Patrick Maley

Tata’s production takes three full hours to get through the play, searching for a compelling hook somewhere in the modern setting, but consistently falling short. Belcher’s Coriolanus is precisely as bombastic and aloof as Shakespeare wrote him, which only makes the few glimpses of his humanity seem abrupt and jarring. O’Connell’s sleazy and conniving Menenius is a fun bright spot and the always excellent Ruff shows, with little doubt, why Volumnia is so adept at overpowering the emotions and intellect of her son. But, on the whole, the performances highlight rather than assuage the static nature of these characters.

Happily, director Craig Baldwin and the Red Bull Theater have achieved this latter result with a Richard II that leverages its chic, modern trappings to offer a striking vision of Shakespeare’s most poetic king. Behind a wonderful lead performance by Michael Urie, the show probes the warm interiority of the beleaguered Richard as juxtaposed against the cold, brutal political calculations of his counterpoint, Henry Bolingbroke.

Wonderful story and performances notwithstanding, much of 'Bandstand's' dazzle finds root in Andy Blankenbuehler's direction and choreography. The Tony-winning choreographer of 'Hamilton' takes on double duty here, allowing the dancing and progression of the show to work in seamless tandem. Simple changes in David Korins's nimble set and Paloma Young's inventive costumes signal important scene changes, while the company fills the stage with high-voltage dance backed by the live band's energy. The spectacle is busy, yet precise, and a whole lot of fun to watch.

It is a smart and at all times potentially explosive play that has at its core people rather than politics. Rogers muses about how a small group of humans having secret conversations (and copious drinks) across tables and in sitting rooms can create results that resound on a global scale. It is an insightful play that is neither as meticulous nor efficient as it could be (it does little to earn the right to its three-hour running time), but nonetheless does impressive work to underscore the personal at the heart of the political.

New York gangsters sing and dance successfully in 'Guys and Dolls,' and uptown street punks do the same in 'West Side Story.' 'A Bronx Tale' recalls both if only to illuminate its comparative limitations. Palminteri's semi-autobiographical story at the heart of this show remains compelling, but 'A Bronx Tale' is ultimately much better (and more inexpensively experienced) as a movie.