A Bronx Tale (Broadway)

"From an outstanding score by Alan Menken, touching and cohesive book by Chazz Palminteri, the effervescent choreography by Sergio Trujillo and an award-winning cast, 'A Bronx Tale' has it all. 'A Bronx Tale' is an old-fashioned musical, done the way musicals used to be with heart, soul and just a little bit of schmaltz. It is exactly what the doctor ordered in these trying times. You will get your money’s worth in entertainment and will leave feeling good about the world." Full Review

"A stunning new musical that combines realism with just the right amount of moral ambiguity and rich enduring questions to make a delicious theatrical event worth seeing once if not twice...Mr. De Niro and Mr. Zaks provide rich direction to the ensemble cast and keep the action moving forward at an appropriate pace. The realistic conflicts of each character drive a believable plot full of wonderful dramatic surprises that give the story interesting twists and turns." Full Review

"Clearly Mr. Palminteri’s biographical play has served him well, and now his good fortune is being spread to a marvelous group of featured actors and a gifted ensemble. It’s a dark tale, at first glance seemingly hardly the stuff on which to base a Broadway musical. But every choice in fashioning it into a very good musical has been the right one…The conflicts are the building blocks that make this a solid story, told without compromise, a first-rate drama." Full Review

"An emotionally driven musical that takes the movie on which it is based to a deeper level...The perfect telling of a moving and riveting story. The second act builds to an emotionally powerful climax. The cast creates characters who you want to embrace. They tell a tale that you wish would never end...If you liked the movie, you will love this musical. If you’ve not seen the movie, go see this show right now! It will fill your heart." Full Review

"It doesn’t break ground or dazzle with an unusual recipe, but it delivers reliable pleasures with polished professionalism and infectious energy...If there’s a secret ingredient that gives the musical version a zest, it is the wonderful score...Certainly not without its formulaic or sentimental aspects. Few mainstream musicals are. But it captures both the milieu it evokes and the colorful characters who populate it with a buoyancy and humor that ultimately won me over." Full Review

"Some shows open on Broadway with nothing on their minds but a joyous desire to send the audience out humming, smiling and feeling just plain terrific. Such a show is the polished, familiar but freshly refurbished chestnut 'A Bronx Tale'…In its present incarnation, with take-home tunes, a first-rate cast and lively choreography, it clicks like a new Rolex…On the whole, 'A Bronx Tale' is a pleasant surprise guaranteed to send you through the exit doors smiling." Full Review

“‘A Bronx Tale’ at the Longacre Theatre has its pleasures and delights, particularly if you have never seen Chazz Palminteri's original insightful monologue. Adding songs by Alan Menken (music) and Glenn Slater (lyrics) to Palminteri's book doesn't expand on the original but merely buff the rough diamond that was the original into a glitzier version. The original depended on Palminteri's brilliant acting and the imagination of the listener to picture the Bronx in the sixties.” Full Review

"'A Bronx Tale' does exactly what it sets out to do: paint a loving picture of a bygone era with bittersweet hues...Palminteri’s pastiche of seemingly outsized characters, which anyone who witnessed the era would tell you are, amazingly, completely accurate; and catchy numbers which evolve with the times, combine to make 'A Bronx Tale' an immersive, realistic trip down memory lane." Full Review

"The first truly, thoroughly enjoyable show of the 2016 fall season...The music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater capture the mood, feel, and essence of the 1960s doo-wop and rock-and-roll sound to perfection...Sure, the story seems familiar, but it is done in a fresh way, and that fresh thing is sincerity...DeNiro and Zaks have taken the story and directed it without any frills, just fine-tuned it to let the tale unfold in the most simplistic and realistic of ways." Full Review

"A terrific cast brings the show alive...It is an extremely vibrant introduction, and the musical proceeds from there, following the source from which the show has been adapted...As with many musicals, working out the plot and the issues involved intrudes upon the show’s most entertaining elements...Despite a few heavy-handed plot moments, the staging, acting and Palminteri’s take on the character assortment make 'A Bronx Tale' delightful in its new incarnation." Full Review

"The characters are simple, the storytelling is derivative of better-known musicals and the tone is excessively sentimental and solemn. But 'A Bronx Tale' is nevertheless an entertaining crowd-pleaser and a poignant piece of theater...There is a heartwarming aura to the storytelling and a palpable sense of sadness lurking under the nostalgia...The staging is tight and high-powered. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater have built a fresh and flavorful score." Full Review

"The kid’s coming of age—and ongoing crisis deciding between love and fear—is well told in this appealing musical, which is expertly cast, slickly staged and dramatically involving. The boy’s Act Two romance with a black girl bogs down a bit in too many misunderstandings, and there may be too many songs about following one’s heart, but still, the creative team did a sturdy job in making this project sing." Full Review

"The new musical is sure to please fans of the movie…An unabashed love letter to the eponymous borough…Menken returns to his 'Little Shop of Horrors' roots with a fun doo-wop score...The energetic choreography, by Sergio Trujillo, is some of the best on Broadway right now...The best commendation of 'A Bronx Tale' is its refusal to take a side with either Sonny or Lorenzo and, by that design, it is neither a scathing takedown of organized crime nor a glamorization of it." Full Review

"The performers can’t possibly be better, but I wish Alan Menken and Glenn Slater had given them something more to deliver on. There are a couple of songs that are standouts, but given the time and the place, they could have mined the rich vein of American music that included doo-wop and Motown…The music tends toward traditional Broadway show tunes...The artistic choices made in this production have almost without exception been the wise ones." Full Review

"Because it resembles an urban fairy tale, Palminteri’s story works even better as a musical than it has in its earlier incarnations where its stereotypical aspects felt more glaring...'A Bronx Tale'—in the second half, packed with a succession of melodramatic incidents—can feel rushed and unconvincing...While the score doesn’t feature any breakout songs, it is tuneful and fun...Though hardly sophisticated entertainment, 'A Bronx Tale' has genuine charms." Full Review

"All these actors are great, singing and dancing up a storm, and giving us a totally solid show. This solidness is maybe the only complaint I have with this show. It is so well done, a total professional piece of musical theatre, but somewhere along the way it fails to be something special. I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy myself at any given moment, but I was never swept away...There doesn’t seem to be any stand out numbers." Full Review

"It is serious stuff; but in this musical universe, it’s leavened with humor, music, dance and good fun. Briskly paced, 'A Bronx Tale' is an old-fashioned book musical that takes us along for the ride...Although not wildly imaginative nor groundbreaking, the songs are evocative and enjoyable as sung by the talented performers. The choreography is energetic...All the characters feel three-dimensional, and the performers are all first-rate...'A Bronx Tale' provides a fun night in the theater." Full Review

"A crowd-pleasing, nostalgic coming-of-age story with a welcome dose of racial tolerance just right for our times...The direction plays it fairly safe but confidently establishes a warm retro approach...The promising a cappella song from the opening is cut short but there’s plenty of other music to enjoy, with early rock 'n’ roll and Motown influences...The Longacre’s stage seems to confine the action. The dance numbers in particular need more space to breathe." Full Review

"A perfectly enjoyable, charm-infused pop musical that strives to encircle its hefty political subplot in good humor...Menken hasn’t tried to produce solo showstoppers, but rather ensemble songs...Slater’s lyrics tend to flatten out characterization...Zaks’ talent for delivering fast-paced, upbeat musicals has never been clearer...Palminteri’s social commentary is glancing, mild, and immediately followed up with laughs; it’s not an empty message, but it’s not particularly nuanced or deep." Full Review

"Cordero's sinister yet charismatic gangster-in-chief contributes mightily toward making this singing and dancing 'A Bronx Tale' an enjoyable musical entertainment...While the show has been given a sugary Disney gloss, the score is easy on the ears and the lyrics advance the story and include showstoppers...Slick, colorful and tuneful as it is, the overall feel and those echoes of 'West Side Story' do place this into pleasing but standard Broadway musical territory." Full Review

"When a property has been waxed to a commercial Broadway shine as this one has at the Longacre Theatre, it's hard to locate the cracks and crevices that originally gave it character. But when the rhythms and melodies of the story's milieu are fully engaged in painting the picture of this microcosm on Belmont Avenue, 'A Bronx Tale: The Musical' is completely captivating." Full Review

"Too many of the songs are inconsequential, which serves to dilute those ingratiating, low-brow, mob-infused charms which won audiences over in the first (and second) place...'A Bronx Tale' is unlikely to work without a strong performance in the central role of the gangster Sonny. Fortunately, Nick Cordero carries the musical with aplomb...'A Bronx Tale' gets a passing grade, and might well prove a crowdpleaser; but 'Jersey Boys,' it’s not." Full Review

"A well-crafted traditional musical with an easy-listening score, peppy dance numbers, entertaining performances and an accessible plot with a comfortable can-we-all-get-along message...'A Bronx Tale' isn't the most innovative show I've ever seen but it offers a good time...Slater's lyrics aren't as clever as they're pretending to be but they get the job done. And Trujillo's dances make all the right moves...The show's MVP is Nick Cordero who plays the charismatic mobster Sonny." Full Review

"While there's much to enjoy, something feels lost in translation…De Niro's seasoned hand is all over the performances. Best of all: Richard H. Blake's Lorenzo and especially Nick Cordero's Sonny, possessing an irresistible mix of menace, street smarts and charisma!…Menken’s tunes–a terrific pastiche of ‘60’s sounds–are memorable...But you know what they say about too many cooks, and somehow the heart of the story ends up overpowered." Full Review

"The streets revisited in this new production are paved with a heavy-handed and, in musical-theater terms, restrictive earnestness. There is humor and parental love, and a bit of romance; what’s missing is the even more essential element of joy...Palminteri’s book doesn’t dig into Sonny’s contradictions, and those who did catch the movie will anticipate the most clever and charming lines coming a mile away...Menken’s tunes don’t seduce as nimbly on a first listen as his best have." Full Review