# Bullets Over Broadway (musical)

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.

## Production

Bullets 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 was 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.
The musical contains jazz and popular standards from the years between World War I and about 1930, with additional lyrics written by Glen Kelly.
The musical closed on August 24, 2014, after 156 performances and 33 previews. A non-equity touring production followed in October 2015.

## Background

The musical is based on the 1994 film Bullets Over Broadway, which had a screenplay by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath. 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.
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.
Celebrities such as Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin, and Dianne Wiest showed up on opening night.

## Plot

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.

## Principal roles and original cast

| Character | Broadway | Non-Equity US Tour |
| Character | 2014 | 2015 |
| David Shayne | Zach Braff | Michael Williams |
| Helen Sinclair | Marin Mazzie | Emma Stratton |
| Warner Purcell | Brooks Ashmanskas | Bradley Allan Zarr |
| Nick Valenti | Vincent Pastore | Michael Corvino |
| Julian Marx | Lenny Wolpe | Rick Grossman |
| Cheech | Nick Cordero | Jeffrey Brooks |
| Ellen | Betsy Wolfe | Hannah Cruz |
| Olive Neal | Heléne Yorke | Jemma Jane |
| Eden Brent | Karen Ziemba | Rachel Bahler |

## Critical reception

According 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."
Ben Brantley in his review for The New York Times, called the musical "occasionally funny but mostly just loud." 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."
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.

## Awards and nominations
### Original Broadway production

| Year | Award ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Book of a Musical | Woody Allen | Nominated |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Musical | Nick Cordero | Nominated |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Choreography | Susan Stroman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Orchestrations | Doug Besterman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Scenic Design | Santo Loquasto | Nominated |
| 2014 | Tony Award | Best Costume Design | William Ivey Long | Nominated |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nick Cordero | Nominated |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Susan Stroman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Choreography | Susan Stroman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Set Design | Santo Loquasto | Nominated |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Costume Design | William Ivey Long | Won |
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Peter Hylenski | Nominated |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Nick Cordero | Won |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Marin Mazzie | Won |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Choreographer | Susan Stroman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Costume Design | William Ivey Long | Won |
| 2014 | Drama League Award | Distinguished Production of a Musical | Distinguished Production of a Musical | Nominated |
| 2014 | Fred and Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show | Nick Cordero | Nominated |
| 2014 | Fred and Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show | Heléne Yorke | Nominated |
| 2014 | Fred and Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show | Karen Ziemba | Nominated |
| 2014 | Fred and Adele Astaire Awards | Outstanding Choreographer in a Broadway Show | Susan Stroman | Nominated |
| 2014 | Theatre World Award | — | Nick Cordero | Won |