Wikipedia

Harmony (musical)

Harmony is a stage musical with music by Barry Manilow and book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman. The musical tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, an ensemble of six young men in 1920s Germany who took the world by storm with their blend of sophisticated close harmonies and uproarious stage antics, until their inclusion of Jewish singers put them on a collision course with history.

Harmony
A New Musical
Poster for the planned Broadway production
MusicBarry Manilow
LyricsBruce Sussman
BookBruce Sussman
BasisThe life of the Comedian Harmonists
PremiereOctober 7, 1997: Mandell Weiss Theatre, San Diego
Productions1997 La Jolla Playhouse
2013 Atlanta
2014 Los Angeles
2022 Off-Broadway
2023 Broadway

The musical premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in the Mandell Weiss Theatre, in 1997. A planned Broadway production was slated for 2004, but due to lack of funds, it was ultimately canceled. The production opened in Atlanta in 2013, and Los Angeles in 2014, before an Off-Broadway production opened in April 2022. A Broadway transfer opened in November 2023 starring Chip Zien and Sierra Boggess. It closed on February 4, 2024.

Productions

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San Diego (1997)

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In February 1997, Harmony was announced to start previews on October 7, 1997, in the Mandell Weiss Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse. It was created by Barry Manilow, with book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman.[1] It opened on October 19, 1997, and closed on November 30, 1997.[2] The entire production received mixed reviews, and was three hours in length.[3]

David Warren directed the production, with set design by Derek McLane, costume design by Mark Wendland, sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy and lighting by Ken Posner.[4] Danny Burstein originated the role of Rabbi. Other cast members include Mark Chmiel as Lesh, James Clow as Bobby, Steven Goldstein as Erich, Thom Christopher Warren as Harry, Patrick Wilson as Chopin, Rebecca Luker as Mary and Janet Metz as Ruth.[5]

An out-of-town try-out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was slated for opening on December 17, 2003, with previews on November 25, 2003. A Broadway run was also planned for 2004. Previews for the Philadelphia try-out was delayed to December 2, 2003,[6] with opening on December 10, 2003 due to delivery issues. Both productions were canceled following an announcement on November 13, 2003, due to lack of funds.[7]

Atlanta and Los Angeles (2013, 2014)

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After winning back the rights to the musical in 2005, Manilow and Sussman chose to run the musical at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. It ran from September 6, 2013, and closed on October 6, 2013.[8] It then ran at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California, from March 4, 2014, closing on April 13, 2014.[9]

Off-Broadway (2022)

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Harmony was planned to debut Off-Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, New York, on February 9, 2020, closing on March 29, 2020. The opening was subsequently delayed to February 11, 2021[10] and then again delayed to 2022. Previews began on March 23, 2022, opening on April 13, 2022 and ran until May 8, 2022.[11]

Warren Carlyle directed and choreographed the production,[11] with scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Linda Cho, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier and lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer. Sara Edwards would also choreograph the Off-Broadway production.[12] Danny Kornfield portrayed Rabbi, with Steve Telsey playing Lesh, Sean Bell as Bobby, Eric Peters as Erich, Zal Owen as Harry, Blake Roman as Chopin, Sierra Boggess as Mary, Jessie Davidson as Ruth and Chip Zien as Older Rabbi.[12]

Broadway (2023-2024)

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A Broadway production of Harmony opened in 2023. Previews began at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on October 18, 2023, with an opening night of November 13, 2023. Warren Carlyle again directed and choreographed the production.[13] Kornfeld, Telsey, Bell, Peters, Owen, Roman, Boggess and Zien reprised their roles,[14] while Julie Benko originated the role of Ruth on Broadway.[15] An original cast album was released on August 31, 2023.[16]

The production played its final performance on February 4, 2024. It was not able to recoup the $15 million for which it was capitalized.[17]

Cast and characters

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Character San Diego[5] Atlanta[18] Los Angeles Off-Broadway[12] Broadway[19]
1997 2013 2014 2022 2023
"Rabbi" Josef Roman Cycowski[a] — — — Chip Zien
Mary Hegel Rebecca Luker Leigh Ann Larkin Sierra Boggess
Ruth Stern Janet Metz Hannah Corneau Jessie Davidson Julie Benko
Bobby Biberti James Clow Douglas Williams Sean Bell
Young "Rabbi"[a] Danny Burstein Shayne Kennon Danny Kornfeld
Harry Frommerman Thom Christopher Warren Tony Yazbeck Matt Bailey Zal Owen
Erich Collin Steven Goldstein Chris Dwan Eric Peters
Erwin "Chopin" Bootz Patrick Wilson Will Taylor Blake Roman
Ari "Lesh" Leshnikoff Mark Chmiel Will Blum Steven Telsey
Josephine Baker Thursday Farrar — — Ana Hoffman Allison Semmes
Marlene Dietrich[b] Jodi Stevens Lauren Elaine Taylor Chip Zien Kayleen Seidl
Standartenfϋhrer Kurt Zischke Chad Lindsey — Andrew O'Shanick
  1. ^ a b Prior to the 2022 Off-Broadway production, one actor played Rabbi as both a young man and an old man.
  2. ^ In the off-Broadway production, this role was played by the actor playing the older Rabbi; the character was eliminated completely for the Broadway production.

Synopsis

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Act I

The show starts with an old Rabbi recounting his days in the Comedian Harmonists. Rabbi recounts that he was in the group and we hear them sing together in "Harmony". We see them holding the auditions and the various members joining the group- Young Rabbi, Bobby, Erich, Lesh, Harry, and Chopin. Mary is a Christian seamstress, dating the Jewish Young Rabbi. She ponders on the future world and how the area around her is changing. ("What Do You See?") Mary wonders to Young Rabbi whether they can make it. Young Rabbi assures her it’s not so bad out there and they are in love and can move forward. Meanwhile the Harmonists have gotten an audition at a nice club, this could potentially be their big break. We also meet Ruth, a Jew who is dating the Christian Chopin. Ruth is a fiery revolutionist with communist ideals- Mary makes her a red coat and the boys go to support her at a rally with Chopin donning a red scarf to support her. (“This is Our Time”) With the Harmonists getting a spot to play at the nice club, Erich is now concerned because his parents are quite wealthy, so it would get back to them that he played at the club from people who saw him. He is a doctor, so him starting to devote his career to singing is a big change. In this song, he practices telling his parents the news with the other boys acting as his parents and coming up with different reactions. (“Your Son is Becoming a Singer”) We go back to Mary and Young Rabbi. Things have gotten worse for Jews around Germany. Mary is concerned that they are setting themselves up for failure. Young Rabbi assures her that they will fight for each other and proposes marriage. (“Every Single Day”) The harmonists go to the club for their big performance. (“How Can I Serve You Madam?”) It turns out someone has broken into their dressing room since the tuxes for their performance are made by a Jewish shop owner. They end up performing a more comedic styled performance without pants in big jackets with water spraying effects. It’s a huge hit, and the Harmonists become the Comedian Harmonists and incorporate comedy and parody into their acts. This quickly takes off and they become hugely popular. We see Young Rabbi and Mary and Ruth and Chopin get married. ("The Wedding") They perform traditional Jewish wedding customs, but at the end, someone runs up the aisle and breaks the glass of the synagogue. The group and Mary go on a European tour and go to America to play Carnegie Hall. ("Home") They are extremely successful and meet tons of celebrities along the way. This tour is contrasted with images on stage of Nazi propaganda depicting the Nazi rise to power in Germany. The group is largely shielded from this as they are away overseas. They run into Albert Einstein (which is comically Old Rabbi in a wig, Chip Zien did the most in this show). Einstein talks about how bad things have gotten and how he’s never going back. The group gets an offer to stay in the US and host a radio show and do a regular show with the famous Josephine Baker. They debate it, but Bobby is insistent that everybody loves them more at home and they should go back where they have come from. In person, this is a huge part of dramatic irony in the show because you are urging them internally not to go, but they give in to Bobby. Old Rabbi reminisces and wishes they had stayed.

Act II

In a “what if” scenario, we see the group perform with Josephine Baker in a raucous upbeat number ("We're Goin' Loco!"). Rabbi tells us this is what could have been, but they went back. The group has a big performance, performing an original song that uses some Jewish folk music in it ("Hungarian Rhapsody #20"). At this point, we see a Nazi officer and his wife come and sit in the audience. Some anti-Jewish protesters stand up and yell slurs from the balcony at the performance. The Nazi reprimands them and the group finishes their performance. The Nazi then comes up onstage and compliments them on their performance, getting them to sign his album. All of the men are clearly uncomfortable, and Harry (who is Jewish) is somewhat removed. The boys thank the Nazi for defending them, and the Nazi tells them the party actually is in favor of them because it shows they are friendly to culture and let a band with Jewish members perform. Ruth, who is backstage with the group, suddenly loses her temper and is held back by the boys. Finally, Harry is given the album to sign, and the Nazi wipes the pen with a cloth rather than touch it after Harry. He then inquires about Ruth, but the boys don’t give him her information. Before leaving, the Nazi tells the group not to play that song again since it has Jewish folk music. The group has started performing based on where the Nazis would like them to, with the Nazi party controlling their travel and movement. They do a performance at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, which they decide to speak back a little. They perform the whole number as a fake advertisement for Germany, while dressed as puppets on strings, with a rather ominous ending. ("Come to the Fatherland") Jewish passports are destroyed, and the Jews are trapped in Germany. The boys and Mary start plotting an escape. They are going to try and build up some cash from performances so they can get out. Mary tells this to Ruth, who hasn’t heard the plans. Young Rabbi comes to Mary and tells her she doesn’t have to escape if she doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to force her from her home. Mary emphasizes that wherever Rabbi goes she will follow him. (“Where You Go”) Ruth confronts Chopin about the escape plans. He says he can’t do it, and she will leave alone, essentially ending their marriage. She tells him that she will be with him in spirit, that just because he ends their relationship he can’t ignore the horrors occurring. After Ruth walks away, we hear from a Nazi she was arrested. We also find out Erich is Jewish and has been hiding it from the group, but the Nazis know. The group does a film performance to get the cash for the escape (“In This World”). Chopin is singing, but it is a love song and he is remembering Ruth and getting sad. The film ends up stopping production due to Jewish members. The group discusses how to move forward, they don’t have enough cash for all of them and with Jewish members they are now struggling to work. It is decided that they will split up - Mary, Young Rabbi, Erich, and Harry will escape leaving the other three behind. They are on a train when they determine this, and hear that Hitler is on the train ("Threnody"). Old Rabbi discusses how he should have done something at that moment- Hitler walks right by them and he feels he should have attempted to attack him, and maybe that would have changed their fate. He reflects on all the little moments that could have caused their current pain to be avoided. The group eventually does escape, and those that stay in Germany survive the war, except for presumably Ruth (we never know what happens except that Chopin kept looking for her and could not find her). They were banned from performing before they escaped, and all of their records were destroyed. Rabbi is the last surviving member of the group, and he recounts how each of the members lived out their days and how he is the one cursed with remembering and retelling the tragic tale. ("Stars in the Night")


Musical numbers

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Act I

  • "Harmony" – Older Rabbi and Comedian Harmonists
  • "And What Do You See?" – Mary
  • "This Is Our Time" – Young Rabbi, Mary, Ruth, Harry, The Group, and Ralliers
  • "Your Son Is Becoming a Singer" – Erich and Comedian Harmonists
  • "Every Single Day" – Young Rabbi
  • "How Can I Serve You Madame?" – Lesh and Comedian Harmonists
  • "The Wedding" – Company
  • "Home" – Bobby, The Group, and Older Rabbi

Act II

  • "We're Goin' Loco!" – Josephine Baker, Comedian Harmonists and Company
  • "Hungarian Rhapsody #20" – Comedian Harmonists
  • "Come to the Fatherland!" – Harry and Comedian Harmonists
  • "Where You Go" – Mary and Ruth
  • "In This World" – Chopin, Comedian Harmonists, and The Film Cast
  • "Threnody" – Older Rabbi
  • "Stars in the Night" – Company

Awards and nominations

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Off-Broadway production

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Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2022 Lucille Lortel Awards Outstanding Musical Nominated
Outstanding Choreography Warren Carlyle Nominated
Off-Broadway League Awards Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical Won
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Musical Nominated
Outstanding Book of a Musical Bruce Sussman Won
Outstanding Actor in a Musical Chip Zien Nominated

Broadway production

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Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2024 Drama League Awards[20] Outstanding Production of a Musical Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Lefkowitz, David (February 11, 1997). "Barry Manilow Musical Sets La Jolla Premiere". Playbill. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  2. ^ Lefkowitz, David (November 27, 1997). "Harmony Runs Through Nov. 30 at La Jolla". Playbill. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  3. ^ McKinley, Jesse (August 15, 2013). "Breaking Out of His Pop Prison". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  4. ^ Winer, Laurie (October 21, 1997). "Songs of Survival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Harmony at La Jolla Playhouse Mandell Weiss Theatre 1997". About The Artists. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Jones, Kenneth (November 3, 2003). "Harmony Starts Dec. 2 in Philadelphia, a Week Later Than Expected". Playbill. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Harmony Canceled, No Longer Broadway-Bound". TheaterMania. November 13, 2003. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Farmer, Jim (September 6, 2013). "Preview: Phone call led to perfect "Harmony" between Barry Manilow, Alliance Theatre". Art + Design. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "Harmony". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew (December 6, 2019). "Barry Manilow's Harmony Musical Will Now Open in 2021". Playbill. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Gans, Andrew (August 23, 2021). "Barry Manilow's Harmony Musical Will Now Open in 2022". Playbill. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Gans, Andrew (Feb 22, 2022). "Cast Complete for New York Premiere of Barry Manilow's Harmony, Starring Sierra Boggess and Chip Zien". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Russo, Gillian (April 28, 2023). "Barry Manilow musical 'Harmony' to come to Broadway in the fall". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Evans, Greg (May 11, 2023). "Chip Zien Joins Cast Of Broadway-Bound Barry Manilow Musical 'Harmony'". Deadline. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Russo, Gillian (June 1, 2023). "Julie Benko joins 'Harmony' Broadway cast". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  16. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (August 31, 2023). "Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's Harmony Releases Broadway Cast Album August 31". Playbill. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  17. ^ Paulson, Michael (2024-01-16). "'Harmony,' Barry Manilow's Passion Project, to Close on Broadway". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  18. ^ Gioia, Michael (September 15, 2013). "Barry Manilow's Harmony Musical, With Tony Yazbeck, Will Blum, Leigh Ann Larkin and More, Opens Sept. 15". Playbill. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  19. ^ "Cast Complete for Broadway Premiere of Harmony". Playbill. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  20. ^ "2024 Drama League Awards". Drama League Awards. April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
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