‘Harmony’ on Broadway: Sensational Sextet
Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's "Harmony" dramatizes an all-male singing group that took the world by storm.
Consider them the Taylor Swifts of the twenties and thirties. Maybe it’s only a slight exaggeration, but the Comedian Harmonists were a huge deal in their day. The six-part vocal group sold out large venues and concert halls throughout Europe and North America, including a stint at the esteemed Carnegie Hall.
With the exception of a 1977 German documentary and a subsequent fictionalized film that precipitated reinterest in their work, they faded into obscurity. At least until their story captured the attention of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman who made them the focus of the current musical, Harmony.
It took several years of workshops and regional stagings to get the show to its current form, but to paraphrase one of Manilow’s own songs, “Looks Like They Made It.” After a highly praised 2022 run at New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage, the production finally transferred to Broadway at the Barrymore Theater. It was well worth the wait.
Stage stalwart Chip Zien (best known for originating the role of the Baker in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods) leads a modest but marvelous cast as the older Josef Roman Cyckowski, aka “Rabbi.” Reminiscing, he narrates the tale of his fellow singers, all of whom he meets in 1927.
“These are my friends, my buddies,” he tells us. “I don’t think human beings can get any closer.” We’re then introduced to orchestrator and arranger Harry (Zal Owen), a chain-smoking tenor, Lesh (Steven Telsey), a senior year medical student whose passion lies more in song, Erich (Eric Peters), a composer who goes by the name Chopin (Blake Roman), Bobby (Sean Bell), a somewhat pretentious bass-baritone, and a younger version of Rabbi (Danny Kornfeld), who once trained as a Jewish religious leader in Poland.
As their star rises throughout Europe, so too does Hitler’s power. Given that three of the group’s members are of Jewish descent and Chopin has fallen in love with Jewish-born Ruth (Julie Benko), circumstances prove problematic. Mary (Sierra Boggess), a gentile who vows devotion to Rabbi, is also troubled by ominous world affairs. Although some Nazi officers proclaim admiration for the group, they are eventually forced to stop performing.
Given the subject matter, it would be misleading to classify Harmony as a musical comedy. Still, there are plenty of moments that provide welcome levity to an otherwise heavy tale. Erich, terrified to tell his parents that he won’t be pursuing medicine, roleplays with the group in “Your Son is Becoming a Singer.”
Later, the sextet performs a suggestive and silly bit with “How Can I Serve You, Madame?” At the top of Act II, The Harmonists join Josephine Baker (Allison Semmes), one of the many notable stars the group mingled with, for the spirited tune, “We’re Goin’ Loco.” Essentially, it’s a re-purposed version of Manilow’s “Copacabana.”
Zien clocks overtime as he melts into the additional roles of composer Richard Strauss and Albert Einstein. The schtick is a bit cartoonish but Zien is such an endearing and charming performer that all is forgiven. Einstein delivers one of the show’s most potent lines as he explains the threat of dictatorship. “Throughout the course of history, the failure of democracies has set the stage for the success of tyrants,” he says.
Book writer Sussman and director Warren Carlye do a fine job of balancing lighter fare with such serious material and given this fantastic and nimble cast, it’s impossible to not be won over by their antics and vocal prowess.
Manilow has composed a traditional Broadway score and for that, we can truly be grateful. Given much of what passes as music in contemporary musical theater, it’s worth welcoming his melodies and Sussman’s sincere lyrics with open ears and hearts.
Beowulf Borrit’s scenic design, much like it did downtown, remains understated and underwhelming for such a flashy bunch of singers, but Linda Cho’s costume design delivers classic appeal to the show.
With a war raging in the Middle East, continued killings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a battle between Russia and Ukraine, and other unspeakable acts of violence transpiring around the world, Harmony has arguably landed on Broadway at the exact right moment. We are often told that pieces like this serve as a reminder to stand against authoritarianism, and yet we are still not heeding the warnings and learning our lessons.
Musical theater doesn’t always need to teach us tough history lessons, nor must it always be frivolous kicklines, jazz hands, and silliness. With Harmony, we get a well-orchestrated and important combination of both.
Harmony (★★★★☆) is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 West 47th St. in New York City. Tickets are $75 to $318. Visit www.harmonyanewmusical.com.
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