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The rough and tough gangsters he plays in Hollywood films are the types of characters Chazz Palminteri grew up surrounded by. His usual characters, which parade over Hollywood big budget films like “The Usual Suspects” and “Bullets over Broadway,” limit the world’s view of this comprehensive actor. After two decades of successful Hollywood roles, the famed actor returns to the stage that earned him his fame. His revival continues to impress audiences as his world opens up a life unexplored.
“A Bronx’s Tale” started 20 years ago when Palminteri, a struggling actor, had just gotten fired working as a bouncer at a hot Los Angeles club after not allowing legendary Hollywood agent Swifty Lazar in. Returning home bewildered and distracted, a card his father sent him caught his attention and encouraged him to take things into his own hands. His father’s quote, “the saddest thing in life is wasted talent,” changed Palminteri’s life.
“I remembered when I was 9, I saw a man kill a man right in front of me, and I didn’t rat on him,” Palminteri told austin360.com during a break in rehearsal. “And I told my father, ‘I did a good thing, right, daddy?’ and he said, ‘you did a good thing for a bad man, son.’ My father always said, ‘Don’t admire those guys; I’m the tough guy because I get up and work for a living.’ I thought that dynamic between the father and (wise guy) Sonny and the boy in the middle would make a good story, and I started writing ‘A Bronx Tale.’”
The semi-autobiographical tale takes audiences behind-the-scenes of organized crime as Palminteri rehashed his years growing up surrounded by a life that pushed and pulled in two different directions. “The main theme going in was that it wasn’t black versus white; it was kind of like gray and gray. The boy took the best of Sonny and his dad and became a man,” Palminteri continued with austin360.com. “Of course, Sonny, as bad as he was, wasn’t all that bad. The father, as good as he was, wasn’t all that good. He (the boy) took the best of both people…I didn’t know I was writing all that. I just wanted to tell a great story, a story from my heart, from my soul.”
And that is exactly was Palminteri did. Once the one-man show started seeing success with its Off Broadway and Los Angeles performances in the early ‘90s, the budding young star was approached by Hollywood gangster himself, Robert de Niro. The completely broke actor took his time with his knowingly hot script, and only negotiated when he was able to write the screenplay and star in the film. The directorial debut for de Niro proved that Hollywood could glamorize anything, with the expanded version of Palminteri’s show appearing in 1993.
If you’re sick of all the Hollywood shenanigans, then the best way to celebrate this coming of age story is to see it performed live on stage by getting A Bronx Tale tickets now. The revival first premiered in September in Austin and will continue to bang the stage as it tours throughout the nation, hitting Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Washington DC.
The show depicts a violent lifestyle, when nine year old Calogero witness a mafia murder by neighborhood rebel Sonny, who later befriends the little boy after he doesn’t rat out the Bronx men to the police. The play has gotten rave reviews for its humanistic appeal and picturesque storytelling. Directed by Jerery Zaks, the show continues to perform into June 2009.The national tour is produced by GO Productions, and will feature set design by James Noone, lighting design by Paul Gallo and original music by John Gromada.
Since his early ‘90s success with his “A Bronx Tale,” Palminteri’s success has been non-stop. From acting alongside Robert de Niro in his own adapted version of the show, to staring in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway,” which he earned an Academy Award nomination, Palminteri has been making use of his talent. He has starred opposite other famed actors like Billy Chrystal, Marisa Tomei, Angelica Houston, Kevin Spacey and many others. His own directorial debut came in the form of the holiday piece “Noel” starring Penelope Cruz, Susan Sarandon and Paul Walker. More recently he starred in Ron Underwood’s “In the Mix” and the animated film “Hoodwinked” with Glen Close, Jim Belushi and Anne Hathaway.
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This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling A Bronx Tale tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.