Barry Manilow’s HARMONY - Previews

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/22/22 at 6:19pm

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene will present the musical beginning March 23 in the newly renovated Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. Opening night is scheduled for April 13 for a run through May 8. Tony winner Warren Carlyle directs and choreographs.

As previously reported, the cast will feature Sierra Boggess (The Phantom of the Opera, School of Rock, The Little Mermaid) as Mary with Chip Zien(Falsettos, Into the Woods) as the elder Rabbi. 

Playing the six Comedian Harmonists will be Sean Bell (A Bronx Tale: The Musical), Danny Kornfeld (Rent), Zal Owen (The Band’s Visit), Eric Peters (Motown: The Musical), Blake Roman (Newsies), and Steven Telsey (The Book of Mormon). Jessie Davidson will be Ruth, with Ana Hoffman (Dreamgirls) set to portray Josephine Baker. Kenny Morris (Hairspray) is the standby for Zien’s Rabbi.

The ensemble includes Elise Frances Daniells, Zak Edwards, Abby Goldfarb, Eddie Grey, Shayne Kennon, Benjamin H. Moore, Matthew Mucha, Tori Palin, Barrett Riggins, Kayleen Seidl, Andrew O’Shanick, Nancy Ticotin, and Kate Wesler.

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.

The production will also have scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Linda Choand Ricky Lurie, lighting design by Jules Fisherand Peggy Eisenhauer, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, video design by batwin + robin productions, inc., casting by Jamibeth Margolis, associate direction and choreography by Sara Edwards, general management by Roy Gabay/Jumpstart Entertainment, wig and hair design by Tom Watson, and music direction and additional vocal and music arrangement by John O’Neill.

Harmony is co-produced by Ken Davenport and Sandi Moran with Garry Kief, Amuse, Inc., Susan DuBow, Mapleseed Productions, Michelle Kaplan, and Neil Gooding Productions in association with Wilfried Rimensberger and STILETTO Entertainment. Miranda Gohh is associate producer. 

[Alessio2]

Posted: 3/25/22 at 7:22pm

Anyone attend the first preview for this? I’m looking forward to seeing this when I’m in New York next month! Loved it in LA when I saw it like 8 years ago 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/26/22 at 12:21am

Intrigued to hear reports, since it's been in development so long and Ken Davenport is behind it as a commercial producer.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 3/26/22 at 1:16am

I, too, saw this in Los Angeles back in 2014. I’ll post the Variety review of that production here as I agreed with it at the time. It’s been eight years, though…things change and perhaps this show has, too.

https://variety.com/2014/legit/reviews/l-a-theater-review-barry-manilows-harmony-1201131954/

[GardenOfEden]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 11:07am

Saw this last night.  This is the epitome of "you'll laugh, you'll cry" and (thanks to Barry) you'll leave humming several tunes.  I went in knowing nothing and it was so nice to hear a catchy original score and not know what was going to happen next with the plot.  I think this has the potential to appeal to a wide audience.  

Honestly, and from my understanding that it is still being developed for Broadway, the show starts out pretty weak but ends with such an incredible bang.  There are some excellent moments in Act One, a few great (catchy) songs, a winning cast, etc but its very uneven, long, nothing inventive with staging, some clunky moments and a lot of stuff that could be trimmed. It takes a long time to draw us in, it feels messy, and nothing thrilling happens until the big ballad in the middle. But then Act Two happens and its wonderful. The first two numbers in Act Two are complete show stoppers.  Theres an inventive and powerful number with marrionettes, Warren Carlyle's staging and choreography is great and packs a punch, and Chip Zien gets to deliver a performance that is sure to be recognized come awards season.  Within 10 minutes of the second act I turned to my friend and we said it felt like we were watching a different (and much much much better) show. If they can tighten up Act One, especially the first 20 minutes, and Warren Carlyle can give us a little more 'wow factor' earlier on I think we could have a hit on our hands.  Because you leave the show with all the feelings. 

Aside from that,  the design is sort of this  art deco black mirror looking wall that then has video/projections.  When the projections are happening it looks great but without them it can look cavernous and empty.  Im guessing they'll add more.  The orchestra is lovely.  The cast is uniformly great and those boys are working their butts off.  Sierra and the actress playing Ruth, Jessie Davidson, have some gorgeous moments and a stunning and haunting duet in Act Two.  And, Chip Zien!  An exclamation point will do the trick to convey my feelings on his performance.  You want to see his 11 o'clock tour de force performance.

It feels like a Golden Age of Broadway musical.  They just need to tighten up that first act.  Because, Act Two is a real winner!

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 11:52am

I feel like if this in fact wanting to come to Broadway, a deal with MTC or Roundabout would fit this show perfectly. I don't see it as a long haul, but a limited run where a base is built in would be great.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 3/28/22 at 12:11pm

I have tickets for late April. looking forward to it.

[pair-o-dice]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:45pm

Surprised I'm not hearing more about this.  I thought it was wonderful.  

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:36am

Saw this tonight through TodayTix rush--$32.50 after fees, first row house left which was in line with the forward thrust of the stage at a bit of a steep angle, so a lot of scenes had actors blocking each other--and really enjoyed it!  The first number is fairly long and introduces each character but it never feels worn out and does a great job with setting the stage, and while I found the next few numbers lackluster, it picked back up fairly quickly and I don't think the first act as a whole seemed too inferior to the second act, so I wonder if changes had been made since GardenOfEden saw it.  

For those that didn't get enough of Chip Zien in Caroline or Change, this is the show for you, as he gets to show off his entire range and remains a fairly visible presence throughout the whole show.  Sierra Boggess on the other hand doesn't get as much of a chance to shine, and I actually thought her first number was one of the weakest ones in the score, though her later duet is quite lovely (she also had her back to us during both numbers so couldn't really see what acting she was doing).  The six people playing the Comedian Harmonists are uniformly excellent and really do an impressive job with finding depth in each character, despite some having more speaking time than others. 

I had forgotten Warren Carlyle was behind the choreography but the production numbers were really fun to watch and generally wonderful, and the songs overall are really quite hummable and just enjoyable to listen to.  There's a 9 piece orchestra that sounded fairly lush but occasionally drowned out the singers (though that could also just be the seat location).  I haven't seen a show here before, but I assume the set limitations were due to the space itself, as most of the set comprised of projections along the back walls, but they made good use of props and other set accouterments, though I wonder what they could do with a larger theater space.  Walking out of this, my friend lamented that the location probably meant fewer people would make the trip to go see it, and it seems like something that would do well in the midtown area (whether it be Broadway or one of the larger off-Broadway houses), so hopefully people come to see it because I'd really love to see where it goes after this.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:43am

What's the run time for this one?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:51am

Jordan Catalano said: "What's the run time for this one?"

It started pretty much right on the dot at 8:15pm (the listed curtain time) and we were a few blocks away when I checked the time at 10:57pm, so I'd say maybe just over 2:30

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 12:53am

Thanks!!!

[theatregoer7]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 1:00am

Yes, to respond to chrishuyen, I heard that they cut 15 minutes of Act 1 over the last week, with a large chunk of that being in the opening sequence... so I am presuming that may explain the difference in what you saw compared to GardenofEden.  That's what Previews are for! :)

Glad to hear that the shaping they are doing is working! Excited to see it!

[HugoP]

Posted: 4/3/22 at 10:59am

SPOILERS, sort of.

Loved it, too. I've seen earlier productions and have always thought the score was outstanding but the book needed work.  Here, they've added a central role that really changes the perspective of the show—it's now more of a memory play, centering a lot of heavy themes (survivor's guilt, for example) that give the show more weight.  Honestly, I think these changes make the show more ponderous, and they add some needless narrative complexities (what's happening when? is that a memory, an impression or a fact?).  

Chip Zien plays this new role, the surviving member of the band, and he is our narrator and, now, our central character. Zien is always a powerful performer, and he does great work here, but I wish they had used him more judiciously.  His role overwhelms the production, and everyone else is backdrop.  I hope they pare it back and put the focus on the young band members again.

That said, this production is well worth seeing.   The performers are all excellent, the score is great (with several numbers that are flat-out astounding) and some inventive staging.  I keep pulling for HARMONY to eventually make it to Broadway and the screen...it will be a star-making vehicle for six young singer/dancers.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 10:31pm

Well, I really enjoyed this one. Like others, I didn’t know much of anything going in so it was all a nice surprise. I’m just over the moon I get to see Chip in a staring role in a musical again. We need more of that. Sierra was gorgeous (blonde hair suits her very well) and that voice never disappoints. All of the men were top notch also, I actually can’t say anything bad about anyone in the cast. 
 

It’s so great to have two real Jewish shows playing right now, this and “Mr. Saturday Night”. It’s always weird to me we don’t get more of them, it’s not like we don’t go to the theater. But yeah, I’m really glad I saw this tonight. I don’t know how well this would do on Broadway, they’d really need a huge name to move tickets and make it profitable. Is that actually the goal or was that just a rumor?

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/22/23 at 5:44pm

According to my DVR, the 9 o'clock hour of the Today Show on Friday April 28th will feature "Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman on the musical 'Harmony' ".

Could this be a Broadway announcement?