for Tuesday
April 8, 2014
HARMONY at the Ahmanson Theatre!
 ALL of the reviews are IN for the production of HARMONY at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Check them out: “HARMONY reigns!” --Ellen Olivier, Los Angeles Times
“HARMONY is now at the Ahmanson Theatre and it’s terrific: tighter and deeper, more solid and funny and heartbreaking. A bracing musical. The cast is outstanding, the comic numbers hilarious...This is a traditional musical, with an overture, a wide range of musical styles, a gut-wrenching story and colorful characters and relationships. It’s both thrilling and heartbreaking. Here’s hoping the Harmonists live on for a long time to come.
“A brilliant new musical, HARMONY, captures an important story. Memorable and emotional...A definite ‘must-see’ winner! Someone should hit the rewind button so I could sit back down and watch it all over again. Five stars!”
“HARMONY is a rich, interesting, thoughtful, tuneful, dark, funny show—entertaining and heartbreaking... Clearly, it’s the Manilow-Sussman score that attracts most people’s interests. And it’s very good. Not just musically, creating a sense of period and location, but the lyrics are smart, flowing and effective. And very funny... The audience was involved to the very end, cheering at the curtain call. A wonderful evening in the theater.”
“Barry Manilow has acquitted himself—magnificently—with a new production of his musical, HARMONY. After the tale is told, we understand why Manilow is consumed with getting this musical to Broadway. It is also his story. And our story.”
“Beautifully produced and mounted, exceedingly well-performed and a thoroughly moving story...as engrossing and riveting as any good Broadway show should be...wonderfully original music.”
“Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s HARMONY is one of the most thrilling and moving pieces of theater to come along in years, ...By giving each of the men distinct personalities and goals, Sussman and Manilow easily get the audience to hold them close... The music is at once rousing and powerful...and the ballads build to such power that you could feel the audience wanting to jump to its feet and cheer. Stunningly talented cast, with the standout being Shayne Kennon as “Rabbi”. His heart-stopping tenor can raise the roof and break your heart in equal measure...This world premiere musical deserves a place on Broadway. It is one of the greatest musicals of the decade.”
“The looks, the moves, the sound, the in-fighting, the lust they inspired - the Comedian Harmonists could be considered the first boy band. And if the very good current production of HARMONY a new musical with music by Manilow and lyrics and book by Bruce Sussman, is any indication, they deserve that place in history.”
“A show about the late Weimar era vocal troupe the Comedian Harmonists bearing the title "Harmony" had better have memorable singing, and on that score this musical by Barry Manilow and his writing partner Bruce Sussman doesn't disappoint. In solos, duets and ensemble numbers especially, the voices soar on lilting melodies that strive to conjure the glory days of the American musical...The show's numbers have an ingratiating beauty that serves to remind that the man who made famous "I Write the Songs" has reason to boast....An enormous amount of love has gone into HARMONY.”
“A heartfelt musical...Manilow’s melodies are unerringly hummable and his songs meticulously crafted, and he works seamlessly with Sussman, his longtime lyricist... Brilliant choreography... Sussman, nicely fleshes out characters to tell a multi-layered and many-peopled story... The opening, “Harmony,” is a showstopper.. “Every Single Day,” sung first by Rabbi as a testament of love for his wife-to-be, returns during a double wedding scene, and it’s a hankie soaker."
“This high-energy new musical, HARMONY, depicts the real-life story of the all-male singing ensemble, the Comedian Harmonists. Manilow’s lovingly crafted score, a major draw, is a well-balanced mix of modern and period elements marked by his signature style. Sussman’s lyrics and uniquely structured book—crafted like a memory play—are entertaining and emotionally moving. His decision to go with a bell-shaped plot that starts and ends on an introspective note is smartly refreshing. He avoids false enthusiasm that most traditional musicals try to pass off as art, and instead focuses on the beauty to be found in honesty and realism, which rarely co-exists with musical theater. It is so very easy to fall in love with this musical.”
“HARMONY is being presented here with all the love, talent and resources capable to put its best foot forward...It’s something of a challenge to vivify a sextet of distinct personalities, along with a pair of love interests, and HARMONY tackles the problem effectively....an honest commitment to entertain without condescension and a great deal of fun. It’s the sort of show one is as avid to like as it is eager to be enjoyed.”
“Captivating. Tremendous power. Barry Manilow has created a wonderful original score. The heavenly harmonies are in stark contrast to the brutal narrative. It's a challenge to write in-depth roles for so many characters, but Sussman's script provides focus by framing the story around the reminiscences of the Harmonist who survived the longest -- "Rabbi" Josef Roman Cykowski... Shayne Kennon delivers a potentially star-making performance as "Rabbi." The other Harmonists are written with vivid individuality.. ...I don’t know the next stop for this production but LA is lucky to have it with us through April 13.”
“HARMONY confirms Barry Manilow’s musical theater chops...Graceful, catchy melodies...extraordinary set of young kids who own the stage with vivacity, panache and terrific pipes.”
“HARMONY is an enriching experience. Manilow culls from period-specific music with his score. He wonderfully captures the flavor of Marlene Dietrich in "Lost in the Shadows." The music in the double wedding scene evokes ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ without mimicking it and is one of the most touching wedding sequences I've seen in a musical. Sussman has an ear for clever rhymes. Some of his songs take on new meaning when different characters sing them, such as "This Is Our Time." A tender cast of triple threats, who soar with the melodies, invest pathos and humor in their characters' dialogue, and dance JoAnn Hunter's witty choreography with acrobatic precision. ...So many musicals lately are made as commerce, knowing that people will come because they saw the movie or love a band's catalogue of songs, rendering creative writing as unnecessary. Watching Harmony, it is apparent that the authors have immense passion for the project and their heart shines through.”
“Barry Manilow has teamed up with Bruce Sussman to create an astounding new musical, HARMONY, now at the Ahmanson Theatre...An Amazing story...The singing and acting are unparalleled.”
“A tuneful and gorgeously staged production. The Manilow-Sussman score mixes vibrant elements of vaudeville, vintage Broadway, and jazz, driven by Manilow’s gift for sublime melody which is well matched to Sussman’s clever and deftly integrated lyrics. Music director John O’Neill leads a crackerjack orchestra. Doug Walters’ lush and lovely orchestrations, and JoAnn M. Hunter’s stylish choreography further enhances the show’s potential as a Broadway show striking a pleasing balance between traditional and fresh...Joyous and heart-wrenching, a provocative slice of scandalous social history coupled with a sometimes jubilant, sometimes melancholy entertainment.”
“It took the creators a dozen or so years to research this show, and eventually hone it into the crack, snappy, polished, full-on Broadway-ready musical that's now on view in Los Angeles. The long gestation paid off handsomely: it's a stunning and powerful piece of theater.”
“Kudos first off to Bruce Sussman and Barry Manilow for bringing the story of the real life German music group, the Comedian Harmonists to the stage. It's a gripping tale...an amazing cast of stellar actors with stunning voices....The songs are clever and beautiful. JoAnn Hunter’s choreography is absolutely charming.”
“Barry Manilow, who wrote the music, and his collaborator of 40 years, Bruce Sussman, who wrote the book and lyrics, have produced a thoroughly entertaining play...delicious choreography...Sussman’s lyrics are bright and sophisticated...The opening night audience loved it, and so, I think, will you.”
“A potent new musical. Fascinating. Funny. Dynamic. The show’s creators do something very clever: Manilow and Sussman keep the proceedings funny and upbeat for two-thirds of the show, relying on our knowledge of history to supply the suspense, fear, and dread of what’s to come. The score is immensely varied. Hilariously eccentric choreography.”
“HARMONY rocks! A page of history sings and dances its way onto the stage at The Ahmanson Theater in the form of the new musical “HARMONY” ...The evening bursts with one show stopping performance after another from an extraordinary ensemble cast. HARMONY leaves such echoes on the hearts of the audience. HARMONY is proof positive that music is universal.”
“If you’re on the Left Coast, don’t miss this show! This is a story that must be told!”
“Barry Manilow really is an artist...In the musical Harmony — for which he composed the music, with lyrics and book by his longtime collaborator Bruce Sussman — Manilow tackles the really big, deep subjects. And by that I mean Jewish identity, as well as the nature of the creative process, true love and loyalty. The music is buoyant and melodic, Sussman’s writing effective, and the Manilow-Sussman team have a comic panache, while the grand finale, ‘Stars in the Night,’ is nothing less than a hymn to hope.”
“HARMONY is beautifully produced, exceedingly well-performed, and a thoroughly moving story...fine splashy tunes, terrific choreography, a passionate story that is as engrossing and riveting as any good Broadway show should be with wonderful original music that fits nicely with the book....There is nothing missing in this musical. Four stars!"
“The theme that Manilow and Sussman tackle here is the quest for harmony in a disharmonious time. HARMONYy looks at the history of the Harmonists in a personal and fresh way. Thanks to the show's sprightly and touching score – and to its large, multi-talented cast, Manilow’s musical may finally make it to New York after all. Four stars!”
“HARMONY” is a musical with style and substance. If this musical doesn’t make you melancholy and wish people could live in harmony and fill you with regret for lost lives and lost opportunities then you’ve missed the point. I’m glad that Manilow and Sussman were finally able to bring this production to the stage. One wishes for more musicals from this pair.”
“With much fanfare, “Harmony,” the new musical by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman has opened at the Ahmanson Theater. A long-held dream by its creators, it offers up charm and history, pathos and laughter. And it works. The story is incredible. Sussman’s book handles the necessarily episodic tale with enough flow to make it seem like one story instead of a series of vignettes. You get to care a good deal about the six men and the women who loved them. The result is a treat to watch. Indeed the whole enterprise is a visual treat.”
“HARMONY is an entertaining and thought-provoking new musical....an incredibly intriguing story.”
“Why should you see it? It’s funny. It’s emotionally charged. And the music stays with you long after you leave the theater...The cast is stellar. The music is stirring, with flavor from the period, and the lyrics are powerful. Go.”
“HARMONY is moving and touching...extremely beautiful music...a musical that must be produced and live on. In short, it is like the Comedian Harmonists—talented and something special, with an important story to be told.”
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[ A Note from Barry - March 25, 2014 ]
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