Harmony – The Cast Recording (Ghostlight Records).
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Harmony tells the true story of 1920s German vocal group Comedian Harmonists, who rose to a brief period of fame around the same time that the Nazis came to power, thereby cutting their success shorter than perhaps it would have been had the group not featured three Jewish members. Their story is likely an unfamiliar one to today’s audience but has been brought to life for the Broadway stage via Barry Manilow’s original score and Bruce Sussman’s book and lyrics.
Manilow and Sussman are no strangers to collaboration, having previously worked together on some of Manilow’s most recognisable hit songs including ‘Copacabana’, and here their talents combine once again. As the name suggests, there are in fact plenty of harmonies throughout this score and the orchestrations are, in places, nothing less than stunning. Many of the songs have at least moments of real Big Band, classic Broadway feel with beautiful vocal blends, but by contrast others are much more forgettable.
Harmony is, it seems, a score of two halves – with many of the noteworthy musical elements occurring in the latter songs. ‘Where You Go’ and ‘Stars in the Night’ are some of the finer examples of Manilow and Sussman’s powerful partnership, but some of the earlier songs fail to leave the same impression.
‘Your Son is Becoming a Singer’ had the potential to have delivered some genuine comedic wit and levity but instead feels fairly amateur in its lyrical choices and construction. Indeed, for the retelling of a story which is altogether more intense and emotive than some of the songs would imply, it feels at times like the music doesn’t entirely grasp the narrative, working against it rather than in harmony – pun intended – to enhance it, as the most memorable soundtracks do.
Nevertheless, the instrumental and vocal arrangements do go some way to providing a satisfying musical experience, significantly helped by the casting of some excellent musical theatre voices. Sierra Boggess and Julie Benko are wonderful as Mary and Ruth. Similarly, the casting of all six Comedian Harmonists – Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman and Steven Telsey – is believable in the way their voices blend as if they were a genuine professional group and lends some enjoyable authenticity to this retelling of the real-life Harmonists’ story.
Sorcha Exworthy
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