Remembering When
When pop-music titan Barry Manilow decided to bring his 1978 hit single, “Copacabana,” to life as a book musical, he certainly could have staged the show about “music and passion” at what was arguably the most-famous American nightclub of the mid-20th century anywhere he wanted. But he chose Our Town, specifically Caesars Atlantic City.
Thus it was that in September, 1990, “Barry Manilow Presents Copacabana” had its world premiere at Caesars’ Circus Maximus theater. For one cast member, it was—and remains—the job of a lifetime.
“It has to be at the top for me because it was the most fun and the best gig I’ve ever had,” offered Lou DeMeis during a recent phone call from his Las Vegas home. DeMeis, 75, portrayed Rico, the story’s villain, who does his best (worst) to steal the story’s heroine, Copa showgirl Lola, away from her beloved Tony.
More than three decades later, DeMeis, who remains active in show business as a singer and producer, vividly remembers his time as the “Copacabana” heavy, starting with his initial disinterest in participating in the project.
“In the summer of 1990, I got a call from my agent, the late Cathy Parker, and she said, ‘I got you an audition for Barry Manilow’s show.’ I thought it was gonna be just a revue thing, and I really wasn’t up for that because I was still doing the rock & roll stuff. So, I said, ‘Turn it down.’
“But they called her back two days later and said they really, really wanted to see me. She just never let up on it, so I went up [to Greenwich Village] and it didn’t really turn out great on the way up, because I got a speeding ticket.
“I walked into the audition and Manilow was there along with [co-writers] Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman.”
For his audition song, South Philly native DeMeis performed “I Don’t Remember Christmas” from the 1976 off-Broadway musical, “Starting Here Starting Now,” after which Manilow asked him if he could sing a ballad for the creative team.
“I said, ‘Well, they told us just to bring an up-tempo thing.’ So, Barry looked at my resume, and I had just done ‘The Fantasticks,’ so he asked if I could do ‘Try to Remember.’”
But DeMeis was at a loss when Manilow asked him in which key he wanted it played. “I said I had no idea, so he turned to the keyboard player and he said, ‘Give it to him in F,’ and it was the perfect key, because he just has an ear that you wouldn’t believe.
“So, I did that, and they wound up keeping me around for three hours. And I read with all these people. Then they said, ‘Thank you very much.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that was a waste of a day.’”
Obviously, it wasn’t, as DeMeis landed the role and embarked on the greatest professional adventure of his life.
A first-class production
While the cast members weren’t well-known, beyond Manilow the behind-the-scenes talent was formidable and included Emmy-winning choreographer Doriana Sanchez, who has worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Jane’s Addiction and, most notably, Cher. Likewise, DeMeis remembered, few, if any, expenses were spared for the production, including housing the cast at The Enclave condominium complex.
There was, apparently, a solid return on investment as “Copacabana” proved to be a hit: According to Google AI, 100,000 tickets were sold in the first six months—although that doesn’t mean it was seen by as many people; DeMeis spoke of rabid “Fanilows” who saw the show “30 or 40” times.
Of course, not everyone was a satisfied customer: Caesars suits received some complaints because Manilow did not actually perform in the show—despite the gaming hall’s repeated public notifications that he wouldn’t be onstage.
A one-city engagement
The prevailing opinion among some Boardwalk insiders of the time was that the Caesars run was a precursor to a Broadway engagement. But according to DeMeis, “Copacabana” was never intended to hit the Great White Way. Instead, he said, the understanding among the cast members was that after its AyCee run (which lasted almost 11 months), the show would head out on tour.
That never happened, although what began as an 85-minute program was expanded into a full-blown musical that was staged for two years (1994-’96) throughout the United Kingdom. There were also subsequent productions in the U.S. and abroad, but DeMeis’ participation ended when the show left Caesars.
DeMeis’ theory as to why his version didn’t have a longer life was that Manilow was distracted by his attempts to produce for the Broadway stage another musical, “Harmony,” which was based on the true story of The Comedian Harmonists, a popular troupe of entertainers in pre-Hitler Germany that fell victim to the Nazis’ virulent antisemitism.
It took Manilow decades to achieve that goal, but “Harmony” officially opened in November, 2023 at New York’s Ethel Barrymore Theater. It closed less than three months later.
Another cherished memory of DeMeis’ is that of the lavish party that followed the official opening-night performance. “‘Electric’ would be the best way to describe it,” he said. “Everything was top-shelf from the bottom to the top.”
While DeMeis was disappointed his “Copacabana” experience wasn’t longer, he figures he still came out way ahead, thanks to the opportunity he had to work under Manilow’s supervision.
“There was never any pressure,” he offered. “He was always really cool with the actors, the dancers, everybody. He never talked down to us; he treated us all really well.
“And I learned a lot from him vocally. He said, ‘You’re a lyric baritone, you shouldn’t try to be a tenor because you’re just gonna hurt yourself.’
“That’s the best advice anybody had ever given me.”
