REVIEW:

Manilow show gets update, and this time it’s ‘ultimate’

What’s still the same: energy and hits, hits, hits

Sam Morris

Barry Manilow’s show at the Hilton has undergone a makeover and been renamed “Ultimate Manilow: The Hits,” but fan interaction and a focus on hits remain.

By Joe Brown (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Who: Barry Manilow
What: “Ultimate Manilow: The Hits”
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Las Vegas Hilton Showroom
Admission: $95-$225; 732-5755, www.lvhilton.com
Running time: Approximately 100 minutes

Joe Brown

You know the words already (3-11-2008)
Must-go: The showman is on (3-5-2008)

Barry Manilow

The latest edition of Barry Manilow’s show at the Las Vegas Hilton is called “Ultimate Manilow: The Hits.” And true to its title, it’s crammed, stuffed, bulging with hits.

Basically a remodeled version of his previous revue (“Penultimate Manilow”?), it has a spiffed up stage, lighting that bathes everything in soap bubble hues and video screens brought up to competitive scale and quality. The showroom’s adjacent bar has been renamed the Ultimate Bar, and the gift shop merchandise, from Manilow merlot to shower wraps, all bears the Ultimate Manilow brand.

At first it seems as if Manilow’s predominantly ’70s-era pop songs have undergone a makeover, too — the show begins with a noisy dance remix-style overture. But Manilow’s one of the last remaining showbiz smarties, and he knows his fans wouldn’t stand for too much messing with the classics.

Emerging from an M-shaped door, backlighted in a cloud of fog (sort of like the alien in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”), Manilow begins the first of what seem like dozens of hits — “It’s a Miracle” dovetails with “Daybreak,” “Weekend in New England” and on and on. He’s also restored a longtime favorite part of the show, a romp through the commercial jingles he penned before pop stardom, and he Manilizes a string of hits from decades past, part of his series of successful “Greatest Songs” albums.

A theme of love lost and remembered drifts through the song selection, and the most affecting moments come when Manilow sings the most sentimental tunes to the simplest accompaniment.

But the real take-away of this show is that Manilow is a love object: A sizable contingent of his cult considers him erotic. (Remember, many women felt this way about Clay Aiken, too.) When a lyric happens to mention touching or being touched, hungry howls go up from the crowd. And when he makes rumpy-pumpy motions, it seems the roof may cave in.

Manilow invited a woman up for the now-customary slow dance to “This One’s for You,” and she wasted no time grabbing — and gripping — his Manilower area.

Manilow at 65 is a tireless performer. Relentless, even. He hits the notes and holds them, cheerily joshes himself and the fans, bops around the stage like a Barryonette. It was rumored that Manilow had his hips replaced a few years ago, but it seems more likely he has become entirely cyborg, because he whips through the show with barely a break for breath. Donny & Marie will want to up their Pilates sessions if they don’t want to look bad next to the old guy.

Discussion: 3 comments so far…

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By Brindie

Oct. 1, 2008

7:42 a.m.

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Joe:
You hit the nail on the head! I was at 3 of this weekend's shows and they were fantastic. Barry is the "ultimate" entertainer and he truly deserves the title of "showman of our generation" which he has previously received. There is not another show in Vegas or anywhere else that couldn't take a few lessons from him. And on top of that, he is a great humanitarian as shown by his extremely generous donation of musical instruments to the schools of his home town, Palm Springs, on Monday, an event that didn't get enough publicity.
By azsk8fan

Oct. 1, 2008

11:05 a.m.

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Anything has to be better than Plastic-Man Newton LOL.
By bflogirl

Oct. 2, 2008

11:47 a.m.

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I went to the show last Friday and I was skeptical at first. But I was so pleasantly delighted. What a great show!
I took my 11 year old Daughter and her best friend with me. They had a blast! At the end of the show they both said, "Thanks Mom for taking us, that was the best show we have ever seen"!