Barry Manilow soared to the top of his craft early in his career with catchy melodies, winning showmanship and a voice that reminds us of the friendly fellow next door. At the top of his game 40 years later, he draws throngs wherever he performs. Washington fans will revel in the range of emotions his music taps as the recipient of more than a dozen major awards fills Warner Theatre with songs of passion, friendship and human frailties. And there will be a bonus: selections from “15 Minutes,” his first original album in 10 years. The title alludes to the 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol predicted everyone would enjoy in life.
The concept, Manilow explained, was thoughtfully created over a two year period. His music, and lyrics by Enoch Anderson, envision a life haunted by the dream of fame. Their songs trace its pursuit by talented people besotted by fame’s trappings but unable to cope with them.
| Onstage |
| An Evening with Barry Manilow |
| Where: Warner Theatre |
| When: 8 p.m. Wednesday |
| Info: $161.99 to $266.99; 800-745-3000; ticketmaster.com |
The title song is driven by a guitar headed for glory. “Work the Room” and “Bring on Tomorrow” exude hope. “Now It’s For Real” and “He’s a Star” represent the pinnacle.
But when triumph is followed by a downward spiral, the despair is captured in “Who Needs You” and “Winner Go Down.” Once the moment of self-acceptance is reached in “Train Wreck,” the victim realizes that fame can be recaptured by hard work. In many cases, it is. “Everything’s Gonna Be All Right” is the exhilarating finale in which Manilow’s syncopated vocal line vies with an inverse choral counterpoint. Sheer musical genius!
“Enoch and I have worked together for many years,” Manilow said. “We started with an idea, a story and a situation the character was in. We were writing about a fictitious character who goes through all the stages of fame, gets it, then blows it and begins again. You see this happen so often in today’s pop culture to entertainers like Britney Spears.
“Once I get the idea for a song from a lyric, I begin writing. The hardest song to write is a love song because there are only so many ways to say ‘I love you.’ “While writing ’15 Minutes,’ we focused on the story we were telling. Until I finished composing the music, I hadn’t realized that I had actually gone through all those phases.”
As one of the biggest draws in Las Vegas for many years, Manilow enters the stage with the pleasant thought that he is coming out to greet his great friends and have a party. Throughout each performance, the humor he first exhibited when singing in commercials so many years ago pairs perfectly with his memorable melodies.
“I have enough beautiful songs to fill the Warner Theatre show many times over,” he said. “With a wonderful orchestra behind me, I know it will be a great party.”
