Entertainment
Barry Manilow explains why his World War II set musical is eerily relevant today
However within the musical “Concord,” which premiered in New York this week, Barry Manilow and his longtime songwriting companion Bruce Sussman try to provide the six younger males of the Comic Harmonists their rightful place in historical past by telling their story.
It’s a undertaking they’ve been engaged on for many years, however “Concord’s” relevance now could be chilling, with battle raging in Ukraine and harmless lives being disrupted by hate.
“It sounds very present,” Manilow mentioned in an interview throughout a rehearsal final month.
“I believe one of many many joys about doing this present now could be that it appears to be resonating greater than ever,” Sussman added.
“There are literally moments within the present the place I concern that individuals are going to assume I am writing to the headlines. This stuff have been written, a few of them years in the past, and it is simply now that they appear like they’re taken from the entrance web page of the paper or your lead story on CNN,” he mentioned.
Three of the Comic Harmonists have been Jewish, three have been gentile. They have been shut down by Hitler, their 12 movies and lots of information ordered burned and destroyed. All males scattered and fled, and one in every of their Jewish wives was taken by the Third Reich and by no means seen once more.
However earlier than it obtained to that, the boys, worldwide sensations within the early Nineteen Thirties, have been in New York, enjoying Carnegie Corridor, and had the chance to remain in America however determined to return to Germany.
The poignancy of those males not having the ability to think about a dictator like Hitler might kill harmless individuals the way in which he did is a bone chilling parallel to present occasions, as Vladimir Putin seems to focus on civilians – youngsters and ladies – in his personal bloodthirsty quest for land and energy.
When the character often known as “Rabbi,” performed by Chip Zien, belts out a painful line “Why?” the viewers doesn’t should be transported again virtually a century to attach with the wanton evil. It’s occurring as we converse in Ukraine.
“It is the identical hate, simply completely different uniforms,” is one in every of many strains within the musical with that tragically well timed that means.
The group was formally shut down by the Nazis not solely as a result of a number of the members have been Jewish, however as a result of the singers have been labeled “degenerate” and censored, additionally the type of tactic one sees at the moment in Putin’s Russia.
‘That is the type of Broadway musical that I at all times wished to put in writing’
Sussman wrote the lyrics, and Manilow wrote the music.
“It is my proudest second as a songwriter,” mentioned Manilow.
“That is what I began off eager to be. I wished to be a Broadway songwriter and an arranger of pop music. That was it. And right here it’s. It is taken a short while longer, a little bit longer than I believed it might, however that is the type of Broadway musical that I at all times wished to put in writing. It is obtained each fashion of music that I’ve at all times beloved. It isn’t only one fashion. You’d assume, ‘Oh, Barry Manilow, it will be all ballads.’ It isn’t. Each tune is completely completely different than the one earlier than it,” Manilow elaborated.
“That is the Barry I need everyone to learn about,” Sussman chimed in.
The 2 have been collaborators for 50 years, writing one in every of Manilow’s most enduring hits collectively: “Copacabana.”
“‘Copacabana’ was an ice cream sundae. It was frothy, and it was enjoyable to do, and it was stylistic, trendy. It was additionally a really bizarre pop tune as a result of there was nothing prefer it on the radio. Possibly that is one of many the reason why it was as profitable because it was. That is — we’ve got to place ourselves into the pinnacle of Twenties, Nineteen Thirties Germany between the wars,” defined Sussman.
“We discuss in regards to the depth of this piece. It isn’t a severe night. The primary act is as up, and completely satisfied, and humorous, and stuffed with vitality as any Broadway musical that I’ve ever seen. Simply on the second act, it begins to go darkish,” mentioned Manilow.
The thought got here many years in the past after Sussman watched a documentary in regards to the Comic Harmonists and referred to as Manilow to say he discovered the musical they need to write. Earlier than Manilow turned a pop star within the early Seventies along with his first hit, “Mandy,” the collaborators and mates wished to be the following Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Each native New Yorkers and Jewish, they mentioned they linked with this story instantly.
“We all know these individuals. I imply, there are Jewish characters and gentile characters. We definitely know the Jewish characters. These are individuals we grew up with. These are individuals in our household. These have been individuals in our neighborhoods who occurred to even be terrifically proficient,” mentioned Sussman.
“We all know what means stuff to them. Yeah, it was deep. That half was a deep expertise. Bruce needed to go approach deeper than I did since he is the guide author, the story author. However I needed to do my very own work and discover melodies that made sense on this world of Germany and Jewish,” Manilow mentioned.
And to these Manilow melodies, the characters sing of impending doom the viewers is aware of is coming: “Darkness grows. The world turns chilly. And nonetheless there glows the sunshine. Heaven is aware of. What hope they maintain tonight.”
For extra on this subject, CNN’s Dana Bash presents “Being…Barry Manilow,” airing Saturday at 11pm ET on CNN.