About the work
A Bronx Tale is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Chazz Palminteri, based on his autobiographical play and the 1993 film. Its 2016 Broadway premiere was created under the joint direction of Robert De Niro and Jerry Zaks. With a score steeped in the doo-wop and soul of the 1960s, it tells a warm-hearted coming-of-age story from the streets of the Bronx.
Plot
In the Italian-American Bronx of the 1960s, the young Calogero grows up between two worlds and two father figures. There is his honest, hard-working father Lorenzo, a bus driver who wants to instil upright values in him. And there is Sonny, the charismatic neighbourhood boss who offers the boy attention, money and the seductive promise of power and respect. As Calogero grows older and falls in love with the African-American girl Jane, he is caught between loyalty, prejudice and violence – and must learn which path is truly his own.
Cultural significance
A Bronx Tale combines the tradition of the coming-of-age drama with the accessibility of the Broadway musical and Menken's flair for melodies in the style of the early 1960s. The show tells of origins, mentorship and the difficult choice between easy temptations and hard-won decency, while also touching on questions of racism and belonging. With the pointed life lesson that there is nothing sadder than wasted talent, it became a beloved, warm-hearted piece about growing up.