“Harmony,” Barry Manilow’s long-running musical about an early 20th-century German sextet that ran afoul of the Nazi regime, will end an abbreviated run on Broadway on Feb. 4.
Manilow and his longtime collaborator Bruce Sussman have been working on the show for more than a quarter of a century, inspired by a documentary about the Comedian Harmonists, an ensemble that included some Jewish members, which was unacceptable to the Nazis.
The musical, directed by Warren Carlyle, premiered on November 13; At the time of its closure, it is expected to have performed 24 preview performances and 96 regular performances. It was capitalized for up to $15 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission; That money has not been recovered.
Manilow wrote the music for the show; Sussman wrote the book and lyrics. Over the years, the show had productions in San Diego, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, and then in 2022, there was a successful Off Broadway production at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan's Battery Park neighborhood.
The Broadway production features Chip Zien playing a surviving member of the group, reflecting from 1988 to their history in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran and Garry Kief are lead producers; They announced the closure Tuesday night.
The show had mixed reviews and was presented at a time when overall Broadway attendance has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Last week, “Harmony” grossed $534,769, which is not enough to sustain a musical of its size; their homes, at the Barrymore Theatre, were only 77 percent occupied, according to data published by the Broadway League.
Many shows are struggling and industry leaders are worried about this spring, when there is a sizable crop of musicals and plays planning to open, while production costs are high and audience numbers remain lower than before. . Another musical, “Shucked,” closed Sunday after 10 months of running, and last year's Tony-winning musical, “Kimberly Akimbo,” announced it will end its run in April.
