On September 15th, I attended a concert called One Voice: The Music of Barry Manilow starting Mark Sanders at Theatre at the Center. All the ‘fanilows’ in the audience, including my friend Nancy and I, really enjoyed the performance.
Sanders’ baritone is warm and resonant, and probably better than Manilow’s. Backed by a three-piece band, he sang his way through Manilow’s hits, interspersed with stories and factoids about the singer/songwriter.
The set list included Manilow hits like It’s A Miracle, Daybreak, Can’t Smile Without You, Bandstand Boogie, Mandy and lots more. Sanders explained that unlike most of his songs, Manilow didn’t write I Write the Songs, but decided to record it anyway.
Barry Manilow got his start writing commercial jingles. In A Very Strange Medley, he sang many of those commercials, ending with one that is still used today, Like a Good Neighbor State Farm is Here. By the way, Sanders mentioned that Manilow got a flat fee of $500 for that one.
Sanders said he has something in common with Barry Manilow – they both love jackets! He started out in a white jacket trimmed with sparkles, and went on to change several times, ending up in a purple jacket trimmed in extra-large purple sequins.
After the show, Sanders spent time in the lobby greeting the audience.