Susan Granger’s review of “Bullets Over Broadway” (St. James Theater)
Director/choreographer Susan Stroman (“The Producers”), a five-time Tony Award winner, has staged this exuberant musical adaptation of Woody Allen’s zany 1994 showbiz movie, which asks: How much would you compromise for your art? For those involved in theater, films, art and dance – that question is always timely and very relevant.
Set in 1920s Prohibition Era Manhattan, the story revolves around a delusional, first-time playwright, David Shayne (Zach Braff), and his mobster producer/investor, Nick Valenti (Vincent Pastore). Then there’s David’s homespun girl-friend Ellen (Betsy Wolfe) who cannot compete with the glamorous allure of aging diva Helen Sinclair (Marin Mazzie) – along with the brainless, gold-digging chorus girl Olive Neal (Helene Yorke) and gluttonous leading man, pompous Walter Purcell (Brooks Ashmanskas). But the real how stealer is 6’5” tall Nick Cordero as Cheech, the sardonic thug assigned to be Olive’s bodyguard who surreptitiously rewrites David’s heavy-handed dialogue, transforming it into sheer fun, when he’s not bumping off rival goons, dumping them into the Gowanus Canal and crooning “Up a Lazy River.”
Adapted by Woody Allen, who wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay with Douglas McGrath, the vintage musical score includes Tin Pan Alley songs picked by Stroman and music supervisor Glen Kelly, who tweaked some of the public domain lyrics to fit the timeframe. Santo Loquasto, who designed the film, reprises with lavish sets and William Ivey Long creating splendid period costumes.
Doing a full-fledged Woody Allen neurotic riff, Zach Braff (TV’s “Scrubs”), who says he hasn’t sung since Stagedoor Manor theater camp, is boyishly ingratiating. Memorable, happy-tappy musical numbers include “Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do,” “Runnin’ Wild” and “Tiger Rag,” although “The Hot Dog Song” is a total dud. All-in-all – it’s good, not great.
(FYI: In the movie version, John Cusack played the lead with Mary-Louise Parker as his girl-friend, Dianne Wiest as the diva and Chazz Palmintieri as the goon.)