Bullets Over Broadway the Musical is a jukebox musical written by Woody Allen, based on his and Douglas McGrath's 1994 film Bullets Over Broadway about a young playwright whose first Broadway play is financed by a gangster. The score consists of jazz and popular standards of the years between World War I and about 1930 by various songwriters. It received its premiere on Broadway, in 2014, at the St. James Theatre, and closed on August 24, 2014, after over a hundred performances.[1]
| Bullets Over Broadway the Musical | |
|---|---|
 2014 Broadway Playbill | |
| Music | Various artists |
| Lyrics | Various artists |
| Book | Woody Allen |
| Basis | Bullets Over Broadway by Woody Allen Douglas McGrath |
| Premiere | 2014: St. James Theatre Cleveland |
| Productions | 2014 Broadway 2015 US Tour |
Production
editBullets Over Broadway the Musical premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on March 11, 2014, in previews, officially opening on April 10, 2014. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, the cast features Marin Mazzie (as Helen Sinclair), Zach Braff (as David Shayne), Nick Cordero (as Cheech), Karen Ziemba (as Eden Brent), Vincent Pastore (as Nick Valenti), and Brooks Ashmanskas (as Warner Purcell). Scenic design is by Santo Loquasto, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Peter Hylenski, musical arrangements and supervision by Glen Kelly and orchestrations by Doug Besterman.[2]
The musical contains jazz and popular standards from the years between World War I and about 1930, with additional lyrics written by Glen Kelly.[3]
The musical closed on August 24, 2014, after 156 performances and 33 previews.[4] A non-equity touring production followed in October 2015.[5]
Background
editThe musical is based on the 1994 film Bullets Over Broadway, which had a screenplay by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath.[6] Work on a musical version of Bullets started in 2000, with Marvin Hamlisch and Craig Carnelia writing the music and Allen writing the book. In 2003, Hamlisch confirmed that work on the musical was proceeding.[7]
In an interview on the opening night of the musical in April 2014, Allen said that he had resisted turning the film into a musical for years, having no interest in it as a musical. However, his sister Letty Aronson thought that it could be done as a period musical, and Allen then became interested. Marvin Hamlisch had played a few of the new songs for Allen, but Allen did not think they were right for the musical. His sister then proposed the idea of using songs of the 1920s, "and it suddenly came to life." Susan Stroman was brought into the creative team two years before the opening.[8]
Celebrities such as Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, and Dianne Wiest showed up on opening night.
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (April 2014) |
In 1929, playwright David Shayne is finally getting his first play God of Our Fathers produced on Broadway. The producer, Julian Marx, has enlisted the wealthy gangster Nick Valenti to pay for the show. Valenti wants to have his dim-witted and untalented girlfriend, Olive Neal, star as one of the leads. Valenti has assigned his strong-arm gangster Cheech to watch over Olive. Surprisingly, Cheech comes up with great ideas for improving the play. However, aging diva Helen Sinclair, the real star of the show, romances the younger David, who already has a girlfriend, Ellen. Meanwhile, the leading man, Warner Purcell, has his eye on Olive.
Songs
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Principal roles and original cast
edit| Character | 1994 Movie | Broadway | Non-Equity US Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Shayne | John Cusack | Zach Braff | Michael Williams |
| Helen Sinclair | Dianne Wiest | Marin Mazzie | Emma Stratton |
| Warner Purcell | Jim Broadbent | Brooks Ashmanskas | Bradley Allan Zarr |
| Nick Valenti | Joe Viterelli | Vincent Pastore | Michael Corvino |
| Julian Marx | Jack Warden | Lenny Wolpe | Rick Grossman |
| Cheech | Chazz Palminteri | Nick Cordero | Jeffrey Brooks |
| Ellen | Mary-Louise Parker | Betsy Wolfe | Hannah Cruz |
| Olive Neal | Jennifer Tilly | Heléne Yorke | Jemma Jane |
| Eden Brent | Tracey Ullman | Karen Ziemba | Rachel Bahler |
Critical reception
editAccording to Stagegrade, the reviews were mixed, with some praising ("fun, beautiful musical") and some panning ("charm-free") the musical. The latter especially criticized the use of existing songs rather than having an original score. They conclude that this "may be among the most polarizing shows of the current season."[10]
Ben Brantley in his review for The New York Times, called the musical "occasionally funny but mostly just loud."[11] Elysa Gardner, in her review for USA Today, commented that the musical has "playful wit and exuberance" and wrote that "Bullets offers as much sheer, shameless fun as any show you'll see this season."[12]
Alexis Soloski, reviewing for The Guardian, praised the way Stroman tells the plot through her choreography and especially noted the staging for Ashmanskas ("lumbering jetés"), Yorke ("brassy thrusts') and the tap numbers for the male ensemble. However, she found that the songs were not well integrated into the story.[13]
Awards and nominations
editOriginal Broadway production
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bullets Over Broadway website". Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ "Woody Allen Musical Bullets Over Broadway, With Zach Braff and Marin Mazzie, Begins March 11" Archived April 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, March 11, 2014
- ^ Gordon, David. "Reviews. Bullets Over Broadway " Archived May 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, theatermania.com, April 10, 2014
- ^ Gans, Andrew and Hetrick, Adam. "Curtain Comes Down on Woody Allen Musical Bullets Over Broadway " Archived August 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, August 24, 2014
- ^ Bullets Over Broadway Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine broadway.playhousesquare.org
- ^ "The backstage dramas behind Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway musical". The Guardian. April 6, 2014. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ Simonson, Robert. Work Continues of Musical Version of Bullets Over Broadway " Archived December 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, playbill.com, July 17, 2003
- ^ Haun, Harry. "Playbill On Opening Night: Bullets Over Broadway – Guys and Dorks" Archived May 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, playbill.com, April 11, 2014
- ^ a b "Bullets Over Broadway Playbill Opening Night at St. James Theatre". playbillvault.com. Playbill Vault. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ Chaffa, M. "Critical Snapshot" Archived May 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, stagegrade.com, accessed May 2, 2014
- ^ Brantley, Ben (April 10, 2014). "Woody Allen Transforms His 'Bullets Over Broadway'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
- ^ Gardner, Elysa (April 10, 2014). "'Bullets Over Broadway' a sheer, shameless good time". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017.
- ^ "Woody Allen musical opens with a bang". The Guardian. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
