#BroadwayAlert #NewYorkNotes #Harmony #HarmonytheMusical #TheCastofHarmony BARRY MANILOW AND BRUCE SUSSMAN’S “HARMONY” BROADWAY EARNS WHOM YOU KNOW'S HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION #PEACHYDEEGAN @MANHATTANPEACHY @barrymanilow @kendavenport
Neither Peachy nor Pictures Lie: This Earned a Standing Ovation:
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and everyone knows there's no business like show business...and FINALLY the best show we have seen in YEARS and absolutely the best one ever since covid struck has made its debut: HARMONY THE MUSICAL.
We have simple taste: we like the best.
Harmony is the best right now, and it will be for years.
It started last Monday! Everything that is old is new again in its timeless elegance and eloquence, not to mention acrobatic dance routines that only elite athletes are capable of.
It is by far the strongest show in terms of talent, depth of story and plot, song and dance routines and obviously the score thanks to legendary composer and singular sensation, Barry Manilow with his equally talented collaborator, Bruce Sussman and top producer, Ken Davenport.
Harmony is highly authentic, genuine, quality. Period.
It's a celebration of true friendship.
It's been said that this group was as big as the Beatles way before the Beatles, and we are honored to review them also (did you hear red and blue and now and then too?) and if you appreciate the finer sounds of life, Harmony has your name all over it. Before there were the fab four, there were the sensational six, and the six we saw totally nailed their performance both respectively and in tandem. They didn't let background or belief affect them: they only believed in the same maxim we do: EXCELLENCE.
Taking place in the 1920s and 1930s, Harmony has tunes evocative of the Whiffenpoofs or even better, the Perilhettes, and is testimony to the fact that no one can top a classic. We absolutely adore history and that's what Peachy's BA from BC is in! There's a reason this story has endured for a century and it's time to hear it now. The stage setting correctly supports the story and makes the audience feel like they have just the ticket to the right club. It's exactly what it needs to be, not overwhelming the show like lesser productions we don't publish on after seeing them. If you have not read our other 28,000 posts, you should know if we don't have anything good to say, we say nothing at all. All of the top world cities like New York, London and Paris are covered in this show and you don't even have to hop on a plane. The costumes are simply amazing and those of Josephine Baker stand out in particular and we love the Rabbi's argyle. Even Albert Einstein is in this!
Though you all know Peachy is Catholic, we understand through our Jewish friends that the Hebrew words in Harmony are historically accurate and it's the repeated refrain of the last act: "Shema Yisrael" (Hear O Israel). In a world that needs collective peace, understanding, friendship and happy collaboration more than ever, this show emblazons such a theme, showcasing the emotional highs and lows and telling a story a century old. Differences are only differences when you let them make a difference.
Fortunately, it is not all deep and heavy and the lighter moments balance the show quite well. We were terrifically impressed with the water pouring coordination and aim and not ruining the female character's hair at all in conjunction with this fun highlight. And if you want to run away and join the circus and be a singer or a Peachy or really anything but a Doctor, there's a number for you, too.
If you want Peace, Fun, and Enlightened Talent, what you need to do right now is book your tickets to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre to see this. And the best performer of the six? No, we don't believe it's one of them though they each could not have been better. The night we saw Harmony, the role of Young Rabbi was played by Matthew Mucha and we would have never guessed he was not the lead in the first place. The star of this show without a doubt Chip Zien who plays the Rabbi and if the people at The Tonys have any sense at all, they will give one to him because with his properly nuanced line delivery, splendid singing capability and dance energy rivaled only by the energizer bunny culminating in an absolutely spectacular performance, he has more than earned it.
His character says you have to fight for happiness. Luckily for you, there is no fight involved here until the box office sells out: Happiness in Manhattan right now is a red hot ticket to Harmony!
And though they might ask: "How Can I Serve You Madam" in the best number of the show, our answer to the question of "How Can I Serve You Mademoiselle Peachy?" is:
YOU JUST DID.
HARMONY THE MUSICAL HAS EARNED OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.
MAKE IT YOUR PRIORITY NOW!
Producers Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran, and Garry Kief released the first production photos from the new musical Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, ahead of its opening night on Monday, November 13, starring Chip Zien as ‘Rabbi’, Sierra Boggess as ‘Mary,’ Julie Benko as ‘Ruth,’ and the Comedian Harmonists Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Tesley.
Harmony features an original new score by legendary Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award® winner Barry Manilow with lyrics and book by Drama Desk Award Winner, Bruce Sussman. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle (The Music Man, Hello Dolly!), this timely and captivating rags-to-riches story lost to history comes to dazzling life with a sensational cast of Broadway favorites.
The show stars Chip Zien; Sierra Boggess; Julie Benko; the Comedian Harmonists Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey; Allison Semmes and Andrew O’Shanick. They join Zak Edwards, Dan Hoy, Bruce Landry, RhonniRose Mantilla, Daniel Z. Miller, Benjamin H. Moore, Matthew Mucha, Constantine Pappas, Kayleen Seidl, Kyla Stone, Bronwyn Tarboton, Kate Wesler, Stuart Zagnit, and Lee Zarrett.
The creative team for Harmony includes Beowulf Boritt (scenic design), Linda Cho & Ricky Lurie (costume design), Jules Fisher + Peggy Eisenhauer (lighting design), Dan Moses Schreier (sound design), batwin + robin productions (media design), Tom Watson (wig & hair design), Jamibeth Margolis, CSA (casting), Sara Edwards (associate director/choreographer), John O’Neill (music director), Michael Aarons (music coordinator), Doug Walter (orchestrations) and Scott Taylor Rollison (production stage manager).
Tickets are now on sale starting at $59 via www.telecharge.com, or by calling (800) 447 7400 or (212) 239-6200.
Harmony is based in part on The Comedian Harmonist Archive as curated by the late Dr. Peter Czada.
A New York Times Critic’s Pick, the musical received a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Musical and an award for Outstanding Best Book of a Musical and the Off-Broadway Alliance’s Best New Musical for 2022. It also received eight 2022-2023 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations including Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and two 2022 Lucille Lortel Award nominations including Outstanding Musical.
Harmony is produced by Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran and Garry Kief and joined by Scott Abrams, Jonathan & Rae Corr, Hunter Arnold, Adam Riemer, Marco Santarelli, Tom D'Angora, Michael D’Angora, Paul Gavriani, Nick Padgett, Neil Gooding Productions, Christine Petti, Rob Kolson, James L. Nederlander, Mark Jacobs, Steve Kyriakis & Matt Donaldson, Jamie deRoy, Ira & Yael Kleinman, Matthew Rosenthal, NETworks PRESENTATIONS LLC, Caiola Productions, Good Productions, Sig Anderman, David Bryant, PickleStar A Cohen, Michael B. Cox, Susan DuBow, Greg Field, David Gemunder, David & Lori Hsieh, IN UNISON Productions, Larry & Robin Kaufman, Willette & Manny Klausner, Sara Miller McCune, Michael Patrick, Harvey & Sandy Platt, Mark Revitz, Jason Rose, Larry Starr, Laurie M. Tisch, WitzEnd Productions, Harold Matzner, Joanne Sherry Mitchell, Addiss Keena/Amuse, Inc., Burba Hayes LLC/Hunter Johnson, Michelle Kaplan/Megan Ann Rasmussen, Viva Diva USA INC/Theatre Nerd Productions, Bellanca Vasi/John & Ron Yonover, and Frederic J. Siegel/StoryLine Project.
