On June 17, Barry Manilow turned 53. If your reaction to that news is "So what?" read no further. If, on the other hand you are among the legion of secret Barry boosters, you'll excuse the expression, "This one's for you."

Among the authors of this review, there is one Barry closet case (hint: It isn't Scott), but we both attended The Big Barry Birthday Bash at Don't Tell Mama and responded to the delightfully quirky obsession that engendered it. Producer/Manilow devotee Laura Davis originated the idea of thusly celebrating Manilow in Minneapolis, and it quickly became a Twin Cities tradition. When she moved to New York, she brought the concept with her. (So strong is the tradition that several Minneapolis performers flew in just to take part in the recent Big Apple version of the show.) Looking like a 1950's glam movie star, Davis hosted, capturing the essence of Barry's concert production values by managing three spectacular costume changes during the course of the evening. More than that, she managed to orchestrate a massive cast of performers in a 90-minute extravaganza that was, at once, wonderfully self-aware of its loopiness and markedly uneven.

One singer captured both the best and the worst of the show in her two numbers. Making her New York debut, Minneapolis' Michelle Carter performed "I Want to Be Somebody's Baby" like a caricature of a Las Vegas lounge crooner, but later rebounded with a smoky and thoroughly internalized rendition of "Say No More." The entire evening was like that: amateur night mixed with first-rate cabaret. Nonetheless, the sheet energy of the company helped smooth over the rough spots.

One of the smooth spots came from Charles Cermele, who gave a star performance of "And When October Goes." Jarrod Cafaro showed off his bright and winning voice in two numbers, "I Made It Through the Rain" and "Daybreak." Doug Anderson offered a delightfully stylized "Man Wanted," while Lisa Kirchner scored with "Sandra." "One of the discoveries of the evening was Tom Schmid, who displayed a thrilling voice in "Ready to Take a Chance Again" and a heroic romanticism in "Who Needs to Dream?" Finally, musical director/pianist Jim Abbott made the most of "Studio Musician," and the entire cast had great fun acting out the story of "Copacabana" to Barry's recording. Then is was time for birthday cake. And it's on to next year, as the tradition continues. . .