Is Harmony A New Musical Based on a True Story?
Oct 6, 2023
Yes, Harmony: A New Musical is a true story. It tells the story of the Comedian Harmonists, a German sextet that took the world by storm in the 1920s and 1930s. The group was known for their sophisticated close harmonies and uproarious stage antics.
The Comedian Harmonists were made up of six young men, three of whom were Jewish: Harry Frommermann, Roman Cycowski, and Erich Collin. The other three members were Ari Leschnikoff, Robert Biberti, and Erwin Bootz.
The group formed in Berlin in 1927 and quickly became a sensation. They performed all over Germany, as well as in other European countries and the United States. They sold millions of records and starred in a dozen films.
However, their success came to an end when the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis banned the Comedian Harmonists from performing because of their Jewish members. The group disbanded, and some of the members fled Germany.
About Harmony: A New Musical
Six remarkably talented young men form a singing group who become international sensations: The Comedian Harmonists. They sell millions of records, star in major motion pictures, and play the biggest theaters around the world. By 1935, they were never heard from again. What happened? That’s the extraordinary true story of Harmony.
Featuring an original score by Tony®, Grammy® and Emmy® Award winner Barry Manilow with lyrics and book by long-time collaborator and Drama Desk Award winner Bruce Sussman, Harmony has been hailed by The New York Times as a Critic’s Pick and “impossible to forget.”
Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle (The Music Man, Hello Dolly!), this timely and captivating rags-to-riches story lost to history comes to dazzling life with a sensational cast of Broadway favorites, including Sierra Boggess (Phantom of the Opera), Julie Benko (Funny Girl), and Chip Zien (Into the Woods).
Harmony is based in part on The Comedian Harmonist Archive as curated by the late Dr. Peter Czada.
To learn more about The Comedian Harmonists, click here.
To see Harmony: A New Musical on Broadway, click here.