HARMONY Barry Manilow musical Los Angeles

[jackhammer91406]

I have such mixed feelings about this show. I saw it last night and I was surprised how much I liked it more than I expected. BUT, and it's a big but (and not the fun kind) the show isn't finished. All of the performances, music, sets, lighting and energy are all first class and engaging. The book simply isn't quite done.

 

The show follows the the true exploits of a group of six male singers who came together to become the Comedian Harmonists, a performance group that equaled the Beatles in popularity back in pre-war Germany. Starting out as struggling waiters, piano players in bordellos and assorted other beginnings, these men eventually rose to fame and toured the world. Their harmonies and slapstick performances made them a perfect act for the times of depression and unrest in Europe.

 

The only problem for them was that three of it's members were Jewish and one other married a Jew. There have been shows who managed the balance in telling a story set to music of the rise of Nazi Germany, and do it to dazzling effect. This show isn't there yet. But almost.

 

There are some songs like the title number Harmony, and Every Single Day and especially Where You Go that are wonderful and remind us of the writing chops of the man "who writes the songs". Even the upbeat comedic numbers like Your Son Is Becoming A Singer and How Can I Serve You Madame? are fun and memorable.

 

I liked the performers who all had great voices and did the most they could with the book, which still needs a lot of work.

 

The set design and costumes by Tobin Ost (who designed Jekyll & Hyde and Newsies) is remarkable and does so much to set the show in the time frame and locations.

 

I do hope the work on this show continues and maybe even eventually moves to Broadway (where it seems to have aspirations).

 

It is running at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles until Sunday April 13th.

 

[video=youtube;FLf7ZwUiAGE]

[Frankly Rich]

It's always been my understanding that shows with Broadway aspirations will often try to work out the kinks while performing on the road. Kinky Boots, for one, played in Chicago before it went to Broadway. Allegiance, another aspiring Broadway show, played at the Old Globe in San Diego, and is still hoping for New York.

I saw the San Diego production and liked it, but it did need work, and most definitely needed shortening. According to Playbill, Allegiance has been "announced" for Spring, 2014. Since that's like right now, and there are no signs of the show appearing, I doubt we will see it anytime soon. The show I saw had Telly Leung, George Takei, and Lea Salonga- name performers, so you wonder what the holdup is. It's pretty good compared to some of the shows that do make it to Broadway.

[jackhammer91406]

You are right. 9 to 5, The Drowsy Chaperone, Curtains and Leap of Faith all had pre-Broadway tuneups here in Los Angeles.

[MrMiniver]

There was a very good movie made on this subject around 10 years ago or so called THE HARMONISTS. I highly recommend it. They sang very "art type" songs and I can't imagine that Manilow has anything like that in his arsenal. Can you describe the score in some detail? Does he write in a 1930s idiom or is at all rather contemporary pop? I can't imagine sitting through the latter and can't imagine how that could work in a 1930s story.

[jackhammer91406]

There was a very good movie made on this subject around 10 years ago or so called THE HARMONISTS. I highly recommend it. They sang very "art type" songs and I can't imagine that Manilow has anything like that in his arsenal. Can you describe the score in some detail? Does he write in a 1930s idiom or is at all rather contemporary pop? I can't imagine sitting through the latter and can't imagine how that could work in a 1930s story.

 

Your question is a good one and actually one of the reasons I wasn't sure I would enjoy this show, not being a big Barry fan. The show is written to the style of the period. By that I mean, that the performance songs of them singing onstage before an audience are all true to the period and some are very clever. The group was apparently well known for taking orchestral pieces and performing them vocally and with some comedic flair. These songs are done very well and a joy to watch. There are a couple of songs following the Jewish theme that are done in minor keys a la Fiddler On The Roof and the big ballads are probably the closest thing to crossover type songs that are common in almost every Broadway show.

 

I would love to see the movie that you mention. I think I would enjoy it.

[+ Gar1eth]

 

I would love to see the movie that you mention. I think I would enjoy it.[/color][/size][/font]

 

While I am not a member, the film is available on Netflix.

 

Gman

[MrMiniver]

While I am not a member, the film is available on Netflix.

 

Gman

 

The movie is outstanding. I've watched it a couple of times. It can be downloaded on the internet pretty easily if you don't have netflix.

Thanks for the above of the poster a couple above. I was fearful that it was a "Manilow" musical and not true to the period, so now I'm curious to see it.

[bostonman]

There was a very good movie made on this subject around 10 years ago or so called THE HARMONISTS. I highly recommend it. They sang very "art type" songs and I can't imagine that Manilow has anything like that in his arsenal. Can you describe the score in some detail? Does he write in a 1930s idiom or is at all rather contemporary pop? I can't imagine sitting through the latter and can't imagine how that could work in a 1930s story.

 

Manilow is actually quite adept with other styles. His two previous musicals - the melodrama The Drunkard and the musical Copacabana are full of decent pastiche writing. (I've known a number of people that have successfully used the uptempo jazzy "Man Wanted," from the latter show, in auditions and cabarets - and people are often surprised that Manilow wrote it, lol.) He has also recorded an album of original jazz. Yes, his pop writing is his more commercial side (and no pun intended, but don't forget he was also famous for writing a number of commercial jingles), but he definitely has a feeling for other kinds of music as well.

 

And hell - don't forget that his hit "Could It Be Magic" was based on a Chopin prelude.

[MrMiniver]

Manilow is actually quite adept with other styles. His two previous musicals - the melodrama The Drunkard and the musical Copacabana are full of decent pastiche writing. (I've known a number of people that have successfully used the uptempo jazzy "Man Wanted," from the latter show, in auditions and cabarets - and people are often surprised that Manilow wrote it, lol.) He has also recorded an album of original jazz. Yes, his pop writing is his more commercial side (and no pun intended, but don't forget he was also famous for writing a number of commercial jingles), but he definitely has a feeling for other kinds of music as well.

 

And hell - don't forget that his hit "Could It Be Magic" was based on a Chopin prelude.

 

I'll be honest that there isn't anything he's written that I could listen to for more than a few seconds. No surprise that his music was played extensively at Guantanamo

[bostonman]

I'll be honest that there isn't anything he's written that I could listen to for more than a few seconds. No surprise that his music was played extensively at Guantanamo

 

Speaking as a musician myself, as both my vocation and my avocation - yes, we all have our likes and dislikes, and music we value and music we question. No one is ever expected to like everything. But the one thing I find very difficult to deal with is people that dismiss someone's entire body of work subjectively, without trying to learn more about it, for better or worse.

 

Though then again I wonder, why would you even bother to ask about the score of Harmony when, given your above statement, you'd probably be just as dismissive of that as well? I smell a troll. If you'd actually like to know something about Manilow's other work, go find out about it and maybe you'll learn something surprising. If you're just going to use this thread as a way to tell us how much you hate everything he's done, whether you've heard it or not, why bother to post in the first place?