45 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 22, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Victoria’s
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@schnepsmedia.com
A night I will never forget
OK, I admit it — I’m
a die-hard Barry
Manilow fan, and to
see his new show “Harmony:
A New Musical,” which he wrote
with his longtime collaborator
Bruce Sussman, was a moment
I cherished.
My lifetime admiration for the brilliant
team has soared since I had
the privilege of being at the fi rst
Bruce Sussman with Patrick Wilson, Carol
Levin, Barry Manilow and Sandra Cahn.
performance that took 25 years to
come to fruition. We can all be grateful
that the talented team never gave
up their dream of producing the show.
Dear friends Carol and Jerry
Levin had invited me to the premiere
of the show that chronicles the
“Comedic Harmonists.” It’s a tale
of a sextet of Jewish and non-Jewish
young men beginning on the
streets of Berlin singing a cappella
during the era of Nazi Germany,
and it follows their rise to international
fame and fall to Nazi henchmen
in the 1930s.
Th e enchanting evening began
with Barry and his team dining
— probably with butterfl ies in
their stomachs instead of the fi let
mignon — at a fundraising gala
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld,
Eric Peters, Sean Bell and Chip Zien were remarkable!
A moment with
my “hero!”
before the performance.
Th e fundraiser benefi ted the
show’s producers and the National
Yiddish Th eatre Folksbiene, which
recently launched its 107th season
and is the world’s oldest continuously
operating Yiddish theater
company — and longest consecutively
producing theater in the
United States.
You might remember their
recent Drama Desk award
production of “Fiddler on
the Roof,” and they have
another smash hit with
“Harmony.”
Run, do not walk, to
see the brilliant singers,
actors and dancers in the carefully
craft ed show that tells the true tale
of a group of talented young singers
who became international stars
singing harmony with a comic twist.
Th eir story hauntingly begins
in Germany in the late 1920s and
follows them through love, war and
heartbreak.
Th e music was lovingly
written by Barry Manilow
with lyrics by Bruce Sussman.
Th e show was both directed
and creatively choreographed
by the Tony Award-winning
Warren Carlyle, who recently
choreographed another of my favorites:
the revival of “Th e Music Man,”
starring Hugh Jackman.
Th e fantastic ensemble cast of
actors, singers and dancers — led
by Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld,
Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake
Roman and Steven Telsey as the six
Comedic Harmonists — is as talented
as I’ve seen and makes the show
one that you don’t want to miss!
Motl Didner, Joel Grey, Victoria Schneps and Carol Levin.
To my amazement, I was
enthralled by veteran actor Chip
Zien, the talented narrator of the
story, who brought me to tears
during his last song.
Th e sold-out audience stopped
the show multiple times with their
applause and standing ovations.
Th e ensemble of cast members
took me back in time during the
Nazi takeover of Germany.
Th e story made me laugh, cry
and cheer for the performers,
who dazzled me with
their outstanding voices, stellar
acting and energetic
choreography.
We owe Barry and Bruce a
“thank you” for their commitment
in staying with this story.
“Harmony” is a truly phenomenal
production and belongs on
Broadway.
Right now, “Harmony” is on a limited
run at the Museum of Jewish
Heritage – A Living Memorial to the
Holocaust inside the intimate Edmond
J. Safra Hall, located in Battery Park.
Th e setting is so symbolic, considering
the setting of the play!
Th e show was scheduled to
run through May 8, but has been
extended! It is a performance not to
be missed!
Barry Manilow with his
longtime collaborator
Bruce Sussman.
Steven Skybell, Joel
Grey, Michael Cole and
Drew Seigla.
Jerry Levin, Victoria Schneps, Jeffff
Stern and Susie Stern.
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