What: Harmony
Where: Museum of Jewish Heritage
36 Battery Place
New York, NY
Who: Teens and Up Due to Subject Matter
When: Through May 8, 2022
Harmony is the true story of the German all-male musical sextet, The Comedian Harmonists which was one of the most popular performing groups during the period just prior to World War I. They ran into trouble during the war as three of the group's members were Jewish and one was married to a Jew although this is not a typical Holocaust story with a tragic ending. The music for the show was written by beloved pop music icon, Barry Manilow. He and his co-writer, Bruce Sussman, who wrote the book and lyrics for the show, have been working on the show for a number of years. The show originally appeared at La Jolla Playhouse as far back as 1997, and there have been several other regional productions since then.
The show is definitely intriguing. The story is really interesting, and it moves along at a rapid pace. The music is mostly good and the title number is particularly catchy and will probably stick in your mind long after you've seen the show. The six actors playing the lead roles in the current production are terrific. Their harmonies are beautiful and their dancing is exuberant. Chip Zien, who narrates the show as an older version of one of the six and who also appears in a number of small roles is amazing. His performance is alternately delightfully amusing and utterly heartbreaking. Sierra Boggess also shines in a supporting role as one of the singer's loyal wives, and her voice is as lovely as ever. All in all the production is definitely worth seeing.
And that's our view. For more information about Harmony or to purchase tickets, visit nytf.org/harmony.
Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.
Photo credits: All Harmony production photos by Julieta Cervantes
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