A Bronx Tale
Chazz Palminteri still has a story to tell. It’s a fairy tale of sorts that satisfies our deepest cravings, with visions of bad people with hearts of gold, the innocent who triumphs over a childhood among thieves, and, most importantly, the good man who walks tall through the crime and corruption surrounding him.
I’m referring, of course, to A Bronx Tale, Palminteri’s childhood in the Bronx crafted into a compelling one-man show, originally played off-Broadway in 1989. Sandwiched between The three Godfather movies and The Sopranos, Palminteri’s story perpetuates a new American myth that pits good against evil within the persona of a single person. It is an entirely affecting piece that brought tears to many spectators on opening night.
The tightly-wrought play focuses on Sonny, a small-time gangster, who kept –-well – if not law, then at least order, in Palminteri’s 1960s Bronx neighborhood. When young “C” witnesses Sonny murder someone, he applies the first rule of the neighborhood – never, never snitch on anyone. In reward, Sonny takes the young boy under his wing, much to the consternation of “C’s” father, Lorenzo. The plot takes young “C” from age 9 through his adolescence as a runner for Sonny, always feeling the tension of his hard working father.
In this production, the treat, even for those who have already seen the movie, is Palminteri himself playing all the roles on the heavily populated corner of 187th and Belmont in the Bronx. It takes a performer who is larger that life to dominate a stage such as the Wadsworth. Despite 20 years that have elapsed, Palminteri still demonstrates razor-sharp agility when transitioning from one character to another. His Sonny is lovingly portrayed; his Lorenzo is quiet yet powerful. Each of the hoods is clearly differentiated. Even “C’s” first high-school sweetheart is distinctly depicted. Such perfect pitch can be laid at the feet of the current director, Jerry Zaks, who is well-known for sprucing up many a tried-and-true revival.
To help us visualize the coming-of-age story, Zaks is joined by designer James Noone who created selected set pieces in what I call Movie Realism style. Three units depict the restaurant-dive that constitutes Sonny’s headquarters, “C’s” own stoop and the first few floors of the 5-story walk-up from which the boy views the world, and finally, the street light on the corner, under which Dion and the Belmonts crooned to fame and from which Sonny surveys his kingdom. Atmospheric lighting by Paul Gallo moves the action and assists in our acceptance of Palminteri’s journey, most stunningly in the story of a drug bust amid gang violence with an explosion that “C” narrowly escapes. In all aspects, the production is so well layered that Zaks’ staging of its climactic moment becomes all the more arresting for the absence of sound.
Even with so much Broadway talent configuring A Bronx Tale, one leaves the performance pondering Palminteri and his inevitable return to his material. I’m reminded to James O’Neill and his alter-ego, The Count of Monte Cristo. Will Palminteri be forever associated with his alter-ego in A Bronx Tale? Perhaps it’s time for a stage version of The Godfather, or better yet, the part of a non-Italian CEO to give Palminteri a new challenge that he so richly deserves.
A Bronx Tale continues a short run through September 21st at the Wadsworth Theatre, 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Brentwood (on the grounds of the Veterans Administration), Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 pm, Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 pm, Sunday at 3:00 and 7:30 pm. Tickets, $40.00 to $78.00, purchased in person at 11301 Wilshire Blvd., Bldg 226 or online at www.ticketmaster.com