A Bronx Tale (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,305)
See it if You want to see a new musical with new songs. A superb show.
Don't see it if Because of language, it's not for children.
See it if You want to have fun and leave the theater singing some of the songs
Don't see it if No reason not to see it
See it if If you loved Jersey Boys & Westside Story, you'll want to see this wonderful production.
Don't see it if If you don't like musicals
See it if you're from NYC, especially the Bronx, and are of a "mature age". You will relate to the story because that''s the way it was!
Don't see it if you dislike cursing and "bad" language.
See it if If you're a fan of the movie or like the sound of a 60s score with average characters and performances but a great story!
Don't see it if If you're looking for something deep and like to avoid cliches.
See it if I went with a friend looking to be mildly entertained and instead was deeply moved.
Don't see it if If you don't like epic shows based on timeless and universal themes. Read more
See it if you like a solid musical that hits all the marks: music, lyrics (yes, there's a song about Machiavelli!), singing, acting, production...
Don't see it if you're looking for something profound...it's on the lighter side of musicals. But surprisingly entertaining!
See it if you are interested in life in Bronx obviously, and you enjoy a story of man growing up
Don't see it if you are not a Martin Scorsese fan
Critic Reviews (52)
"The characters feel borrowed from 'Jersey Boys' and 'Guys and Dolls,' the plot in Act II from 'West Side Story.' And Alan Menken’s score, a pleasing if generic mix of doo-wop and Motown and Broadway ballads, manages to make 'A Bronx Tale' feel like an old jukebox musical...'A Bronx Tale' is unlikely to make anybody’s top 10 list. But the show is also unlikely to disappoint theatergoers nostalgic for the old neighborhood and the old-time Broadway show."
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"There are plenty of A-listers in the Playbill, which may be what sinks 'A Bronx Tale' like a thug who finds himself wearing cement shoes in the East River...Several performances float above the polluted plot lines. Cordero manages to find the delicate balance between tough guy and heart of gold. Thornton shifts midway from narrator to leading man...'A Bronx Tale' is an adequate evening of theater."
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"For all the work’s flaws, one can’t doubt the well-meaning efforts of co-directors DeNiro and Zaks...Still, you would think such accomplished men might realize that cold-blooded murder, racial unrest and pseudo-Motown mix kind of like gin and Diet Coke...As engaging as a few of the musical numbers are they diminish Palminteri’s core story...It seems to aspire to match 'West Side Story's' achievement–and how far short it falls of that aim. It’s not even half as good as 'Jersey Boys.'"
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“Much of it is raucously enjoyable—it received a sincere standing ovation—and the heart of Palminteri's original remains intact, but its soul seems compromised by the window dressing of a big-budget production...Performed with pumped-up gusto for a fast-moving two hours, only occasionally stopping to catch its breath, the show, with its saucy profanity and comical sexual allusions...isn't for audiences seeking Disney-type entertainment.”
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"A reasonably enjoyable period piece…But whereas some shows swing for the fences, this is one doesn’t aim much further than second base. This is a premiere that feels more like a revival and comes shrink-wrapped in its own nostalgia…Most of the pop, ballad and doo-wop numbers are satisfying, though forgettable...There’s not much that’s surprising in the show’s look or its dance sequences...It is well served by its leads, particularly the rumble-voiced Cordero."
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"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."
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"Why does the adult Calogero have to be as strictly white-bread boring as Tony in 'West Side Story'...While some of the problem is Thornton’s vanilla performance, the book gives its lead character little to do but narrate...He and others are saddled with the music of Alan Menken...Why does everyone sound like they’re still listening to the Four Seasons and the Ronettes despite all the violence and death circling around them?...A score that’s more Disney than the Bronx."
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"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."
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