BMIFC Hotline - Harmony Tickets On-Sale

Date: 22 Apr 2003 22:01:32 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.fan.barry-manilow
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From Manilow Hotline <email-address-deleted>
Subject Harmony Tickets On-Sale...
Date Tue, 22 Apr 2003 144754 -0700
HARMONY
A NEW MUSICAL BY BARRY MANILOW AND BRUCE SUSSMAN
TO HAVE ITS PRE-BROADWAY PREMIERE
AT THE PARKER PLAYHOUSE IN FORT LAUDERDALE
BEGINNING OCTOBER 21 FOR A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
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HARMONY, a new musical featuring original music by Barry Manilow and book
and lyrics by Bruce Sussman, will premiere October 21 at Fort Lauderdale‘s
Parker Playhouse for a limited engagement. A Broadway premiere is
planned for mid-winter 2004 at a theater to be announced. HARMONY will be
directed by David Warren and is being produced by Mark Schwartz, in
association with Garry C. Kief and Brent Peek.
Inspired by the true lives of the Comedian Harmonists, HARMONY tells the
story of six young men who formed a singing group in the waning days of
the Weimar Republic in the 1920's. Rising from unemployed street
musicians to world-famous entertainers who performed in concerts halls
around the world, sold millions of records, and made over a dozen films,
the Comedian Harmonists created a completely unique style that mixed
physical humor with suave musical sophistication. But despite their
tremendous success, the group was eventually torn apart as the Nazis
tightened their grip on Germany.
HARMONY was first mounted as a regional production at the La Jolla
Playhouse in La Jolla, California in 1997, where it broke box-office
records and received critical acclaim. Michael Phillips in the San
Diego Union Tribune wrote, "Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman have done it.
They've honored the memory of a forgotten show-biz phenomenon in a lively
and moving show which scores highly with a blitzkrieg of ballads and
straight-ahead emotion." Paul Hodgins in The Orange County Register
called it "astonishingly moving theater," and added, "HARMONY has
memorable and infectiously melodic songs, an unerring sense of
drama and solid musical craftsmanship." And David Patrick Stearns in USA
Today wrote, "HARMONY strikes a powerful chord. An ambitious new musical
and the most promising one of the year."
BARRY MANILOW (Composer) is an internationally renowned popular music star
whose career has spanned television, film, concerts and the Broadway
stage. He has written hundreds of songs and has performed around the
world, thrilling millions of fans over the course of his career and
earning Tony, Emmy and Grammy Awards, as well as an Oscar nomination.
Manilow's theatrical roots go back to his days in the mailroom at CBS in
New York, when, at 18, he wrote the entire original score for a musical
adaptation for the melodrama, The Drunkard. The show ran Off-Broadway for
eight years. Manilow made his film scoring debut in 1994 with the Warner
Brothers animated film Thumbelina, with songs co-written with his HARMONY
collaborator Bruce Sussman. His second animated feature, The Pebble and
the Penguin, also with songs collaborated with Sussman, was released in
1995 by MGM studios.
BRUCE SUSSMAN (Book and Lyrics) is the co-author of well over 150
published and recorded songs written for dozens of artists, fiIms,
television programs, and stage musicals. His collaborations for the stage
include the Off-Broadway musical, Miami (book by Wendy Wasserstein), the
score for Ted Tally's play with music, Coming Attractions (Pulitzer Prize
finalist, Outer Critics Circle Award) and several stage revues including
Broadway's Madwoman of Central Park West, Off-Broadway's Tuxedoes for
Hire, and Howard Crabtree's Whoop Dee Doo! (Drama Desk Award).
DAVID WARREN (Director) has directed over 25 productions for stage and
screen including Rodgers and Hart's musical Pal Joey at the Huntington
Theatre, Nicky Silver's Pterodactyls at the Vineyard Theatre (Obie Award
for Distinguished Direction), Philip Barry's Holiday at Circle in the
Square, the Broadway production of Tennessee William's Summer and Smoke at
the Roundabout Theatre, William Finn's musical Romance in Hard Times at
New York's Public Theater, Nicky Silver's Fit To Be Tied at Playwrights
Horizons, Hobson's Choice at the Atlantic Theatre Company, The Dazzle at
Roundabout, and Gone Home and Barbra's Wedding at MTC.
MARK SCHWARTZ (Producer) has a 22 year career on Broadway and in
professional theatres. He began his Broadway career with Nine, directed by
Tommy Tune and starring Raul Julia (five Tony Awards). He co-produced
Zorba starring Anthony Quinn, My One and Only (three Tony Awards, starring
Tommy Tune and Twiggy and La Cage Aux Folles (six Tony Awards including
Best Musical). Mark was also executive producer for the musical Lucky Guy
and co-produced TovahOut of Her Mind Off-Broadway in 1996. His recent
projects include the Tony nominated Broadway production of Dream;
JackieAn American Life (Broadway and London's West End productions); the
Broadway production of Epic Proportions, directed by Jerry Zaks and
starring Kristen Chenoweth; the London West End production of Hedwig and
the Angry Inch; The Cuillo Centre production of The Betrayal of Nora
Blake, and the New York and Florida productions of Menopause The Musical.
Mr. Schwartz is the Executive Director of The Cuillo Centre for the Arts
in West Palm Beach and is also the President and COO of the production
company Snorkel Productions Inc.
GARRY C. KIEF (Associate Producer) Prior to forming Stiletto
Entertainment in 1981, Mr. Kief was an executive with the American
Broadcasting Company. Long involved in all aspects of the music and
entertainment industry, he is a member of the producer's branch of the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and of the National Academy of
Recording Arts & Sciences. In addition to producing Mr. Manilow's
previous Broadway and concert projects, Mr. Kief has produced numerous
special programs for network and cable television.
BRENT PEEK (Associate Producer/General Manager) has worked in the theatre
for the last thirty-five years. As a Producer, he produced or co-produced
"Quartermaine's Terms", "Balm in Gilead", "The Golden Age", "Stand-Up
Tragedy", "Oblivion Postponed", "The Gorey Details" and "Epic
Proportions". He most recently been associated with "Menopause The
Musical" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" Off Broadway and "JackieAn
American Life" on Broadway.
For more information and tickets, call (954) 523-3309.
Scooter
--
Remember those in harm's way.