Barry Manilow.Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty
Barry Manilowis missing the premiere of his off-Broadway musical after testing positive for COVID.
“I am heartbroken to say that I have just tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t be able to attend tonight’s opening night performance of my new musical, HARMONY,” wrote Manilow. “This just might be the cruelest thing that has ever happened to me: 25 years waiting for this show to premiere in New York and I can’t attend.”
While Manilow won’t be in the audience for opening night, he encouraged others to take appropriate safety precautions and keep attending performances in the face of COVID-related difficulties. “Even in the face of this pandemic, we New Yorkers remain the toughest, staunchest people on the planet,” continued his statement. “So, put on a mask and go see a show!”
Barry Manilow.Sean Zanni/getty
Prior to Manilow’s diagnosis preventing him from seeingHarmony, the production faced multiple delays, as it was meant to launch in 2019 before getting postponed to 2020, and then it was pushed off again due to the pandemic. Ahead of its official April 13 opening night, the musical began previews on March 23 at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s Edmond J. Safra Hall Theatre at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Based on a true story,Harmonyfollows six young men known as the Comedian Harmonists, who gained a fanbase in 1920s Germany thanks to their polished vocal abilities and unruly stage presence. But after allowing Jewish people to enter the musical comedy group, the Harmonists face a difficult future to come.
In 2020, Manilow releasedNight Songs II, an album of classic love songs from the Great American Songbook, from “My Funny Valentine” to “I’m Old Fashioned.”
source: people.com
