Barry Manilow Contracts COVID-19

By Stephanie Downs

Barry Manilow had some unfortunate news to share with his fans on Wednesday. Ahead of the opening night of his show, Harmony: A New Musical, Manilow revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19, per CBS News. As a result, he was forced to miss opening night as he recovers. 

Manilow addressed the news on Twitter. He wrote that this may be "the cruelest thing" that he's ever been faced with. The singer noted that he's been waiting 25 years to put on this show only to have to miss opening night. Manilow ended his message by urging everyone to still enjoy the show, writing, "Even in the face of this pandemic, we New Yorkers remain the toughest, staunchest people on the planet — so, put on a mask and go see a show!"

Variety reported that Harmony has faced an uphill battle to make it onto the stage in New York City. Manilow and Bruce Sussman created the book that the musical is based on as well as the lyrics. It first premiered back in 1997 at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. The musical then had plans to put on a production in Philadelphia in 2003, which would have paved its way to Broadway. However, it did not come to fruition after producers failed to raise enough funds. Later, in 2013, they put on a production of Harmony at the Alliance Theater Company in Atlanta. Yet again, it did not lead to the show going to Broadway. 

According to PEOPLE, this version of Harmony was set to premiere in 2019. It was later postponed to 2020 and was later delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, Harmony was able to find a home in the Edmond J. Safra Hall Theatre at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and is being presented by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF). Harmony's opening night took place on Wednesday after two weeks of preview performances. It will continue to run through May 8. 

Harmony isn't the only show that has faced changes and delays amid the pandemic. Plaza Suite, starring real-life couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, canceled several shows in early April after the two stars tested positive for COVID-19. Macbeth, starring Daniel Craig, was also forced to cancel shows after members of both the cast and crew tested positive for the illness. 

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