Julie Benko, who performs Thursday evenings as the alternate for Lea Michele's Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, will be part of the cast of the upcoming Broadway bow of Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman's Harmony, set to begin previews October 18 at the Barrymore prior to an official opening November 13.
Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle (The Music Man, Hello Dolly!) will direct and choreograph the musical, which played an acclaimed Off-Broadway engagement at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene last year.
Benko joins the previously announced Chip Zien, who stars as Rabbi, along with the six Comedian Harmonists: Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey. Additional casting will be announced.
Benko, the recipient of the 2023 Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in the Theatre, says, “It is rare to be offered the chance to be part of a Broadway show that resonates so deeply on both personal and political levels. I’m so proud to be a part of Harmony and tremendously grateful to Barry, Bruce, Warren, Ken, and the entire team for entrusting me with Ruth’s story. I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal room with the brilliant company this fall.”
The musical—featuring music by Manilow and lyrics and a book by Sussman—tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, an ensemble of six young men in 1920s Germany who took the world by storm with their blend of sophisticated close harmonies and uproarious stage antics, until their inclusion of Jewish singers put them on a collision course with history. The work is partially based on The Comedian Harmonist Archive, as curated by the late Dr. Peter Czada.
The musical has had a long road to Broadway. A world premiere staging played California's La Jolla Playhouse in 1997, then directed by David Warren. A pre-Broadway tryout was announced for Philadelphia's Forrest Theatre in 2003, only to be canceled due to financial woes. The musical reemerged in a 2013 co-production at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre and Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group, with Tony Speciale directing. The California run won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award. The Broadway bow is a transfer of the musical's 2022 Off-Broadway run at National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, which Carlyle also directed and choreographed. The Off-Broadway staging was critically acclaimed. It was nominated for Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel Awards. It won the Best New Musical award from the Off-Broadway Alliance.
An Off-Broadway cast album was recorded but has not yet been released. Manilow recorded songs from the score for his 2004 album Scores: Songs From Copacabana and Harmony.
Harmony will be produced on Broadway by Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran, and Garry Kief, joined by Hunter Arnold, Marco Santarelli, Jonathan and Rae Corr, Adam Riemer, Scott Abrams, Neil Gooding Productions, Patty Baker, Tom and Michael D’Angora, Susan DuBow, Michelle Kaplan, Steve Kyriakis and Matt Donaldson, Harold Matzner, Matthew Rosenthal, Paul Gavriani, Burba Hayes, Harvey and Sandy Platt and Amuse, Inc., and Addiss Keena in association with Wilfried Rimensberger and STILETTO Entertainment.
Visit HarmonyANewMusical.com.
Sierra Boggess
Sierra Boggess and Danny Kornfeld
Zal Owen, Zak Edwards, Steven Telsey, Eric Peters, and Blake Roman
Steven Telsey, Blake Roman, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters, Sean Bell, and Zal Owen
Jessie Davidson and Blake Roman
Zak Edwards and Chip Zien
Chip Zien
Zak Edwards, Steven Telsey, Eddie Grey, Elise Frances Daniells, Kate Wesler, Ana Hoffman, Sean Bell, and Eric Peters
Sean Bell, Barrett Riggins, Eric Peters, Danny Kornfeld, Ana Hoffman, Matthew Mucha, Steven Telsey, Shayne Kennon, Blake Roman, and Zal Owen
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Sean Bell, Eric Peters, Ana Hoffman, Nancy Ticotin, and Matthew Mucha
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters, and Sean Bell
Steven Telsey, Sean Bell, Blake Roman, Danny Kornfeld, and Zal Owen
Steven Telsey, Sean Bell, Blake Roman, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, and Eric Peters
Danny Kornfeld, Sierra Boggess, Blake Roman, and Jessie Davidson
Eric Peters, Blake Roman, Zal Owen, Steven Telsey, Sean Bell, and Danny Kornfeld
Danny Kornfeld and Sierra Boggess
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Eric Peters, Zal Owen, and Sean Bell
Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Sean Bell, Steven Telsey, and Danny Kornfeld
Jessie Davidson
Chip Zien, Ana Hoffman, Sierra Boggess, and Danny Kornfeld
Blake Roman, Eric Peters, Zal Owen, Sean Bell, Steven Telsey, and Danny Kornfeld
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters, Sean Bell, and Chip Zien
Steven Telsey, Sean Bell, Blake Roman, Danny Kornfeld, and Zal Owen in the Off-Broadway production of Harmony
Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Steven Telsey, and Eric Peters
Chip Zien
Andrew O’Shanick
Blake Roman, Steven Telsey, Zal Owen, Danny Kornfeld, Eric Peters, and Sean Bell
