Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s Harmony to Close on Broadway

The producers of Harmony, the Broadway musical by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, have announced that the show will play its final performance at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on February 4. It will have played 96 performances and 24 previews.

Harmony tells the true(ish) story of the comedian harmonists, a troupe of comedy musicians that became famous in Germany (and later around the world) in the late 20s and early 30s, just as the Nazis were coming to power. This was a problem since half the harmonists were Jewish, and Nazis don’t have a sense of humor. The story unfolds through the memories of Rabbi (Chip Zien), the oldest living members of the group, awash in survivor’s guilt.

“Filled with sweet Eastern European melodies, Sussman and Manilow have crafted, for better or worse, an old fashioned musical that wears its heart on it sleeve and feels like it’s from another time (which it sort of is), both admirable in its intent and frustrating in how often it takes the easy road,” observed TheaterMania’s David Gordon in his review of the Broadway run.

Before making it to Broadway, Harmony had a successful off-Broadway run with National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene downtown at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Warren Carlyle directed that production and the Broadway transfer.

The show stars Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess, and Julie Benko. The Comedian Harmonists are played by Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey. Allison Semmes and Andrew O’Shanick are also in the cast. They join ensemble members 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.