Joan Marcus
The 1993 movie A Bronx Tale was a modest hit upon its theatrical release but it’s developed a steady following over the ensuing years. The movie actually started out as a one-man play written by and starring Chazz Palminteri. Robert DeNiro saw the show, bought the rights on the stipulation that Palminteri would write the screenplay and portray the gangster Sonny, and DeNiro made the film his directorial debut while he appeared as Lorenzo, the main character’s father. In 2007, Palmimteri brought his show to Broadway, directed by Jerry Zaks, for 108 performances. The show then went through a ten year development to bring it to the stage once again but as a Broadway musical which opened on December 1, 2016 and played 700 performances. Now that show is touring the country and it’s just made a stop at Washington DC’s National Theatre for a week before moving on and concluding on August 4 in Kansas City.
If you’re like me, you know of A Bronx Tale but you’ve never seen it. The story is a cautionary tale based on Palminteri’s own experiences as a child and teenager in The Bronx. The main action of the story revolves around Calogero Anello, a young boy who witnesses a murder committed by local gangster Sonny. Calogero’s parents don’t want him involved when the police ask if he saw anything, but he steps up and said he did and is asked to identify the shooter from a line-up. Calogero claims that none of the men did it, although Sonny was the last one in the line. Sonny takes a liking to Colegero and gives him a nickname — C. C’s parents aren’t happy that their son is under the influence of Sonny, but eight years later, Calogero is now a young man who’s secretly been working with Sonny, who C now regards as more of a father-figure than his own father. Calogero then meets a girl at school who he is very interested in but there’s just one problem: this is 1960 and the girl, Jane, is black. Can two kids from two different worlds only two blocks apart make things work in a hotbed of racial tension? And who will ultimately win the battle for Calogero’s ‘soul’, Sonny or his dad Lorenzo?
Joan Marcus
A Bronx Tale features a large ensemble cast with 11 members from the original Broadway production. Leading them is Joey Barreiro as the grown Calogero. Barreiro acts as the story’s narrator during the boy’s childhood (played by Frankie Leoni on opening night, alternating with Shane Pry), and then becomes the character in the story when he’s grown while still narrating from time to time. He is pretty much in the show from start to finish and he’s just terrific. He’s got the Bronx swagger (and accent) down perfectly and he has a powerful voice. The weight of the show really rests on Barreiro’s shoulders and he carries it all with the greatest of ease.
Richard H. Blake co-stars as Lorenzo, the man who is the polar opposite of Sonny, the working class family man who only wants what’s best for his son, even though Calogero misunderstands what exactly his father wants from him, which is what pushes him closer to Sonny. Blake is also terrific as the caring dad and he has a beautiful voice. Brianne-Marie Bell portrays Jane with a teenager’s innocence who still knows that a black girl and an Italian-American boy do not mix, despite how they feel about each other. She also has a lovely voice which was a bit hampered on opening night by a muffled microphone. But she powered through. Jane also has two friends, Denise (Ashley McManus) and Frieda (Brandi Porter), who pretty much steal the show anytime they’re on stage. They reminded me of Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold in Little Shop of Horrors.
The show touts the cast members who are returning to the show for the tour and one of them is Joseph Barbara who played Sonny in the Broadway version. For opening night, Mr. Barbara did not appear so I cannot judge his performance. Mr. Barbara’s understudy Joey Calveri took on the role of Sonny and he was terrific. He had a great rapport with both actors who played Calogero, he had the look and swagger of a wiseguy, and he also had a terrific voice. I’m sure he had some big shoes to fill, and he certainly did justice to the role.
As I said, there is a large cast with actors playing Calogero’s buddies, Sonny’s goons, Jane’s brother and his friends and various denizens of the neighborhood, and they all turn in some wonderful performances, carry great voices, and tackle the show’s choreography by Sergio Trujillo that seems inspired by shows like West Side Story and Grease. They all work hard while making it seem easy and earn every standing ovation they get.
Speaking of the songs, the score is by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater and a lot of the songs have that classic ‘doo-wop’ sound you’d expect from a show that takes place in that era, with a nice mix of upbeat and slower ballads. They are all really lovely songs that serve to move the show along in the moment, but you probably won’t be humming any of them walking out of the theatre. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because these songs are meant to be part of the story, not poppy earwigs. They’re perfectly constructed to work within the show and that’s where they should remain … unless you get the cast album and then you’ll actually be able to associate the song with the story.
Joan Marcus
The show’s scenic design (Beowulf Boritt) and lighting design (Howell Binkley) are top notch, with scenery that is every changing from Belmont Avenue to the interior of Chez Bippy and various other locations in and around the neighborhood. William Ivey Long’s costumes and Paul Huntley’s hair and wigs also perfectly capture the era coming out of the 1950s and into the new decade of 1960. The orchestra sounded great, even if they did occasionally overpower the actors, but opening nights are often fraught with minor issues like this.
Ultimately, A Bronx Tale takes its time setting up the story in the first act, almost feeling as if the whole thing may just be a trifle of a show. But the second act packs a wallop with a lot of action and several emotional moments that may have you reaching for a tissue or two by the final curtain. It really won me over by the end, and for a Broadway musical it’s short, clocking in at just around two hours with an intermission, which keeps the story from becoming bloated. If you have a chance to catch A Bronx Tale during any of its stop, do yourself the favor and get tickets now, because after August 5 it will be too late!
A Bronx Tale runs about 2 hours with one intermission.
Tribeca Productions
A Bronx Tale plays Washington DC’s National Theatre through Sunday, March 31, 2019. Future stops include Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Madison, Fort Lauderdale, New Haven, Fort Worh and Kansas City! You can find the tour dates on the show’s website, or check our Ticketmaster link below for ticket availability in your city.
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