Chatham Life & Style

★★★ By Germôna Sharp, arts contributor

Presented by SunTrust Broadway at the Durham Performing Arts Center

DURHAM, NC

Nov. 5 - 10, 2019

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

To learn more or purchase tickets, click HERE.

"ROLL 'EM!" 

A Bronx Tale is a roller coaster of a story told by Calogero (Alec Nevin), an alright kid from the neighborhood whose next move could change his life for better or for worse. 

This story takes place in the 1960s Bronx, New York on Belmont Ave--an Italian neighborhood with its share of crazy characters. On the other side, there's Webster Ave--a black neighborhood with its own share of daily woes. People from these two places do not mingle or even think about stepping foot on each other's turf; that is until Calogero meets Jane (Kayla Jenerson). 

Set designer (Beowulf Boritt) never shied away from the reality of Bronx, New York. The colors, the sounds, and the all around culture of that area was captured well and put me right there in that time. Musical director Ron Melrose made sure to showcase the voices of the cast and sounds of the time beautifully with every musical number and, even though stiff in some spots, the cast made up for it with incredible dance numbers, choreographed by Brittany Conigatti. 

The Young Calogero (Trey Murphy) solo number "I Like It" is hands down one of the best highlights of the show. He executed every dance move and musical note to perfection! The ensemble complimented him with their perfectly choreographed transitions and perfectly timed musical interjections. 

The main tough guy, Sonny (Jeff Brooks), has a real bad rep but he has a special place in his heart for Calogero and he really had a way with winning over the audience with his warm undertone. Calogero's dad, Lorenzo (Nick Fradiani) wants more for his son and is willing to take on the toughest guy in the Bronx to make sure no one gets in the way of that. This show is filled with just the right amount of suspense, love, and life lessons. The cast did a great job with keeping the attention of the audience; the production as a whole was nothing short of amazing and I can honestly say I enjoyed my visit to Belmont Ave.

Germôna Sharp (she/her), arts contributor, is a vocalist and actress from Pittsburgh, PA, currently residing in Raleigh, NC. She has appeared in many different theatre productions in the area and is very excited to be on the Chatham Life & Style team! Instagram: @_germona_ Facebook: Germona Sharp