Harmony

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It was 1997 when Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman began work on their musical about the Comedian Harmonists, a six-man German singing group who became an international sensation during the final years of the Weimar regime. I’m not sure why it took 25 years to reach a version deemed worthy of a New York production. Fortunately, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene decided to take it on. (This is their second non-Yiddish production this year, the first being an operatic version of “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.”) The show begins with the group’s 1933 Carnegie Hall concert, which marked the high point of their career. We then learn what happened beforehand and afterwards from “Rabbi" (Chip Zien), the group’s sole survivor, remembering events many years later in California. The most significant fact about the group was that its religious makeup was four Gentiles and two Jews or, if Hitler is the one counting, three and three. The first act has to cover a lot of exposition. With eight leading characters, there is little time to give some of them more than a cursory identifying trait. There is one lovely ballad and two delightful production numbers in the first act. One thing the show does not have is a second act problem. After intermission, the pace picks up and the quality of both the music and the book improves. One of the show’s running jokes is a nod to some of the famous people who interacted with the group including Marlene Dietrich, Richard Strauss, Albert Einstein and Josephine Baker. All except Baker are played by Zien. His Dietrich is a sight you will never be able to unsee. After some acrimonious discussion, the singers decide to return to Germany rather than to pursue a career in America. The rise of the Nazi regime leads to restrictions that make it impossible for them to perform. The second act has two more terrific production numbers, another lovely ballad, and a crushing soliloquy. Chip Zien proves once again that he is a treasure of the New York stage. The six singers – Sean Bell, Danny Kornfield, Matthew Mucha (u/s for Zol Owen), Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey are triple threats: they sing, dance and act wonderfully. The two female leads – Sierra Boggess and Jessie Davidson – have lovely voices. Ana Hoffman is a treat as Josephine Baker. Manilow’s music and Sussman’s lyrics and book are uneven, but at their best, admirable. Much credit belongs to Warren Carlyle for both his choreography and his direction. The costumes by Lindo Cho and Ricky Lurie are evocative of the period. The scenic design by Beowulf Borritt, the lighting by Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, and the video design by batwin + robin productions all offer creative solutions for the limitations of the small stage. While it’s no rival for “Cabaret,” another musical about this same period, it offers much to enjoy. Considering the topic and the location – The Museum of Jewish Heritage, it is not surprising that the audience lacked diversity. Whether the show can appeal to a broader demography is an open question. Running time: Two hours, 30 minutes, including intermission.

 

Two suggestions for management:

Choose a better font in a larger size for your program book. The present one is unfriendly to your audience.

Install inverted-U guard rails on the aisle seats of the rear section of the theater. I saw someone take a nasty fall.