Manilow Broadway—A Pure Delight— Delivers the Goods in a Big Way

By Michael Barbieri****A joyous spectacle!  Hit after hit!  Songs you know and love!  Barry Manilow has begun a residency at New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and this show delivers the goods!  Whether you’re a bona fide “Fanilow,” or simply a more casual listener who’s enjoyed Manilow’s music over the years, you owe it to yourself to see him perform his best-known songs in his newest stage act, Manilow Broadway!

For the few of you who may not be up on their pop music lore, Barry Manilow is one of the most successful artists in history.  He’s a singer-songwriter, musician, arranger and producer whose career has spanned more than 50 years.  Born in Brooklyn and educated at Juilliard, he first made his mark writing commercial jingles, playing auditions, and even entertaining in piano bars.  In 1974, his smash hit, “Mandy,” reached number 1 on the U.S. charts and was certified a Gold Record.  Since then, he’s sold more than 80 million records worldwide and his live shows continue to sell out everywhere.  I’ve seen several of Mr. Manilow’s live performances and his shows are always fun, theatrical, musical love affairs between him and his audiences.  This show was certainly no different and exceeded even my expectations!

But first a little bad news—only a tiny bit.  At the top of the show, the sound balance was terribly off. The band was over-amplified, thus overpowering Manilow’s vocal completely.  Luckily, the problem was rectified within about four songs and from then on, the show was pure delight!  At age 76, the singer looked and sounded fantastic and his songs, while warmly nostalgic, still sounded as fresh as when they were released!

Despite the sound glitch, Manilow’s opening number, the aptly chosen “New York City Rhythm,” was a knockout!  The singer strutted the stage and worked the crowd. His high-energy tune, complete with its salsa-inspired piano break, put us all in the perfect mood for the show to come.  He was happy to be home and we were happy to have him back!

After lamenting the lack of melody in today’s pop music, he performed some of his own enduring melodies, including “Daybreak,” “Looks Like We Made It” and “Can’t Smile Without You.”  His clear, strong vocals, including his signature modulations, were pitch perfect. “Can’t Smile Without You” even featured a cute video with “follow the bouncing emoji” sing-along lyrics.

New York City itself played an integral part in this show.  Manilow spoke of his childhood in Brooklyn and of his grandfather, who recognized young Barry’s musical abilities early on.  His rendition of “This One’s for You,” written with Marty Panzer, was dedicated to his grandfather and accompanied by grainy, black and white footage of an old man bringing his grandson into the big city.  The final onscreen image—an actual portrait of young Barry with his grandfather—was extremely moving.  This segment of the show served as the perfect introduction to a couple of selections from Manilow’s recent album “This Is My Town: Songs of New York.”  The title song, written with Bruce Sussman, had an irresistible, jaunty Broadway feel to it. A special accompanying 3-D film took us on a soaring aerial tour of NYC, including an image of Times Square where Barry himself was on every billboard!  His cover of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “On Broadway” was accompanied by vintage photos of a dirtier, seedier 42nd Street, while strains of his own “New York City Rhythm” were interpolated into the arrangement, adding subtle nuances.

Then there were the undeniable mega-hits.  “Even Now” began quietly and became a rousing showstopper that brought the crowd to its feet!  “Weekend in New England” was as moving and powerful as ever and “It’s a Miracle” had the audience up and dancing in the aisles!  Manilow commanded the stage with his energetic cover of The Four Seasons’ “Let’s Hang On” and his version of “Memory,” from Broadway’s Cats, soared, transforming the song into a pop music power ballad!

Possibly my favorite Manilow classic of the evening was “Could It Be Magic.”  Based on Chopin’s Prelude in C Minor, he again began quietly and sang the song as originally recorded.  He then spoke of Donna Summer’s dance version of the tune, which he said he’d hated… until it reached Number 3 on the Dance charts!  So what was there to do but come out from behind the piano and perform the disco version, singing and dancing along with his phenomenal backup vocalists Kye Brackett, Sharon Hendrix and Melanie Taylor.  Not only did his vocals remain on point, but he handled the choreography like a pro!   At the end of the number, he stated “Not bad for a 76 year old guy!”  Definitely!  I have no idea where he gets the energy, but I want the secret!

We got a medley of hits that included “The Old Songs,” “Bandstand Boogie,” “Tryin’ To Get The Feeling Again,” “Ready to Take a Chance Again” and others.  A big surprise, for me, was the inclusion of a video of Manilow performing “Mandy” on “The Midnight Special” television show in 1975.  What made the moment truly lovely was that, as he sang it, you could just hear our audience singing softly along with the clip.  And by the time we reached “I Write the Songs” and “Copacabana,” the evening became a big party.  The show felt like a gift from Barry to all of us!

As pop music residencies go, this one is rather short-lived. Performances run only until August 17th.  But if you enjoy Barry Manilow’s music, particularly if you’ve never seen him perform live, Manilow Broadway is definitely a show to catch!  And to borrow a phrase from a well-known Broadway musical, Barry, it’s so nice to have you back where you belong!

For tickets to Manilow Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, click here. For more information, go to www.barrymanilow.com