The regional premiere of A Bronx Tale at Playhouse on the Square delivers on one of the show’s key messages: There’s nothing worse than wasted talent. No talent was wasted here, as the seamless performance left nothing to be desired. This musical feels like a mash-up of Goodfellas and West Side Story, although I’d make a case that it also proves one of my own favorite maxims: patriarchal society really screws up everyone involved. Look up the lyrics to “Hurt Someone” and you might see my point.
A Bronx Tale experienced quite a journey before being brought to the stage in the musical format. First performed as an autobiographical one-man show by playwright Chazz Palminteri in 1989, the story then appeared on the silver screen in 1993 as the directorial debut of Robert De Niro. It finally came to Broadway as a musical in 2016. I note its many successful formats because its adaptability supports my opinion that the truly special thing about this show wasn’t the music or choreography — enjoyable though they both were — but rather the thematic elements and emotional depth of the story.
The musical follows the early life of Calogero Anello, who witnesses a shooting at a young age and, when he makes the decision not to rat on the shooter, gets taken under the wing of Sunny LoSpecchio, a mob boss. It doesn’t take long before Calogero is completely embroiled in the dealings of the underbelly of his neighborhood, an involvement that his father, a local bus driver, is vehemently against. Thus we have some major elements of the play laid out immediately. The weight of decisions, the mistakes our choices can lead us to, the push and pull of conscience, and the influence our heroes can have on who we become.
The characters in A Bronx Tale are wonderfully three-dimensional, with almost every person making at least one horrible decision, a theme that comes up again and again in the show, right along with the choice to forgive and the choice to try to do better.
Choice seems to be a major part of what drives the musical, and the actors all brought an honesty to their characters that made their emotional turmoil feel all the more urgent and compelling. Aden Pettet was captivating in his Playhouse debut as Calogero, managing as if by magic to evoke charm without appearing arrogant and earnestness without appearing saccharine. The audience roots for Calogero, when we could just as easily wish for his comeuppance.
Kent Fleshman as the manipulative but charismatic Sunny was so believable I can’t begin to conceive of what the actor’s personality could be off the stage, as he so utterly became Sunny on it. Stephen Garrett’s quieter presentation of Lorenzo, Colgero’s father, was a perfect foil for Sunny, representing a much sweeter father/son relationship than one would expect for a show set in the 1960s. It makes the moment when Lorenzo shows his prejudice all the more devastating.
What makes this show so engrossing is the continual set up for the audience to hope that the characters will grow. The way the framework of optimism is constructed throughout this musical is genius, and honestly, in June of 2025, it’s a message we all need to see and hear as much as possible.
In this play, as in life, no one is perfect. The people in this play are messy and are all the more realistic for their complications. These characters are confronted with classism, sexism, and racism, among other complex social issues, and while I sincerely wish those themes weren’t acutely relevant 60 years after this story takes place, the fact is that they are more pertinent now than ever.
Art is a mirror, and this play reflects so many of the biases and struggles we grapple with today. Hopefully, what will ring true is the message that there are those who are willing to spearhead the changes they want to see in the world. This musical is entertainment, of course, but it is also a reminder to be true to your heart and make room there for all people, no matter their background.
A Bronx Tale runs at Playhouse on the Square through July 13th.