Finally in Harmony in New York
Updated: Sep 27
As readers here know, I have a long history writing about the musical Harmony that Barry Manilow and his songwriting partner Bruce Sussman wrote about the 1930s mixed-religion group the Comedian Harmonistes in Germany. I drove to San Diego to see its premiere tryout in 1997, wrote about it over the years on the Huffington Post and here (noting that it’s flawed but wonderful), then it got revived in Atlanta and Los Angeles in 2013, where I saw it ago (it was reworked, still wonderful, and flawed) and did a long interview for my Huffington Post column – and here -- with Manilow and Sussman, and then finally it was announced a few months back that they got a limited run at the acclaimed Yiddish Theatre Folksbienne in New York.
At last, it opened last night, and I’ve read a round-up summary of reviews – and they all seem to be mixed, but more positive than not, and say that whatever its flaws there is a lot of good there. And from what I know of the show, that’s a fair analysis. And I think the reviews seem solid enough (along with that theater company’s reputation) for it to do well in its limited run. And maybe, possibly even expand beyond that.
That’s because, even more importantly the only review I read in full – because it’s the only one that really matters in terms of the show’s future – is the New York Times, and it’s better than mixed, more a case of positive with reservations, and whatever is critical is not really bad. In fact, early in the review, for instance, it talks about the show being put on at the Yiddish Theatre “that adds an extra layer of poignancy to an imperfect but very affecting show.” Being a quote from the New York Times, that’s something they could use wonderfully edited, but I think even in full. A friend of mine from New York City well-steeped in theater (who has even made small investments in a couple of musicals) and is accomplished in the world of PR went so far as to say that, being in the New York Times, it was a “money review.” And there seem to be pull-quotes from the other reviews that have very positive things that could be quoted.
For those interested, the full NY Times review can be read here.
While I’m sure they were hoping for raves – me, though, I was just hoping they wouldn’t trash it, a musical coming from a mega pop star. But overall, the reviews, while not raves, are much better than “not trashing it,” and in fact are generally positive. And the criticisms are justified. In fact, one review talks about how when the show goes off-track, it’s the songs that pull it back to its core. And the New York Times actually goes on at length about Manilow and Sussman’s songwriting over the years, and how audiences shouldn’t be surprised that the score works well. So, I think they all seem to get it right.
Again, for anyone interested this here is the round-up article.
The only “disappointing” thing is that one review notes that Barry Manilow tested positive for COVID and so couldn’t attend the opening. After a quarter of a century trying to get the show to New York, I’m sure that must have been awful for him. But I’m also sure he was thrilled just to get it there, and they probably used a mobile phone and had the audio playing for him -- and maybe even had Facetime/Skype running so he could watch. And ultimately, he’ll see a performance soon, and saw it playing during the previews.
Still, it had to be disappointing. And he even said in a statement he released --
"I am heartbroken to say that I have just tested positive for COVID-19 and won't be able to attend tonight's opening night performance of my new musical, HARMONY. This just might be the cruelest thing that has ever happened to me: 25 years waiting for this show to premiere in New York and I can't attend. Even in the face of this pandemic, we New Yorkers remain the toughest, staunchest people on the planet - so, put on a mask and go see a show!"
Though I’m not remotely connected with the show, I still have a sort of paternal feeling for it, having driving to San Diego to see the premiere 25 years ago, and writing about over the years, telling anyone who’d listen how good it was, if not without some issues, mostly in the second act, and doing a long interview with the show’s two writers. (Sussman wrote both the lyrics and book, Manilow the music.) (There was a fun thing for me in the interview. As I said, I’d written a long piece about “Harmony” several months earlier, and later I read that it was going to be done in Atlanta and then L.A. The theater in Atlanta found out about my article and contacted me about doing the interview when the show came to L.A. Eventually it was set up, and when we began chatting, it was clear that they knew about the article and had read it. I mentioned how strange it was to have written the article out of the blue, 17 years after the fact, and then see it was getting revived. That’s when Manilow interrupted, a bit confused. “Wait, you’re saying that when you wrote that article, you didn’t know we were reviving the show??” I said, no, that I’d just written it because I’d liked the show so much I just wanted to keep it alive. I had no idea they were doing the show again. And he immediately responded, “Robert, I love you even more today that I did before!”)
This is the interview, for thems interested in reading it, originally posted on this site on February 24, 2014.
As for the show itself, I wrote an article a few months ago, in January of this year, about Harmony finally getting a production in New York -- and included a video of my favorite song for the show, “Every Single Day.” Manilow has performed it in his show for years (and wonderfully), which I’ve posted several versions of. But the one I embedded in January was sung at what looked to be a sort of cabaret night, performed by Shayne Kennon. But just this morning, when searching for more information on the singer, I discovered that he actually was in the Atlanta and Los Angeles revivals, where he sang the number. So, this may have been a press preview or something. Whatever the reason, it’s nice to have it “in context” by the guy who sang it in the musical itself. You can read the article here or just watch the song below.
Anyway, I’m glad that Harmony seems to have not only survived the reviews, but survived them respectably.
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