For me, a big part of the excitement of seeing a new musical with an original score is hearing the songs for the first time. Which is how I imagine most of the audience will hear them.
In the case of ''Harmony,'' I had gone to a reading of it many years ago, and recalled enjoying Manilow and Sussman's score. One soaring ballad, ''Every Single Day,'' was a standout.
Last year, I caught ''Harmony'' at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbienne, and enjoyed it all over again. Chip Zien gives a Tony-caliber performance, and the six guys who play the Comedian Harmonists were wonderful. It's a moving story about a largely-forgotten vocal group that deserves to be remembered, and I hope "Harmony" is music to your ears, too. |
