Chip Zien to Star in Barry Manilow & Bruce Sussman's HARMONY on Broadway

Chip Zien is set to star in the role of "Rabbi" in the new musical Harmony by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman. The production will play Broadway's Barrymore Theatre (243 W 47th St.) with previews starting Wednesday, October 18, ahead of a Monday, November 13 official opening night.

Mr. Zien originated the role in the award-winning off-Broadway production at National Yiddish Theatre/Folksbiene (Artistic Director, Zalmen Mlotek and Executive Director, Dominick Balletta) last year. For his performance, he received 2022 Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Zien's storied career has spanned over five decades and this will be his 15th Broadway show. Highlights include originating the iconic role of The Baker in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods, leading roles in all the "Marvin Trilogy" musicals by William Finn: In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland and Falsettos, and most recently the Roundabout Theatre Company's critically acclaimed revival of Caroline, Or Change at Studio 54. In addition to his work on the Broadway stage, Zien has had an extensive career on screen, including prominent roles in major studio films as well as series regular and guest roles that have encompassed over 100 episodes of television.

Previously announced casting included the six Comedian Harmonists who are Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey. Five of them will proudly be making their Broadway debuts.

Further casting and additional news about Harmony will be announced in the coming weeks.

Harmony features an original new score by legendary Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award® winner Barry Manilow with lyrics and book by Drama Desk Award Winner, Bruce Sussman. Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle (The Music Man, Hello Dolly!), this timely and captivating rags-to-riches story lost to history comes to dazzling life with a sensational cast of Broadway favorites.

Based on an unbelievable true story, Harmony tells the tale of the most successful entertainers you've never heard of. . . until now. In the 1920s and 30s, The Comedian Harmonists sold millions of records, made dozens of films, and sold-out the biggest theaters around the world. Their heavenly harmonies and musical comedy antics catapulted these six talented young men from singing in the subway tunnels of Berlin to international superstardom.

What happened next is the story of Harmony.

Harmony is based in part on The Comedian Harmonist Archive as curated by the late Dr. Peter Czada.

A New York Times Critic's Pick, the musical received a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Musical and an award for Outstanding Best Book of a Musical and the Off-Broadway Alliance's Best New Musical for 2022. It also received eight 2022-2023 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations including Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical and two 2022 Lucille Lortel Award nominations including Outstanding Musical.

Joining the producing team with Ken Davenport, Sandi Moran, and Garry Kief are Hunter Arnold, Marco Santarelli, Jonathan and Rae Corr, Adam Riemer, Scott Abrams, Amuse, Inc., Patty Baker, Tom and Michael D'Angora, Susan DuBow, Mark Jacobs, Michelle Kaplan, Steve Kyriakis & Matt Donaldson, Harold Matzner, Neil Gooding Productions and Harvey & Sandy Platt. Harmony is produced in association with Wilfried Rimensberger and Stiletto Entertainment.

Chip Zien

(Rabbi). Is best known for playing the lead role of The Baker in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. He has appeared in all of the "Marvin Trilogy" musicals by William Finn: In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, Falsettoland and Falsettos. He also played Monsieur Thénardier in the Broadway production of Les Misérables. Just prior to his role in the off-Broadway production of Harmony, he was seen as the bombastic Mr. Stopnick in the Roundabout Theatre's acclaimed production of Caroline, Or Change. Other Broadway credits include It Shoulda Been You, The Big Knife, The Roundabout's The People in the Picture, The Country Girl directed by Mike Nichols, The Boys from Syracuse, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, All Over Town, directed by Dustin Hoffman, The Suicide with Derek Jacoby and Tommy Tune's Grand Hotel playing Otto Kringelein, the memorable dancing bookkeeper. His many off-Broadway credits have included The 27th Man, Anonymous, Peter Parnell's An Imaginary Life, Wendy Wasserstein's Isn't It Romantic (Drama Desk Nomination), Michael Weller's Split and Moonchildren, Lanford Wilson's Hot L Baltimore (both in NY and LA's Mark Taper Forum, Alan Ginsburg's Kaddish, William Finn's A New Brain (Drama Desk Nomination), and the Delacorte Theatre's revival of Into the Woods for The Public Theatre. TV audiences have seen him on the final season of "House of Cards", HBO's The Night Of and regular roles on "The Caroline Rhea Show", "Almost Perfect", "Now and Again", "Deadline", "Shell Game", "Love Sidney" and "Reggie". His most recent film role was in Simchas and Sorrows, now on the festival circuit. He also appeared in The Siege, Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes and was even the voice of the infamous Howard the Duck. Zien's writing credits have included the musical The History of War presented at the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), and he appeared and toured in his one-man show Death in Ashtabula. He has performed his solo cabaret and concert act at New York's 54 Below and his CD, "Seriously Upbeat", recorded live, is available on the web. He lives in New York with his wife, Susan Pilarre, a former soloist with the NYC Ballet and currently a teacher at the School of American Ballet and they are the proud parents of two wonderful daughters and three grandchildren.