Theater Thursday - Harmony

We were given complimentary tickets to Harmony for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. Some parts of this review may have appeared in a previous post. 

What: Harmony

Where: Ethel Barrymore Theatre

             243 W. 47th 

             New York, New York

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

Harmony is the true story of the German all-male musical sextet, The Comedian Harmonists who were 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. This is not a typical Holocaust story with a completely tragic ending, however. 

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 quite a long time. It was originally presented at the La Jolla Playhouse as far back as 1997, and there have been several other regional productions since then.

The show is quite compelling. 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 first act is mostly cheerful and happy although there is a dark undercurrent of what is to come running through it.  The second act will take you on a rollercoaster of emotion.

The six actors in the roles of the Comedian Harmonists in the current production all originated their roles in last year's Off-Broadway run of the show.  Their performances are just as incredible now as then (although, unfortunately, we did not get to see Danny Kornfeld in the role of Young Rabbi this time around, More on that later).   Their harmonies are just as beautiful and their dancing is even more exuberant now on the larger Broadway stage. 

It did feel like a little something was missing without Danny Kornfeld in the show, however. While Matthew Mucha who took on the role in the performance was fine, Kornfeld just brings a little something extra to the part. Maybe, it's because he is actually Jewish and therefore it gives his performance a bit more intensity although truthfully, we don't know if that is the reason or even if Mucha is Jewish or not. However, Mucha didn't have as much chemistry with Sierra Bogus who plays the character's wife either.

Chip Zien and Sierra Boggess who were also both in last year's Off-Broadway production are as wonderful as ever. He plays the older version of Rabbi who narrates the story and also appears in a number of other small roles. His performance is alternately delightfully amusing and utterly heartbreaking. Boggess' voice is as beautiful as ever and her performance is touching. A welcome addition to the cast is Julie Benko in the role of Ruth. Her feisty performance as the rebellious Ruth is also quite moving.

With tensions high and hate crimes on the rise, this is the perfect time for this musical. It shows how bad things can get if we let them and how much better they can be when despite our differences we come together and work to together and try to appreciate each other. That is something we need much more of both in this country and in the world at large today.

And that's our view. For more about Harmony or to purchase tickets, visit harmonyanewmusical.com

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits:

All Harmony production photos by Julieta Cervantes

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms.
If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.