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Manos takes Manhattan, talks about upcoming Tonys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Broadway got a taste of the Chris Manos charm the other day.
In New York City for the League of American Theatres and Producers’ spring powwow, the Theatre of the Stars chief picked up the league’s Distinguished Lifetime Service Award for his 47 years in showbiz. Manos, 76, has presented more than 700 shows during his Atlanta career.
Joking about receiving the award at his age, he said, “If you stumble going down the stairs, they say, ‘Hurry, we better do something.’ ” (Two years ago, he received the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts’ first Georgia Arts & Entertainment Legacy Award at the Fox Theatre, and Broadway diva Jennifer Holliday flew in to belt her trademark song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls.”)
The award from Broadway’s national trade group would have been a surprise, Manos said, but he knew something was cooking when his three children showed up. His new crystal-star sculpture with the league logo is “pretty,” he said, but he was especially thrilled to get to try out his legendary arsenal of jokes on a fresh crowd.
“My baseball stuff went over big,” said the unsinkable Braves fan. Previous recipients include “Hello, Dolly!” author Jerry Herman, Carol Channing and “Chicago” producers Barry and Fran Weissler. That, quipped Manos, is “high cotton.”
A big part of Manos’ job is scouting Broadway for shows he’d like to produce in Atlanta and doing his Tony homework. He’s a voter for the Tony Awards, which will be handed out on June 10, following nominations on May 15.
Manos had nice things to say about “Grey Gardens,” “Legally Blonde” and “Spring Awakening.” He said he’d be back to Manhattan soon to see Atlanta-born playwright Alfred Uhry’s “LoveMusik,” based on the love letters of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya.
Manos said he was asked if he would like to produce rock composer Duncan Sheik’s “Spring Awakening.” And though the show contains simulated sex, nudity, a teen pregnancy, a suicide and a rousing song about masturbation, he didn’t give it a second thought. The producer said he’d do it in a minute, and even though the material is racy by commercial standards, he says it has a good shot at Tony’s big enchilada, the slot for best new musical.
Manos may be 76, but he’s hipper than we thought.
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