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The Arts Intel Report

Harmony

The cast of Harmony.

Oct 18, 2023 – Feb 4, 2024
243 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036, USA

From 1928 to 1934, a group of six jazz-inspired German singers, were the hottest boy band in Europe. Calling themselves the Comedian Harmonists, and dressed in white tie and tails, the men—Robert, Erich, Erwin, Roman, Harry, and Asparuh—wowed audiences by blending their pitches so perfectly they sounded like one gorgeously sonorous voice. They starred in movies, performed in Europe’s most prestigious concert halls, and sold millions of records. But their rise coincided with another rise, that of the Nazi regime. Half of the Harmonists were Jewish, and soon Hitler banned the group from performing in Germany. In 1934, the Harmonists fled their increasingly hostile home for the U.S. There, they fell apart. Harmony brings the band back together with original music by Barry Manilow and an original story by Bruce Susan. Following a sold-out run downtown, the show makes its Broadway debut. —Jensen Davis