A BRONX TALE Previews- Page 3

[abbagirl]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 1:01pm

miriam18 said: "Any news about a rush? Thank you!"

I rushed it yesterday btw, mid-afternoon, and got orch D up against the left wall; apparently rush is orch "partial view" sides. It was indeed slightly partial view at times, but not too terribly. :)

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 11/4/16 at 1:17pm

Not surprised by these early comments, but more concerned than ever that Jerry Zaks has been handed the directing reins on HELLO, DOLLY! Yes, it's an old-fashioned show, but in the best sense, and while it doesn't necessarily need a lot of shtick added to it, a brilliant comic director like John Rando would have been a much more interesting choice.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 11/5/16 at 7:09am

BwayDude2 said: "Okay. I'm an out-of-towner and have not seen the show. But I keep seeing that commercial of the set designer talking about his process... And I can't help to think that the set looks VERY SIMILAR to the set of Newsies..... Does it actually look a lot different? Cause the concept and the premise look basically the same. 

 

"

Looks identical to the Newsies set in a very bad way. 

[Up In One]

Posted: 11/5/16 at 11:57am

A Director said: "BroadwayConcierge -

I bet there are theatre fans asking,

I still don't understand why WAR PAINT should be on Broadway right now. Can anybody make the case for why this story, this music is pertinent? I've just never had such little interest in seeing something."

The difference between shows like War Paint and Bronx to me is one comes from a place of creativity and dedication to the form of theater and Bronx comes from commerce and the need to wring every last cent out of an idea that started in earnest. Bronx was an off Broadway monologue, turned successful movie then returned as a Broadway monologue and now a musical. Watching its gestation with the swapping out of its composer lyricist for the very commercial Menkin it felt as if the whole thing had been created in a talent agents office. Add to that the cashing in on the Jersey Boys crowd and you have a show that you hope will prove these preconceptions wrong with some real inspired musical comedy creation. Add to that it's success at The Paper Mill which has been responsible for yeoman like yet not very inspiring but professionally done B'Way transfers and you continue down that rabbit hole.

 

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/5/16 at 12:40pm

So Papermill's going to have two flops this season? Maybe they should stop producing new musicals.

[Cfried]

Posted: 11/5/16 at 2:22pm

ACL2006 said: "So Papermill's going to have two flops this season? Maybe they should stop producing new musicals.

 

I'm sorry, but I'm just not understanding the negativity here. First of all, it's not fair to say A BRONX TALE is a flop at this point. It JUST began performances and was a massive success at Paper Mill (where performances were added due to demand). I completely agree with Whizzer; A BRONX TALE is clearly a passion project for the creators. It's Chazz Palmentiri's life story and in my opinion, I think it makes for a wonderful musical. Again, it's also completely unfair to say that BANDSTAND will be a flop. It's been OVER A YEAR since the Paper Mill run and they've rewritten much of the material. And I have to ask, why should Paper Mill stop producing new musicals? Can't we be thankful that we have an amazing theatre like Paper Mill that contributes to the theatrical landscape? Of course you have the right to have an opinion but it's kind of silly to assume both will be flops. I wish both of these productions long and successful runs on Broadway. 

 

Updated On: 11/6/16 at 02:22 PM

[miriam18]

Posted: 11/5/16 at 2:24pm

Thank you ! I am going to try this week !!

[Melissa25]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 1:57am

I did not think Bandstand was a flop at all at Papermill.  I thought the book was far superior to A Bronx Tale and I respected the tone of the show so much.  I will invest more of my money and time to see this transfer.  Cott's performance alone deserves a second look. He was terrific.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/6/16 at 8:53am

Oh, for goodness sake, cfried... Relax.  it's called hyperbole.  And even if it weren't, it's still one opinion... and not one that anybody AT Papermill will even care about.

 

Telling people what kind of comments they can or can't  make is just silly.

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 11/8/16 at 7:54am

Love their new promo video that's floating around...

[JVJ93]

Posted: 11/8/16 at 10:10am

ACL2006 said: "So Papermill's going to have two flops this season? Maybe they should stop producing new musicals.

 

Right, and start moving the one quality thing they had, like Hunchback, instead "

 

[Musical Master]

Posted: 11/8/16 at 3:47pm

jayinchelsea said: "Not surprised by these early comments, but more concerned than ever that Jerry Zaks has been handed the directing reins on HELLO, DOLLY! Yes, it's an old-fashioned show, but in the best sense, and while it doesn't necessarily need a lot of shtick added to it, a brilliant comic director like John Rando would have been a much more interesting choice."

 

I thought Jerry Zaks did a very good job with his direction on Guys and Dolls, Funny Thing Happened, and Sister Act; not so much his La Cage Aux Folles revival from 2004 (though I blame over-produced production and miscast Albin for that dull mess mostly). I personally think he'll do fine with Hello, Dolly! and Warren Carlyle is the choreographer for that revival so there's something to fall back on in case Jerry Zaks does a mysteriously bad job with it.

[nolanativeny]

Posted: 11/10/16 at 1:59pm

I caught this last night and mostly agree with what has been said, although I don't think the narration in this is as egregiously omnipresent as it was in Shuffle Along, personally. I found the songs to be tuneful and memorable, and was impressed with Richard H. Blake and Ariana DeBose's performances in particular. 

Everyone I heard leaving the theatre was saying how much they enjoyed it or how they would see it again or would recommend it to others, for what it's worth. I wouldn't call it the greatest thing I've ever seen or even in the top 5, but I definitely enjoyed myself and would be glad to relive some of the moments if there is a cast recording made, which feels fairly inevitable to me.

[Staractor687]

Posted: 11/11/16 at 11:31am

Was able to get a rush ticket for $39 2 hours before last nights show. Ticket was in the balcony, third row center right in front of a skinny pole (restricted view). Had to lean to either side to catch the action on stage but I got used to it after 15 minutes. The theater was full, and mostly comprised of an older crowd (40s+) and mostly seemed like locals from Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. The people I overheard last night all seemed to be enjoying the show, however I didn't care for it. The story and music could have been better. I was not bored or sleepy watching it, but nothing in the show stood out to me as particularly entertaining. There was not one moment in the show that got me excited or gave me chills. The closest was the Act 1 Finale. I don't blame the talent, I blame the material. The acting was pretty good with what the talent had to work with. Would not recommend seeing it unless you are paying $39 like I did. 

[jbm2]

Posted: 11/13/16 at 10:40pm

For those of you who have seen this, how appropriate is up for a high school student?

[BroadwayLuv2]

Posted: 11/17/16 at 10:59am

Went this morning for Rush.  Showed up at 9am and there was nobody there.  Went and got a coffee and came back at 930, still nobody.  One other person showed up around 950 before box office opened.

Got two tickets Orchestra Row E all the way to the side, stamped partial view. 

Anyone know if Row E has a far side aisle or is it blocked by a wall? 

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 11/17/16 at 6:10pm

jbm2 said: "For those of you who have seen this, how appropriate is up for a high school student?"

 

Perfectly fine, IMO. There's a bit of rough language, and one particularly bad word, but I think the reaction to it and the way it is handled makes it clear it is inappropriate.

 

[theNYCpro]

Posted: 11/22/16 at 11:14pm

Sir Paul McCartney was in the audience tonight! 

[Cfried]

Posted: 11/23/16 at 11:45pm

Saw tonight's performance as well as the world premiere production at Paper Mill. 

I'll start by saying that I feel BRONX TALE is truly a great musical. Alan Menken's score is fantastic and has several incredible numbers (including the breathtaking Act I Finale). I must note that there have been MANY NOTICEABLE REVISIONS since the Paper Mill production even though the song list appears to be the same. Not only have most scenes been restaged, but more than a few songs have been rewritten/revised too (one that stood out to me being the reworked Act II Finale). The one problem I have with the Broadway production is the casting; the leads generally seem to be weak. Of course, this could be because they're still in previews and haven't quite found their characters yet, or simply because their voices are overworked due to rehearsals and a two-show day. Nonetheless, A BRONX TALE is a winner and I wish it great success on Broadway. And to the person that asked if Paper Mill is producing; I believe so as they are billed in the playbill. 

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 11/24/16 at 12:25am

its like someone took Jersey Boys, Memphis and West Side Story and put it in a blender, and not in a good way, also the race stuff is handled poorly and the book is a mess, if this is still running by march ill be very surprised 

[mamaleh]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 10:45pm

I caught one of the final previews today via rush and was seated way off to the side but was able to move to the center for Act II.  Some of it seemed implausible, some derivative, but on the whole I found it enjoyable. The score is fine if not tip-top Menken.  Trujillo's choreography is exciting and muscular.   The cast is quite good, especially Nick Cordero as Sonny.  I liked how he delivered his Sinatra-esque songs in that smooth style. I hope he is recognized come awards season. I think the show will be at least a modest hit with a respectable run.

[Another Winter]

Posted: 11/30/16 at 11:47pm

Just saw the show tonight. I think this was probably one of my least favorite things I have ever seen on Broadway. I thought the score was so embarrassingly cheesy and not even in a campy way. I was stunned. One of the first songs is the father and C tossing a baseball back and forth as the father sings about like looking into your heart. Barf. If that wasn't enough, throughout the show more and more characters sing about the same exact thing in completely unoriginal and uninspired ways. This show has an interesting plot in theory, but I found myself not caring about any of the characters nor what happened to them. (Disclaimer! I am not familiar with any of the source material and went into this show with absolutely no prior knowledge nor expectations). I also found it so odd when Nick Cordero's tough gangster character started singing about finding your great love. It seemed completely out of character and bizarre. Obviously this is all just my opinion, but I really am shocked that this made it to Broadway. I am very nervous to see what Hello, Dolly! will be like now (unless all my qualms with the show were De Niro's ideas).

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 12/1/16 at 2:18am

Saw it tonight. It was probably one of the most generic and dated shows I've seen. I second that the race issue is awkward, unnecessary, and very poorly handled. The show is like, saying the N-word is okay, as long as you tell people that you don't really mean it. And the father's racist attitude is all okay because he has a "good" heart????????? WTF????????? The very well staged scene of the 9-year-old C getting fancy, earning big bucks, and being respected/feared by a local fruit truck owner made me want to puke. I even suspected that this was what the director intended so we can sympathize with little C more until the explosive applause. This is 2016, and a show like this that reeks of "the Yankee values" that made Donald Trump makes me roll my eyes. Plus, this one does not even fall into the feel-good kind. There's no depth in any character, even C, perhaps with the exception of Sonny, the reason of whose care for C is a sweet twist IMO. The score is okay, but nothing close to a memorable one. I don't mind exposition, but when there's not as much story as in Shuffle, this amount of exposition is both lazy and tiring. I wish I could've enjoyed it more, but this is just not even a play I would let my nemesis suffer.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 12/1/16 at 2:24am

BroadwayConcierge said: "Me neither, neon. I've only seen the Playbill cover, which I maintain looks like people running away frantically from the show's logo.



 

"

And they're absolutely doing the right thing!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/1/16 at 2:44am

I still don't get those colors.