Bullets Over Broadway The Musical

Broadway Philadelphia, presented collaboratively by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization, is presenting the national tour of Bullets Over Broadway through Nov. 1 at the Academy of Music. You won’t be dodging a bullet by skipping this show. .This is one stream of bullets you won’t want to miss. It is an explosive night of fun! When unsuccessful playwright David Shayne, (Michael Williams), needs funding for a Broadway production, he unknowingly accepts underwriting from mob boss Nick Valenti( Michael Corvino). There is only one caveat: Nick’s girlfriend must have a part in the play. And then all hell breaks loose. Michael William, with his many solos and his homespun little boy charm, outshines his counterpart on Broadway. Olive (Jemma Jane) hysterically portrays the “dumb blonde” wannabe actress, demonstrating her skills with “The Hot Dog Song.“ All of the female leads, Hanna Rose DeFlumeri, Emma Stratton and Rachel Bahler prove they can belt out a song to ring through the rafters (which is no small accomplishment in the Academy of Music). And while the singing is  certainly memorable, it is the dancing in this production that is mind-boggling. The female dancers are in several ensembles with an array of costumes. They waltz, tap and shimmy their way into everyone’s hearts. The gangsters are phenomenal. Never before have so many pair of male feet so completely captivated an audience by their exquisite tap routines. Cheech (Jeff Brooks) is perhaps the biggest surprise of the show. As Nick Valenti’s right-hand man, he sits in rehearsals to keep an eye on Olive and becomes a clandestine playwright. His rich voice resonates in ensemble or solo pieces (“Up a Lazy River,” “Tain’t Nobody’s business if I Do”) and his ability to enter an ongoing line of a tap routine without missing a beat is a pure delight to watch. Tickets for this Philadelphia premiere of the National Tour of Bullets Over Broadway   are available by calling 215-731-3333, visiting online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, or at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad and Spruce Sts.( open daily 10 am to 6 om) or at the Academy of Music box office, Broad and Locust Sts. (open during performances only.