Could it be magic?

By Lizz Brain

He may be best-known for one of the catchiest hits of the 1990s, but for now Chesney Hawkes is the one and only … Barry Manilow!

The blond singer/songwriter plays the lead role in new musical Can’t Smile Without You.

It’s a Manilow-fest featuring more than 30 Barry classics, from Copacabana and Could It Be Magic through Sweet Heaven, Even Now, All The Time and One Voice.

Producer and director Bill Kenwright had been auditioning for a while but couldn’t find someone who could convincingly play and sing Manilow’s songs – which are musically complex and vocally versatile.

He spotted Chesney Hawkes on a TV show and invited him to audition.  “I sang a couple of Barry songs and he practically gave me the job on the spot,” recalls Chesney.

“It’s amazing how comfortable I feel singing Manilow songs, and I have enormous respect for him as a singer and songwriter.

“I have to play most of these songs live and there are at least three key changes in each one. The chords are beautiful. He is musically brilliant and I’ve grown as a musician.

“It’s certainly not just plinking away – these songs are iconic.”

The show isn’t a Manilow biography on stage though, it’s a fictional story of an aspiring young band, who on a visit to New York, come across auditions for the latest reality TV show to find the next pop music sensation.

When the TV company offers lead singer Tony a chance to appear on the show, the other band members give him their blessing.  However, before Tony can realise his dream, he is caught up in a tragic sequence of events which leave him fighting for his life.

Left with no memory, his dreams are all but shattered.

His only hope lies in the power of the music he loves, and his feelings for a girl he once knew, called – you guessed it, Mandy.

“It’s a journey as he gets his memory back, and it’s packed with Manilow tunes,” says Chesney. 

“We get Barry fan club members in every night – they may not be seeing the man himself, but it’s cheaper than a ticket to the O2 and they still get to hear the songs and sing along.”

Chatting away, it’s hard to believe  it’s 17 years since The One and Only hit the charts, and it’s still a big hit in clubs and student nights.

Since then, Chesney has been busy writing songs for groups such as Hear’Say and Tears for Fears, and has continued touring.

“I feel like I’ve never stopped being out on the road,” he says.

“I got married and had three kids as well, but duty calls and although I’m missing them while I’m touring, we all have bills to pay and mouths to feed!

“But I am enjoying myself, it’s a great show with a fabulous cast of youngsters who have bags of energy – I’m 37 and feel like their grandad!”

Info

Can’t Smile Without You plays Nottingham Theatre Royal from November 3 to 8.

Details on 0115 989 5555 or visit www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk