Murder in the streets, neighborhoods divided along racial lines, racial and ethnic slurs, glorified mob activities, wise guys, street fights and more. THIS is A Bronx Tale (the musical) on its first national tour after a successful 700 show run on Broadway.
Originally a one person play written and performed by Chazz Palminteri, A Bronx Tale is a 1960s coming of age story of a young Italian-American boy who is lured away from his honest, hardworking, baseball loving blue-collar family by the temptations and glorification of the local mob.
Billed as “a tale about respect, loyalty, love, and above all else: family” it is hard to ignore that the backdrop for the entire story is violence, racism, and dishonesty played to an upbeat, “feel good” doo-wop soundtrack.
If you’re a fan of West Side Story, Grease, Jersey Boys and other similar stories, you will find A Bronx Tale enjoyable even if it follows a predictable story line where Good wins over Evil in the end.
Featuring music by Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award winner Alan Menken, and lyrics by Oscar and Tony Award nominee Glenn Slater, the score is light, cheery, and optimistic as it keeps the story and the action moving.
The design team earned the highest praise from this reviewer for both its authenticity and its simplicity. The set morphed almost invisibly from outdoor to indoor, day to night, without distraction. The choreography and blocking which incorporated set/prop movement was subtle and less intrusive than crew members moving around in the darkness trying to go unnoticed.
The overall performance was pleasant and but possibly a little flat according my row mates. With four of the five leads having performed as part of the original Broadway run, I may have expected too much. From my perspective the vocals lacked depth and at times the orchestra drowned out the vocals.
On a side note: Does every portrayal of an Italian-American have to include a Danny Zuko accent?
A Bronx Tale is currently being performed at Broadway in Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theater for a limited engagement through March 24, 2019.
