PHOTO FLASH: Sneak Peek at Barry Manilow & More in Rehearsals for Alliance Theatre's HARMONY - A NEW MUSICAL; Opens 9/15

Rehearsals began this week in Atlanta, GA, for the Alliance Theatre's production of HARMONY - A NEW MUSICAL with music by Barry Manilow and book & lyrics by Bruce Sussman. HARMONY tells the true story of The Comedian Harmonists, a close harmony ensemble of six young men in 1930s Germany, who took the world by storm until their religious composition - a mixture of Jews and Gentiles - put them on a collision course with history. HARMONY is a co-production with Center Theatre Group. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at rehearsals below!

Drama Desk Award nominee Tony Speciale (Classic Stage Company: Unnatural Acts, A Midsummer Night's Dream) will directHARMONY and is supported by a talented creative team including Set & Costume Designer Tobin Ost (Jekyll & Hyde Revival,Newsies The Musical), Projection Designer Darrel Maloney (American Idiot), LX Designer Jeff Croiter (Jekyll & Hyde Revival, The Anarchist), winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play for his work on Peter and the Starcatcher, Choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever), Music Director Patrick Vaccariello (Annie Revival, Come Fly Away), Assistant Music Director John O'Neill, and Sound Designer John Shivers, winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Musical for his work on the Tony Award winning musical Kinky Boots.

The character of Rabbi, who acts as narrator for the story, will be played by Wayne Alan Wilcox. Wilcox's Broadway credits includeChaplin and The Normal Heart. Wilcox also played Gordon in the film version of Rent and had a recurring role on the popular TV seriesThe Gilmore Girls. Also joining the cast in principal roles - Tony Yazbeck (Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Gypsy) as Harry; Douglas Williams as Bobby; Chris Dwan (Off-Broadway: The Old Boy, Peter & I) as Erich; Will Taylor (A Chorus Line) as Chopin; Will Blum(The Book of Mormon) as Lesh; Leigh Ann Larkin (A Little Night Music, Gypsy) as Mary; and Hannah Corneau as Ruth.

The ensemble for HARMONY consists of eleven actors who must play over thirty roles including historical figures like Marlene Dietrich, Albert Einstein, and Richard Strauss - all of whom the Comedian Harmonists really knew. Members of the ensemble include Shayne Kennon, Patrick O'Neill, Greg Kamp, Charles Osborne, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Chad Lindsey, Brandon O'Dell, Lauren Elaine Taylor, Kim Sava, Lindsay Moore, and Liberty Cogen.

"We are tremendously excited that this is the team who will join us in our effort to serve the memory of these six extraordinary young men and the women they loved, whose story this is, and who sought to find harmony in what turned out to be the most discordant chapter in human history," said Manilow and Sussman.

Performances for HARMONY are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, September 6 - October 6, 2013. Opening Night is September 15, 2013. There will be no 2:30pmperformance on September 7. There will be no performance at 7:30pm on October 6

Tickets start at $30 and are available at The Woodruff Arts Center Box Office in person or by calling 404-733-5000. Tickets are also available online at www.alliancetheatre.org/harmony. Discounted rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling404.733.4690. Discounted rates are also available for members of the military, seniors and students. The Alliance Theatre is located at the Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, at the corner of Peachtree and 15th Street.

Photo Credit: John Maley