A Bronx Tale at State Theatre on 6/2/09
By: Janet Preus
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| Chazz Palminteri in "A Bronx Tale." Publicity photo by Joan Marcus, photographer |
The rough streets of the Bronx in the 1960’s that Palminteri called home, where Dion and the Belmonts really did sing do-wop in the alley, and mobsters hung out at Chez Joey next door, was a foreign land to much of the rest of the country. Palminteri, and director Jerry Zaks didn’t glory in its tough image, though, or its now stereotypical characters. They just told us a good story. With nothing but a chair for a prop, and a simple, unit set as a backdrop, we were drawn inside his world as a child, then a teenager, growing up in a neighborhood with its own set of laws.
The law, basically, was a hood named Sonny, who took the young boy he called “C” under his wing and taught him the way of the streets. C’s father, a bus driver, didn’t approve, and told his son that the saddest thing in life was wasted talent. Both adult influences taught him important lessons about love and hate, fear and trust.
It would be easy to say Palminteri was just playing himself, but that is a superficial way of looking at this performance. He, in fact, plays all the roles—over a dozen, I’d say, but I didn’t count. Sometimes he seemed to be playing several roles all at the same time, but I never wondered “who” he was. Able to physically differentiate among them all with absolute precision, he simultaneously delivered a staggering collection of emotional bundles—a jumble of virtues and vices working at cross purposes. Somehow this life experience managed to produce a rare artist.
But don’t go because Palminteri is technically such a good actor, go because you’ll forget that he’s acting at all.
A Bronx Tale runs through June 7.
Location Info:
State Theatre
Artist Info: Go Productions
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