." And for his 43rd album, Barry Manilow celebrates his life -- not as the megastar pop balladeer for which he has been both praised and scorned -- but as a Broadway musical composer with "Scores: Songs From 'Copacabana' and 'Harmony'" (Concord). BARRY MANILOW. When: 8 p.m. Thursday. Where: Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim, Rosemont. Tickets: $36.25-$129. Call: (312) 559-1212. |
| October 19, 2004 | CBS News: The Early Show | Manilow: Old And New Scores |
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| With record sales exceeding 60 million worldwide, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Barry Manilow shows no signs of slowing down. He's currently on tour celebrating the release of his 43rd career album - a collection of songs from two of his major musical productions. The CD is called "Scores: Songs From Copacabana and Harmony." On Tuesday's The Early Show, Manilow sings a new rendition of his No. 1 hit single from 1978, "Copacabana," as well as "Every Single Day," from his upcoming musical "Harmony." The book for "Harmony" was written by collaborator Bruce Sussman. Manilow and Sussman co-wrote all of the songs. "Harmony" is currently in development for an anticipated Broadway opening in 2005. "Harmony" is based on the true story of Germany's Comedian Harmonists, the world's first superstar boy band. The Comedian Harmonists enjoyed international album and movie success, performed concert tours around the world and recorded and performed with legendary stars Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker before being forced to disband by the Nazi regime. Some Facts About Barry Manilow: - Based on industry charts, Barry Manilow is the No. 1 adult contemporary artist of all time, and his record sales exceed 60 million worldwide.
- He has written hundreds of songs and performed around the world for millions of fan,s picking up a Grammy, an Emmy, Tony Awards and an Oscar nomination along the way.
- In 2002 Manilow was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
- Barry Manilow got his start in the CBS mailroom.
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| October 18, 2004 | The Washington Times | "A Barry good night" by Christian Toto |
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| One's tolerance for Barry Manilow can be determined with a single, multi-syllabic word � Copacabana. Say it out loud. Did you react with a shudder or by playfully swinging your hips? Thursday's rapturous crowd at the MCI Center were of the hip-swinging order, a demographic melange hanging on every optimistic note Mr. Manilow flung their way. "We know each other, don't we?" he teased as he took the stage, one of many lines that felt road-tested but true all the same. Hang in the game long enough, as Mr. Manilow has, and you can evolve from showman to punch line back to showman again. And make no mistake, that's where we find Mr. Manilow once more � keenly aware of how silly he looks at times but not giving a whit. Billboard Boxscore reported his last tour, which wrapped in 2002, grossed more than $23 million. Who wouldn't brim with brio after ringing up that much coin? The Grammy-winning singer-pianist-composer took the stage in an electric blue suit; his spiked hair making him look like Rod Stewart's non-threatening brother. Mr. Manilow remains a hermetically-sealed sexual presence, a man who inspires goose bumps in his fans without raising any primal heat. Mr. Manilow, taking his One Night Live! One Last Time! tour across the country, could have easily walked through his songbook and garnered nearly the same approval. This crowd came willing to worship. Instead, he poured his heart into every number with a voice which bore a slight but welcome rasp. He knows the dramatic clincher in each song and never failed to grab it. "This country needs me... you need to be uplifted," said Mr. Manilow, sounding somewhat patriotic but stopping far short of any Vote for Change-isms. The show's clean, uncomplicated arrangements let the emotions speak for him. Supported by a healthy band of background singers and a full- throttled orchestra, Mr. Manilow tore through his greatest hits such as "Could It Be Magic," "I Write the Songs" and, of course, a camped up � if that's even possible � "Copacabana." In an interview prior to the show, Mr. Manilow said his career isn't guided by what's currently in vogue. "Left to my own devices, I always make the wrong choices on what's trendy," he says. "I'm good at sticking to my guts. Oddly enough, I'm hipper than most commercial people. I see what's coming up within two years [instead of right now]. That's not good for a pop artist." It's plenty fine for a singer/songwriter/arranger with a gimlet eye on longevity. It helps that he doesn't spin his appeal. "I've never been ironic or cynical," he says. "I think there's something to that... I can't be phoney. I think audiences get that." During Thursday's concert, he tackled the maudlin "Mandy" by playing an antiquated clip of him performing the song for television, his feathery hair framing those heavy-lidded eyes. Musically, the 2004 model didn't suffer by comparison, even if the decades have matured his visage. "This is what Clay Aiken is going to look like in 30 years," he joked. Mr. Manilow can still power his way through a ballad. "Somewhere Down the Road" hushed the crowd into near silence, bringing at least one grown man to tears. On the other hand, Mr. Manilow and crew should have ditched their a cappella "William Tell Overture" tribute. Aside from that, the night proved refreshingly short of blunders � that is, unless you're counting the time when Mr. Manilow's piano lost a key mid-song. The performer, as expected, didn't miss a beat. Now 61, he's right in tune with the over-50 set of superstars (a la Phil Collins and Cher) in insisting that his current tour will be his last. "There's always another album down the pike... but leaving home for months at a time, with semi trucks and hotel rooms, there's too much of that for me," Mr. Manilow says. He may be surrendering his grip on the road but it isn't an easy call. "I'm gonna miss you," an emotional Mr. Manilow said before bidding his audience adieu. We're not used to men crying at the MCI Center, unless they're Wizards season ticket holders. But on this night, nobody blinked an eye. |
| October 16, 2004 | Cleveland Onstage | "Barry Manilow - The Gund Arena - Cleveland, OH (10/15/2004)" by Mike Nikolic |
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| "I Made It Through The Rain" should have been the theme for the night at the Barry Manilow concert at Cleveland's Gund Arena. The weather outside was cold, rainy, blustery and windy but all was well inside the arena as eager fans, paying top dollar for their tickets, waited patiently for Mr. Manilow's appearance. The center stage in the round was an ideal choice for the nights show as everyone pretty much had a terrific view. The band was the first to enter the arena followed by Barry's backup singers/dancers, and then of course, Barry jogged in via the floor much to the cheers of his lifelong fans. Barry wasted no time as he jumped right into "It's a Miracle." Clad in a blue suit and vest the 58 year old looked to verdure for this event. His voice was so outstanding and at times you had to ask yourself, is it real or is it Memorex... it was real. To be 58 and still carry a tune like Mr. Manilow does is truly amazing. Barry has recently complained that his voice was horse and raspy but there was no evidence of that last night. Mr. Manilow seemed to flourish as the night progressed. Stating to the crowd that he really loves performing in Cleveland and [that] he and Cleveland have a history together. He remembered his days when he performed at Blossom Music Center and though dialogs, asked if Blossom was still there�the crowd gladly answered yes. Barry then told them he remembered his first time there, back in the 70's, when he said he threw up before the show but then quickly stated that it was also very exciting. Barry seems to truly love Cleveland. Barry was in a very good humor and between the songs; he would entertain his faithful with some of that humor. At one point towards the beginning of the show, I believe after "It's a Miracle," he said that Clay Aiken will look like him in 30 years. The crowd laughed along with Barry. Barry's personality reigned high and the Tony and Emmy award winner kept that upbeat persona throughout the night. His talent is second to none. Face the fact, the man has talent. As a matter of fact, Barry has more talent in his hip pocket than most artists today... After all, he writes the songs that make the whole world sing. Mr. Manilow also has a passion for living in America, calling it the greatest country on earth, and he also made reference to the fact he should run for President, the crowd agreed. He would have the vote of everyone there; after all we did have an actor for President, why not a singer? It was also a pleasure to listen to Barry's songs in today's world of stuffed shirt artists who [use] the stage for a political agenda. Music and entertainment is what it's about, not politics. Bravo Barry! Barry was sure to play his hits perhaps one last time calling it quits to touring. He says he'll still perform here and there but he was done touring. Then again, Barry said Cher quit touring for ten years now and maybe that will happen to him. The crowd laughed. Barry played the fans favorites such as "Daybreak," "Somewhere in the Night" and "Mandy," just to name a few, but it was his performance that made the night. The light show was simply amazing as was the way his black piano would rise up from the floor. Barry also interjected to the crowd that he started out as a struggling artist back in the day, relying on jingles to keep food on the table. He told the showgoers he wrote the "Band-aid" jingle then broke into "I am stuck on band-aids and band-aids stuck on me..." He followed it stating that he also wrote the "Stridex" commercial, then told the crowd he would never do a douche commercial because nothing rhymes with douche. The crowd laughed again. He talked of his highs and lows making mention that a high in his life was singing with Bette Midler and a low in his life was when he ran into a wall with his nose. Barry said when you have a nose like his, well, you can figure that one out yourself. The best song of the night, in my opinion was "Weekend in New England." Barry seemed to hit every key and every note with a visceral feeling rarely seen in past performances. During "Somewhere Down the Road" Barry decided to lean on the rail that was side stage but began to slip and said he should probably stand because he has no ass. The crowd laughed again. Barry also performed his infamous "Can't Smile Without You" as he grabbed a lady named Laurie from the congregation below to help him sing. As she approached Barry, he asked her if she knew the words to the song, and she said she did before she got onstage. The crowd laughed again. Barry was sincere last night, as he is All The Time, saying that "hope" is his favorite 4-letter word. He also stated that he's a New York boy and he was raised on Broadway as he introduced "Harmony." He talked about his passion for Chopin and that he loved writing two Broadway musical scores. He and his fellow singers then performed "Copacabana" with a style that was posh, polished and pristine. The audience gave them a standing ovation as they did throughout the night. His backup singers, along with Barry of course, 'played' -- without instruments -- "The William Tell Overture" with just their microphones and their god given talents, again to a standing ovation. Barry [planned] to make a grand exit but told his faithful that he was just too damned tired to leave, so he stayed and sang "Let Freedom Ring," much to the pleasure of the packed house. Thirty some years of Manilow in one night, a night to remember forever to those who attended. If you enjoyed being entertained by someone who has a fantastic passion for the art of music, Mr. Manilow's show was just the ticket for you. The show was nothing short of sensational, first-rate and first-class. Looks like he made it. Then again, he has for quite sometime! |
| October 15, 2004 | The Cincinnati Post | "Manilow on final nationwide tour" by Jan Perry |
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| Through 35 years, 43 albums and literally thousands of live performances, Barry Manilow has brought well-crafted, carefully produced and passionately sung music to millions of fans. Fans who have loved him and his music since the "Mandy" days. Fans who have followed him from love songs to jazz to blues to Broadway. Fans who "got it" even when the critics didn't. Come Saturday night, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, he'll do it again, but with one difference. This time, it's "One Night Live! One Last Time!" "So, what does that mean? It doesn't mean I'll never perform again," said the ultimate showman. "I'm not going into seclusion. I love the music and I would like to continue to make CDs and compose Broadway musicals and even perform -- if it's possible to do that without putting seven semi trucks together and dragging them around the country. A week at Radio City, a week in L.A., a long stint in Vegas or a benefit now and then -- I'm there for that. I'm definitely there," Manilow said. "But these huge tours that take all of us away for months at a time -- when this tour is over, I'm done with that." "People say, 'It's just two hours a day, what's the big deal?' But what they don't understand is, from the instant I say 'OK, I'll do it,' from that second on I am not in my life anymore. I do not read the latest novels. I do not watch TV. I do not listen to records. I am working. From the moment I commit to a tour to the moment I unpack my suitcase at the end, I am working -- and it's been like that for 35 years. You can ask anybody that's been on tour. When you're on the road, you never stop. So I finally want my life back for just a little while. That doesn't mean I'm retiring or that I'll never perform again, but I want some time to live in my own home and to get back into my life for a while." It's easy to understand why Manilow, 58, might be a bit tired. He is the very definition of superstar, winning Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards, with an Oscar nomination, a best-selling book, 43 albums and an astounding 41 charted hits to his credit. There are two Broadway shows and the music for two full-length animated films on his resume. He's even made a Super Bowl appearance and has had a couple listings in the "Guinness Book of World Records." On top of all that, Manilow has spent a good portion of the past decade working to get the second of his two theatrical pieces, "Harmony," into New York and onto Broadway. "It's been a struggle," he said. "Every step of the way has been a struggle. Every single step. We were three days away from our opening in Philadelphia. Three days!" Problems grew with the producer, Manilow said. After a prolonged legal battle in which Manilow and his partner, Bruce Sussman, finally won back the rights to the show, they have put the original cast and crew together with a new producer and fresh funding. "All we're waiting on now is the right theater to open up," Manilow said. "'Harmony' is too good not to make it. It is the show Broadway has been waiting for. After all we've been through with it, it doesn't have to be a smash to be a success. Just making it to opening night will be a triumph." The singer, songwriter and producer has had an easier time with his last few CD releases, including his latest, "Scores: Songs from Copacabana and Harmony." Several songs from 'Scores' are included in the numbers chosen for the "One Last Time" tour. "I've been very lucky," said the man who still "makes the whole world sing. It amazes me to this very day that there are people that continue to be interested in what I do. Earlier in the tour I played to a crowd of 19,000-20,000, and I honestly stood there with my mouth open. At this point, after 35 years, you would think that I'd be playing the local Chuck E Cheese's. That's the way it goes or has gone for a lot of the folks I came up with. So to walk out on a stage in an arena that size and have that many people still be interested in hearing and seeing what I do -- it's a miracle." Although it's still possible a town or two might be added to the end of the tour, at this point Columbus is as close as Manilow will get to Cincinnati. "I wish I could play in every town, for everyone that's supported me throughout my career, but that just isn't possible. We are trying to get close to everyone, though. This tour is definitely bittersweet, but it also comes with a sense of gratitude that I cannot even describe -- that after all these years I can still play for arenas full of people. Night after night I just stand there in a state of shock that they are still coming out for me. That's something I will never get tired of." "One Night Live! One Last Time" tour comes to Nationwide Arena, in Columbus, Saturday night at 8 p.m. Tickets for the "in-the-round" performance, available through Ticketmaster, (513) 562-4949, are priced from $10-$125 to assure all fans can afford a ticket for Barry's final road trip. Nationwide Arena (800) 645-2657 is at 200 West Nationwide Blvd., Columbus. |
| October 14, 2004 | Cleveland Jewish News | "Barry Manilow discovers Jewish soul in 'Harmony'" by Marvin Glassman |
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| When fans go to a Barry Manilow concert, they're expecting to hear "Weekend in New England," "Copacabana" and, of course "Mandy." The last thing most Barry Manilow fans expect to hear him sing are songs on death, antisemitism and the Holocaust. Yet, these are the songs that make his Broadway-bound musical "Harmony," a play set in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, so memorable. The 58-year-old singer will be highlighting his Cleveland concert on Oct. 15 with songs from "Harmony," in addition to his well-known popular songs. Manilow has recorded seven songs from "Harmony" on his new CD, "Scores." He wants to be known as having more in his repertoire than the upbeat, sentimental songs that have sold more than 60 million records. "Without a doubt, this ("Harmony") is the one piece of work that I want to be remembered for," says Manilow in a telephone conversation from New York during a break from rehearsal for his concert. "Harmony," with music by Manilow and book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman (who co-wrote the Grammy-winning Manilow hit and musical, "Copacabana") had a successful debut in 1997 at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. The play is based on the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, a group of six German performers, three Jewish and three gentile, who gained famed in Germany in the 1920s before becoming a threat to the Nazis in the 1930s. Known for their slapstick, along the lines of the Marx Brothers, the Harmonists performed music that varied from a cappella singing to classics to klezmer and other popular idioms of the time. When the Nazis took power in 1933, the Harmonists were banned from performing and lost family members in the Holocaust. "Harmony" recounts how the ensemble met and grew and eventually were destroyed. "The Comedian Harmonists set out on a quest to find harmony in what turned out to be the most discordant chapter in history. The harmony they set out to find was so much more than musical harmony," says Manilow. Writing the music of "Harmony" has been "the most challenging and creative journey of my career," he continues. "I immersed myself in the musical styles of the 1920s and '30s, including listening to klezmer and cantorial songs." The story, Manilow says, moves him because of his own Jewish identity and because his relatives went through the Holocaust. "There are moments in the script in which we refer to traditional Jewish rituals, such as the wedding scene when the groom breaks the wine glass, that I was moved to tears." The combination of the 9/11 tragedy and working on "Harmony" brought home to Manilow the importance of being "tolerant, accepting of ourselves and feeling uplifted. It is the best way to fight tyranny. The best part of my success in my career is uplifting people's spirits with my music." "Harmony" is expected to debut on Broadway in February 2005. Among the musical highlights is "Where You Go," which expresses the hope of eternal love within the reality of the Holocaust. The melody is reminiscent of a cantorial solo heard in synagogue. Despite having worldwide fame, Manilow's roots are humble. He was born in Brooklyn as Barry Alan Pincus, (his father wanted him to have his mother's maiden name). Manilow's parents (a Jewish mother and an Irish father) were divorced when he was 2. Manilow was raised by his mother, Edna, and his grandparents, immigrants from Russia, in an apartment in Williamsburg. "We were very poor, but I never knew it," he says. "I was given a secure upbringing, and I always felt loved and wanted. Grandma and Grandpa taught me Jewish traditions and raised me to be polite, caring, and sensitive - a gentleman." Manilow honed his music first on the accordian and refined it on the piano. "I hated the accordian. It seems that every Jewish kid has to play one. But when I played the piano, I knew the music would be my passion and my ticket out of Brooklyn." Although he has never performed in Israel, Manilow was voted as the number-one performer there in 1980. He sang "It's a Miracle" at a televised special of performers honoring Israel in 1978 and performed at a benefit in Washington for then Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1983. Over the past three years, Manilow has raised funds for the Sheba Hospital in Israel. He donated $25,000 to a Hasidic family in his native Williamsburg neighborhood near Brooklyn when their home was destroyed by a fire in 2003. He has also contributed to the Simon Wiesenthal Institute in Los Angeles. B'nai B'rith International honored Manilow for his humanitarian efforts in 1978. Manilow will combine two songs from "Harmony" (the title song "Harmony" and the play's romantic ballad "Every Single Day"), along with his well-known hits, for what may be one of his last shows in Cleveland. "I am not saying I won't be back, but after 30 years of touring, I want to enjoy my life at my home (Palm Springs, Calif.) more than I have." Barry Manilow will be performing in "One Night Live One Last Time" on Oct. 15 at the Gund Arena. Tickets range from $41-139. For more information, call 216-420-2200. For further information on Manilow's "Scores" CD, visit www.manilow.com. |
| October 14, 2004 | Mansfield News Journal | "Manilow to make Ohio sing" by John Benson |
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| The current en vogue career move among baby boomer artists staring the equivalent of the Ohio Buckeye Card age in the face is to take it to the limit with one last tour for old time's sake. However, just like politicians, you can't always take an artist by his or her word in regards to calling it quits. Cher has spent the past few years saying goodbye, while recent artists throwing their names into the retirement hat (and still touring, by the way) include The Eagles, Phil Collins and Tina Turner. Now you can add another sensationally popular star to that list. After more than 30 years of success, Barry Manilow is calling one aspect of his career quits. After he finishes his current tour, which plays Friday at Cleveland's Gund Arena and Saturday at Columbus' Nationwide Arena, the Grammy-, Tony- and Emmy-award winning performer is leaving behind the performance stage, sort of. "It's a farewell tour in the sense that I'm done touring with semis and being away from home for three or four months at a time," said Manilow calling from the set of the "Tony Danza Show." " not a farewell tour in that I will never perform again. I'll do (New York City's) Radio City (Music Hall), and I'll do L.A. and I'll do a benefit, and I'll make CDs and you'll find me popping up on television. But these huge tours that require everybody to stay away from home for months at a time, I'm done with that." So despite his announcement, fans can find solace in the fact the man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing will continue his deft songwriting craft. More so, the New York City native says he seriously looks forward to his initial love, which is producing other artists. Manilow's career came full circle over the last year when he re-teamed with Bette Midler -- before hitting it big, he was Midler's band leader and piano player -- to produce her critically-acclaimed 2003 disc "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook." In addition, Manilow was behind the soundboard for jazz great Diane Schur's last album "Midnight." "In my heart, I am a musician and one of the aspects of being a musician for me is getting to work with standards and finding the different facets of these already written songs and tailor-making them for an artist," said Manilow. "I've done it for myself for years. 'Mandy' was originally a rock'n'roll song called 'Brandy,' and I was able to find the love song in it. I changed the chords and changed the feel. I did the same thing years ago for Bette with 'Do You Want to Dance?.' It was originally a 1960s rock'n'roll song and I was able to find the sex in 'Do You Want to Dance?' so she was able to sing 'Do you Want to Make Love?' That is the kind of thing that I still love doing for other artists." When Manilow arrived on the scene in the early 1970s, he quickly became popular with the pop rock audience but critics lambasted his music as trendy schlock. Steadfast despite the criticism, the Julliard School of Music graduate racked up album sales in the millions over his entire career with sold-out arena shows becoming commonplace. Celebrated today by a youthful generation that hasn't forgotten Manilow and his cherished oeuvre, he appeared on "Will & Grace" last season, the "Copacabana" singer appears to be receiving the accolades a performer of his stature should command. Most notably, he was recently called "A giant among entertainers . . . the showman of our generation" by Rolling Stone Magazine, which one can only guess is a complete departure from its opinion 30 years ago. "I would say the first 10 years were pretty rough on me," Manilow said. "Just like it is on many, many, many artists. But I think I hung in there long enough for them to come around. I would say over more than 15 years, they've seemed to come around." So do you feel vindicated? "No," Manilow said. "There is more of a sense of a feeling that I wasn't crazy. That I really did create music that was worthy of popularity." Who: Barry Manilow. Where: Cleveland's Gund Arena & Columbus' Nationwide Arena. When: 8 p.m., Oct. 15 & 8 p.m., Oct. 16. Cost: $41.25 to $139 (Cleveland) & $35 to $145 (Columbus). Ticket Info: all Ticketmaster locations. |
| October 13, 2004 | Cleveland Scene | "Barry Manilow at Gund Arena (Friday, October 15)" by Bob Ruggiero |
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| You know it's true. You love Barry. We love Barry. Everybody loves Barry. Sure, hipsters roll their eyes at the dramatics of "I Made It Through the Rain," the bouncy bop of "Daybreak," and that tragic Brazilian love triangle of Lola, Rico, and Tony in "Copacabana." But legions will be throatily singing along to his sizable songbook of deeply ingrained tunes that transcend their kitschiness. Riding a resurgence with the surprising success of Ultimate Manilow, he is one of the last great, true-pop showmen, selling lyrics and working audiences like the vaudeville entertainers of another era. It will feel like the first time he's ever sung "Mandy." |
| October 12, 2004 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Review of Barry Manilow's Concert at Mellon Arena (Pittsburgh, PA) by Karen Carlin |
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| Barry Manilow opened his show Friday night saying he's been to Pittsburgh so many times that he feels as if he lives here. And the fans at Mellon Arena made sure he felt right at home. Manilow, in the midst of what he says is his last tour, displayed his characteristic self-deprecating humor from the start. He said his jacket, a sort of red crushed velvet, would look hip on David Bowie, but "I look like I'm wearing my grandmother's drapes." He introduced himself, for the benefit of those who didn't know him, saying, "This is what Clay Aiken will look like in 30 years." But the audience wasn't there for the jokes. They wanted his more than three decades of hits, and showman Manilow didn't disappoint. The playlist included many well-worn favorites, from "It's a Miracle," "Daybreak" and "Even Now" to "Weekend in New England," "I Write the Songs" and "Mandy." Among other features were two songs from his musical "Harmony," a five-person a capella version of "The William Tell Overture" and a rousing red-white-and-blue "Let Freedom Ring." Manilow was in much better voice than during his last visit here, when he was plagued by a cold. He easily worked through 2-1/2 hours with a 15-minute intermission. Backup was provided by a talented assortment of musicians as well as singers, with whom he shared the stage on such numbers as an up-tempo "Could It Be Magic" and a very dancy "Copacabana." But the focus remained on Manilow, who took full advantage of the theater-in-the-round setup, crooning to young and old alike. It's hard to believe he's ready to give up the love that flowed back and forth all night. |
| October 10, 2004 | Chicago Sun-Times | Barry Manilow, "Scores -- Songs from 'Copacabana' and 'Harmony'" by Miriam Di Nunzio |
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| This one's gonna be a tough sell for the singer-songwriter. On his 43rd album, Manilow offers up seven cuts apiece from his two full-out musicals, "Copacabana" and the soon-to-be staged "Harmony." The former, about an ingenue who moves to New York, is built upon the title song that has become part of American pop culture. The latter, a show in the works for more than a decade, tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, a '30s Berlin boy band that was ultimately crushed by the Nazis because several members were Jews. The subject matter couldn't be more disparate, but what the two shows share is a composer who is passionate about every note and every lyric. Two cuts immediately stand out -- "Who Needs to Dream?" from "Copacabana" and "Every Single Day" from "Harmony" -- simply because they are two gorgeous tales of love, and two of the most beautiful power ballads Manilow's ever penned. His new arrangements of every cut on the disc, including a techno/house turn on "Copacabana," are the most obvious indicators of what a gifted arranger he is. With all that, the album might be somewhat difficult to grasp because most of us (at least in Chicago) have not seen the stage version of "Copacabana" (it was a made-for-television movie in the late 1970s), and "Harmony" has yet to take a bow anywhere. But pay close attention to the lyrics and the story of each show will unfold in your mind (and your heart). Note: Barry Manilow performs Oct. 21 at the Allstate Arena. |
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