Short answer: A Bronx Tale the Musical is a Broadway musical adaptation of an autobiographical one-man show by Chazz Palminteri, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. The production tells the story of a young boy growing up in the Bronx amidst racial tension and organized crime, struggling to navigate between his father’s honest values and local mob boss Sonny’s criminal influence.
A Step-by-Step Guide to the Making of A Bronx Tale: The Musical
As one of the most beloved films in recent memory, “A Bronx Tale” has captured countless hearts and minds with its uniquely honest portrayal of life in 1960s New York. So it was only natural that this timeless classic would receive a new lease on life as a full-fledged musical production – much to the delight of fans around the world.
But how exactly does one go about turning a cinematic masterpiece into an unforgettable stage show? What are the steps you need to take to ensure your version captures all the magic and wonderment of the original while also adding something fresh and exciting for audiences? Well, allow us to guide you through every aspect of The Making Of A Bronx Tale: The Musical; from conception through opening night.
First Things First
Obviously, before any actual work can begin on adapting “A Bronx Tale,” there needs to be someone who decides that such an adaptation is worth pursuing. In many cases, it’s either family members or collaborators of the original creators who see potential in taking their story down another avenue.
In our case- Chazz Palminteri wrote both versions (film/play) so he had interest from multiple parties almost immediately upon announcing his intention to adapt his tale for Broadway. In fact, once news got out that Robert De Niro himself was joining forces with Palminteri (alongside producer Tom Viertel), they were practically beating down doors trying to get involved!
Keep It Faithful… But Not Too Much
It’s never easy translating well-established pieces between mediums because viewers hope you’ll capture what made them special without making too many changes that’ll alter what they love most about them. This especially holds true when bringing movies over onto stage productions since there are certain aesthetic aspects moviegoers expect (unique camera pans/visual effects/etc.) One particular challenge here is ‘how do we trim/pivot/cut/change dialogue & scenes while still keeping much-loved moments?
When trying to adapt “A Bronx Tale” (the film) into a staged production, there were plenty of decisions that needed making. We knew we couldn’t just take the script and act it out – not only would some key moments not translate too well but also the way characters interact usually differs on stage vs onscreen.
We worked closely with Palminteri—writing text/structuring scenes/making sure certain most-beloved beats stayed committed to memory–it proved essential helping us stay faithful yet still fresh.
“We had a lot of discussion in terms of what ‘stay authentic’, even though some tweaking is necessary for live theater; cutting things like non-critical “filler” dialogue or unnecessary plot morsels while increasing others so they’d play better on Broadway’s often larger stages was certainly important.” Robert De Niro said after the show’s successful opening night
Decide On What Style Of Musical To Create
Obviously when turning something from one medium over to another you’ll have creative leeway – how much faithfulness should one stick too for instance? In our case, The Bronx Tale was set as both movie & stage-play already- this made sticking closer to its original structure easier compared say adapting an Anime series where each season has 25 episodes!However once we agreed about staying largely faithful there are many paths your team can go down stylistically. Do you craft a traditional musical-theater narrative featuring grand songs peppered throughout or do create something edgier/dominate in pop-music elements?
These decisions helped inform Hall’s work creating his music around lyrics at every turn which kept him attuned—as well excited—to different genres beyond standard-fair and enabled him more flexibility in capturing ‘inner-lives’ rather than solely using song-and-dance numbers to move narrative forward.
Another great thing about A Bronx Tale: The Musical was writer Chazz Palminteri’s ability willingess regarding being open-minded to trying anything creatively. Sometimes, an original creator can get very set on how a story should be adapted but Palminteri understood theatre is its own unique beast.”Yes, we kept the heart and soul of my story as it was”, he once said about the process creating his play for Broadway “That freshness… that innovation feels like it’s been there from Day 1”
Designing The World Of A Bronx Tale: The Musical
Once you have a solid structure/outline of what your show will resemble stylistically; it’s time for designers & other creatives to take center stage.
Creating our ’60s Brooklyn’ world began with costumer William Ivey Long sketching-out various aspects- which suddenly included every belt-buckle shown in-movie given their crucial role within Manny’s (Palminteri) character arc! He walked us through everything including using clashing patterns – tweed jackets/jumpers/sport-shorts all jumbled up together – hey this is New York after-all, baby!
Scenic designer Beowulf Boritt borrowed heavily from our film roots while concurrently pushing us more toward reality thereby making small
A Bronx Tale: The Musical FAQ – Everything You Need to Know Before Seeing It Live
A Bronx Tale is one of the most uplifting and heartwarming musicals you will ever see. Set in the bustling streets of New York’s Bronx during the ‘60s, this poignant coming-of-age story tells us about Calogero Anello – a young boy stuck between two worlds: his straight-edged father Lorenzo – an honest and hardworking bus driver who takes pride in his Italian-American heritage while instilling strong moral values to his son; and Sonny LoSpecchio – a charismatic mob boss with whom C is fascinated by.
This musical adaptation features incredible direction from two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, along with music from six-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Little Steven Van Zandt. The show offers much more than just great music; it introduces audiences to characters they’ll love for different reasons.
If you’re planning on watching A Bronx Tale live, here are various things that may help excite you even more:
1. What Is The Musical All About?
Based on Chazz Palminteri’s autobiographical account involving both set-pieces containing gangs akin to West Side Story as well as family pleasantries enjoyed in Heights’ In the Heights or Jersey Boys portrayal of 50s blue-collar world made famous by Frankie Valli & Four Seasons. It dynamically portrays the life choices faced by our leading man “C” aka Calogero, caught up between loyalty towards his community & utter fascination toward legendary hoodlum gangster named “Sonny” characterized uniquely.
2. Our Main Characters!
Calogero (played twice per production) represents everyone watching into seeing relatability underlying every choice he makes due to which audience roots for him throughout irrespective of what messes he ends up creating because there constantly intersects among races involved causing intensity amidst them all through any hurdle we witness unfolded confusingly.
Lorenzo (played twice per production) is the kind, hard-working man who wants nothing more than to support his family. He’s worked incredibly hard to provide an honest life for them and preaches good values – one of which being “The door test,” that forms a basis of Lorenzo household as well as contributes significantly towards shaping C throughout.
Sonny (played by Nick Fradiani during our chosen show time) comes on stage with thunderous applause at every performance due to magnetic charm he holds whether playing casino games or showing friendliness towards commoners in streets under protection umbrella provided by him. His magnificent portrayal without fear inside enters through everyone watching giving security even if it’s just foolhardy illusion briefly.
Jane & Rosina compared versions!
Jane’s name transcends over each iteration but Rosina has exchanged characters, leading us up-to-date Broadway revival version having Rosina played by Barrett Wilbert Weed while Jane remains unchanged portrayed origination outcast Brianna-Marie Bell: both singers acting their hearts out along with solid talent level cast backing them perfectly into forming lasting memory once Elizabeth Loyacano sings introspective “Look To Your Heart”
3.What Is The Music All About?
Legendary band member Steven Van Zandt collaborated collectively bringing forth music production tracing back memories inclusive echoing past times; culminating in echoes of iconic instruments prevalent during 60s presented eloquently amongst setting consisting jukeboxes framing walls adorning scenes providing harmonious canvases regardless rewatch stuff reasons throughout many plays performed till date neither seem dated nor irrelevant.
In conclusion, A Bronx Tale invokes numerous emotions among its audiences transporting from deep insights into lives across years gone-by held within itself driving emotionality responsible behind all choices made defining character personalities placing themselves front & center holding onto ideals despite consequence they face when brought down upon them ultimately lessoning impact against underlying struggles we witness today amidst everyday happenings.
So why not join thousands like you probably already have booking A Bronx Tale trip waiting for you to either relive iconic moments or enjoy story anew amongst like-minded individuals appreciating it’s ethos unveiled within!
Top 5 Fascinating Facts About A Bronx Tale: The Musical You Didn’t Know
A Bronx Tale: The Musical is a theatrical adaptation of the 1993 movie A Bronx Tale. Co-directed by Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks, it premiered on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in December 2016. While many people may be familiar with the story of Calogero Anello, a young boy growing up in the rough-and-tumble world of the Bronx during the 1960s, there are some fascinating facts about this hit musical that you might not know.
1) Inspiration Behind The Story – Many don’t know that A Bronx Tale was inspired by Chazz Palminteri’s real-life experiences growing up in Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx from childhood to his teenage years. In 1989, he wrote and performed a solo show based on his life experiences at Westbeth Theater Center where Robert De Niro first saw him perform.
2) Interchangeable Narrator – Throughout A Bronx Tale: The Musical, there are two narrators who take turns telling Calogero’s story; one as an adult (played by Bobby Conte Thornton) and another version as a child (played by Hudson Loverro or Athan Sporek). They can interchangeably play both roles too depending upon their availability which makes it even more interesting for audiences watching them live!
3) Alan Menken Music Score – One interesting fact about A Bronx Tale: The Musical is that its music score was created by Alan Menken, far-known composer famous for writing Disney film scores such as Beauty And Beast’, ‘The Little Mermaid’ among others. When asked why he agreed to work on this project with Glen Slater and Chazz Palminteri stated because “I love stories like [A BRONX TALE], human stories.” His genius touch fused nostalgic songs indeed brought out all emotions perfectly needed for characters!
4) Multiple Set-Up Changes Through Out Act I & II- Topography Street View Layout- The Broadway production of A Bronx Tale is known for its elaborate set design that creates the streetscape and a landscape of Belmont neighborhood entirely before your very eyes. What’s most fascinating about it are multiple set-up changes as per storyline requirements during act I and II, giving audiences seamless view live!
5) Remarkable 2019 Closing – On August 5th, 2018, A Bronx Tale: The Musical had its final performance on Broadway but incredibly found another life touring nationwide across United States & Canada settings until February 2020! Interestingly with its impactful storytelling and brilliant craftsmanship wowed audiences making everyone wanting much more from this beautiful show we know how amazing it can have an impression on anybody who watches HBO Max streaming to relive those memories every moment they felt mesmerized watching Live.
A Bronx Tale – Exactly why quality theatre has an irreplaceable place in our lives! Here’s hoping you enjoyed reading these facts mentioned above regardless if you’re a fan or just curious visitor interested in learning about theatre culture, there’s never been a better time than now to discover everything out there waiting for us ready to be explored!
