Little Lark of London

“Harmony . . . That’s just about all we had”

Harmony: A New Musical, with book and lyrics by Bruce Sussman and music by Barry Manilow, tells the story of the Comedian Harmonists, an all-male harmony ensemble from Germany that performed around the world between 1928 and 1934, splitting up before World War II. Three members of the Harmonists were Jewish and one was married to a Jewish woman, which led to conflict with the German government as the Nazis gained power. Chip Zien takes on the role of Rabbi, one of the Comedian Harmonists, who narrates the story and witnesses its flashbacks throughout the lives of him and his fellow singers. He also takes on a range of supporting characters including a club owner and Strauss!

The Comedian Harmonists, played by Sean Bell (Bobby), Eddie Grey (Lesh), Danny Kornfeld (Young Rabbi), Zal Owen (Harry), Eric Peters (Erich) and Blake Roman (Chopin) each are fantastic individual actors but come together in, pun fully intended, perfect harmony, delighting audiences with song and dance while still having scenes that allow them to express their thoughts in between performances. I particularly loved Erich,, who has a running joke where he knows every famous person (and quite possibly has a romantic relationship with Josephine Baker herself!).

The performers are joined by Mary (Sierra Boggess), Rabbi’s wife, a Gentile who is committed to her husband and will follow him anywhere, and Ruth (Julie Benko), a fiery Communist determined to see a better Germany. While the character of Mary is a bit bland and undeveloped, I found myself rooting for Ruth and her outspokenness, which leads to conflict with leaders in Germany as both the Harmonists and the Nazis rise in popularity. 

Barry Manilow’s music and Sussman’s book give off very classic musical energy with simple dialogue in between flowery lyrics and dramatic ballads, which is quite nice to see after many musicals attempting to break the classic mold. Sometimes, the orchestra overpowered the voices, which made it difficult to understand lyrics, but nothing too important was missed. The choreography, done by director Warren Carlyle, is simple yet effective, particularly in the enumbers in which the Harmonists are performing. I especially loved one in which the Harmonists dressed up as waiters and danced around with rolling tables, making for a very comedic and musical moment. The set, designed by Beowulf Boritt, is mirrored, seemingly trapping Rabbi within his own memories, forced to reflect on a past he cannot escape from. Videos appear on the background at times to signify the passage of time and different settings and have various levels of effectiveness. 

Unfortunately, there are too many characters and subplots for each of them to be fully developed, which leads to a little bit of a lack of connection with the majority of characters, excluding the fully fleshed-out Rabbi, who we are able to see as both a young and old man. The audience has to learn who each of the six Comedian Harmonists are, then they are introduced to their romantic partners, then their fellow musicians . . . It takes a long time for everything to be established, which means the first act drags a little bit.

Luckily, the pace picks up in Act Two as tensions continue to grow. A particularly tense moments takes place on a train as the Comedian Harmonists must choose what to do with their future, and Rabbi faces an opportuinty to change the world, his older self watching on in horror. The ending of Harmony is incredibly powerful, with Chip Zien performing a song as Rabbi mourns the loss of his fellow Harmonists and wishes that things could have changed. It is heartbreaking to see the man struggle with the choices he made in life, unable to change them as he forces himself to repeat them over and over again.

Ultimately, Harmony: A New Musical is a beautiful show that pays tribute to a music group forgotten by history. It stresses the importance of not being a political bystander, warning audiences that if they cannot learn from history, they may be doomed to repeat it. 

Harmony: A New Musical runs at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway in New York, with tickets currently available through 1 September 2024. Tickets can be purchased here.

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes