Harmony

Harmony on Broadway Background

Based on the story of the Comedian Harmonists from the 1920's and 1930's who sold millions of records, starred in films and packed the houses of the most prestigious concert halls around the globe until the world they knew changed forever.

Creators Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman

The incredible story set inspired the music industry legends, Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, to create a spectacular new musical with an original score that celebrates this extraordinary group of friends.

The show demonstrates their quest for true harmony in the most discordant chapter of human history. a time that will never be forgotten.

Off-Broadway Runs And Previous Broadway Attempts

The show had a number of out-of-town performances including:

• Premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in February 1997
• Attempted Broadway run in 2004 - but the deal fell apart over lack of investors and the show never opened on Broadway
• Alliance Theater run in Atlanta in 2013
• Center Theater Group run in Los Angeles in 2014
• Museum of Jewish Heritage run — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, in New York in 2022
  When the show appeared at The Museum of Jewish Heritage from March 23 2022 to May 15 2022, it delivered positive reviews.

Harmony is based in part on "The Comedian Harmonist Archive" as curated by the late Dr. Peter Czada.

What’s Harmony Like?

The Rise Of The Singing Group

The show is about a real-life, all-male German singing group of six men known as the "Comedian Harmonists", an all-male group act that did comedic turns and sang beautiful songs.

The group had great success in the late 1920s and early 1930s, touring throughout Europe and beyond and performing with the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Josephine Baker.

The Fall Of The Singing Group During The Rise Of Nazism

The Broadway show focuses on their period of demise, occasioned by the rise of Germany's Nazi party prior to WW2. Initially, the purist fascists were among the group’s biggest fans, seeing them as potential ambassadors for the Führer, Adolf Hitler and exemplifying modern Germanic virtues.

After the Nazis realized that three of the group members were actually Jewish, the Nazis then began to rip the group apart.

Is Harmony Good for Kids?

The show may only be appropriate for patrons sixteen years or older due to themes of war, persecution, The Holocaust, murder and execution.