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Name: BarryNet Articles & Reviews Date/Time: 8/18/2019 9:56 PM Subject: Manilow in 'Harmony'
Las Vegas Review-Journal, 18 August 2019 [Barry] Manilow’s legions were out in full voice at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for Manilow’s finale in his 17-show series. It was like the Fanilow Pop Festival. He’s from nearby Williamsburg, and it was clear by the roaring response to his very arrival onstage this audience was there on purpose. I was reminded of how headliners remark about Las Vegas crowds being tough to win over, as many are comped in or might have arrived at a show as their third option on a given night. But for this crowd, Manilow was a destination. His devotees rose for several standing ovations, and Manilow halted for several seconds over shouts during “Weekend in New England,” saying, “What is going ON out there?” At the finish, the superstar plugged the Westgate show, “I want you all to come and see us in Las Vegas, too!” He’s back Sept. 19 for 11 more shows. Manilow also announced from the stage his long-in-development musical, “Harmony,” is finally ready for the New York stage on Feb. 11. The pop-music icon has been working on the original production for about 20 years. It’s not Manilow’s own life story, but a tale of a “Harmony” singing group from Germany in the 1930s that became famous just as the Nazis seized power in their home country. The musical opens at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City, though as Manilow emphasized from the stage, “It won’t be in Yiddish. It will be in English.” Manilow said afterward his stewardship of that show will not interfere with any plans for him to extend his residency at Westgate. Manilow has built a tight relationship with hotel owner David Siegel, the hotel staff loves him and the show, and (relevantly) he still sells well. I would anticipate that Manilow, at 76, will be a headliner at International Theater for as long as he wants. As for the Broadway series, despite reports of some turmoil in the show, producers -- and Manilow himself -- said they were happy with the $3.5 million gross over 17 shows. But Manilow is more passionate about art than arithmetic. He made work calls to the band and crew Saturday morning to fine-tune Saturday’s night finale. The great ones do that.   
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