The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC) will reopen its doors on Friday, October 29, with the first performance of A Bronx Tale The Musical directed by Broadway veteran Richard H. Blake. Based on Oscar nominee Chazz Palminteri’s play and subsequent film, A Bronx Tale is set in an Italian American neighborhood in the Bronx of the racially charged 1960s. The production runs October 29 through November 14.

With a rock and Motown-infused score bursting with high-energy dance numbers and original doo wop numbers by Oscar and Tony winner Alan Menken, A Bronx Tale has been described as the intersection between West Side Story and Jersey Boys. The book was written by Glenn Slater and tells the story of an impressionable nine-year-old boy who is torn between the father he loves and the much-admired mob boss he would like to be. The original production was directed by Robert DeNiro, who starred in the film, and Jerry Zaks.