Review: Springsteen connects with his sensitive side in Broadway debut

“I’ll handle this myself,” said Bruce Springsteen with a wry smile on Wednesday night at the Walter Kerr Theatre, as his enraptured audience began to clap along in rhythm to “Dancing in the Dark,” one of his most familiar hits. The clapping died instantly, out of respect for what Springsteen, perhaps the most celebrated American rock performer of his generation, was aiming to do in his latest, surprising enterprise, “Springsteen on Broadway.” He’s making his Broadway debut in a series of five-a-week concerts in which he stands alone, center stage, virtually throughout the entire show, alternating between accompanying himself on piano, one of several guitars and harmonica.