A Bronx Tale: The Musical to play Broadway's Longacre

Tommy Mottola and the Dodgers with Tribeca Productions present the Broadway premiere of A Bronx Tale: The Musical, co-directed by two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro and four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks, which will begin previews at Broadway's Longacre Theatre on 3 November 2016, before an official opening on 1 December.

Robert De Niro commented:

"A Bronx Tale has always had a very special meaning to me and I always thought it had great potential to be a musical. After making my directorial debut with the film, I'm excited that my Broadway directorial debut, alongside Jerry Zaks, will bring this special story to new audiences. Jerry is a great person and I've already learned a lot working with him."

"When I first saw Chazz Palminteri in Bullets Over Broadway I was mesmerized. Who is this guy? Then I saw both the one-man show and the movie of A Bronx Tale and I knew. Now it all comes miraculously full circle for me because I get to give musical voice to this fantastic story, alongside Chazz, Robert De Niro, Jerry Zaks and my longtime songwriting collaborator, Glenn Slater; in a new Broadway Musical produced by Tommy Mottola and the Dodgers Organization. It's brought me back to my Little Shop of Horrors roots, channeling the rich musical styles of late '50s and early '60s pop music. And I love it!"

Synopsis: "Based on the one-man show that inspired the now classic film, this streetwise musical will take you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s—where a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he'd love to be. Featuring an infectious doo-wop score, this is a tale about respect, loyalty, love, and above all else: family."

Casting for the musical will be announced at a later date.

The creative team behind A Bronx Tale: The Musical features choreography by Sergio Trujillo, scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Gareth Owen, hair & wig design by Paul Huntley, makeup design by Anne Ford-Coates, and fight co-ordination by Robert Westley.

Music supervision and Arrangements are by Ron Melrose, with orchestrations by Doug Besterman and musical direction by Jonathan Smith.

A Bronx Tale: The Musical originally premiered at the Tony-winning Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey on 4 February 2016. The cast included Jason Gotay (Calogero), Nick Cordero (Sonny), Richard H. Blake (Lorenzo), Coco Jones (Jane), and Lucia Giannetta (Rosina).

- by Tom Millward