A BRONX TALE

A BRONX TALE written and starring Chazz Palminteri, directed by Jerry Zaks. Golden Gate Theatre, 1182 Market St, San Francisco - (415) 551-2000 or www.shnsf.com.
September 23 through Sunday, October 19

SILENCE IS GOLDEN IN THE BRONX

Chazz Palminteri, a Sicilian/Italian American who was born Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri in the Bronx, brings his semi-autobiographical solo show to San Francisco for a four week run. From the response received on opening night, the Golden Gate Theater has a winner. First mounted Off Broadway in 1989 it was the jump-start of his career as a writer and actor. This production, a re-write with Jerry Zaks as director, was a hit on Broadway in 2007-2008 and is now on a seven-month national tour.

It all begins on the corner of 187^th and Belmont Street in the Bronx. Nine year old Calogero witnessed a killing by neighborhood Godfather named Sonny. By not snitching, even though it was a lie, Sonny becomes his friend, mentor and protector who saved his life eight years later. Nicknames were de rigueur and as Sonny’s friend he earned a nickname “C.” Sonny, as mentor was in direct competition with C’s hard working bus driver father, a fact that was an integral part of his learning and development. Sonny’s personae plays a major role and his shifts from good guy to bad guy are captured perfectly by C.

The stage is set with the front of the local gangster hangout Café Joey, the front stoop and façade of a 2 story brownstone house and a street corner light/sign of 187 St and Belmont. C moves between these three settings as he creates his 18 characters in this 97 minute rapid fie monolog. To name a few characters along with that of his father and Sonny, are Blubber Pot, Crazy Mario, JoJo, 10-20 and Eddie Mush. Explanation for these nicknames is forthcoming and is worth the wait to hear. Crazy Mario and Sonny each have an extended turn proving if a girl is the right girl for you. If there a criticism, it would be the idiosyncrasy of clapping his hands between shifts in character and the time devoted to these two tales.

The change in characters is emphasized with changes in speech patterns and physical hand, arm, shoulder and body movements. Words are often not necessary to identify individual characters. Humor abounds but the gritty underside of living in the Bronx in the 1960s is the heart of this tale and in the end you understand what true friendship means. Silence is golden even when C says, “I did a good thing for a bad man.” This is a must see show.

COURTESY OF THEATREWORLD INTERNET MAGAZINE