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Reviews Bronx Tale On Broadway Will Make You Want To See The Show!
Cheers for Chazz Palminteri for bringing into limelight the extremely entertaining story of local gangsters, at an Italian neighborhood of corner of 187th Street and Belmont Avenue. “A Bronx Tale” is a solo show of 95 minutes, depicting the tale of a boy, who grows up looking at gangsters. The show was debuted off-Broadway 20 years back and now is shown at Walter Kerr Theatre of Broadway. In this striking one-man show, Palminteri plays every character with utmost poise. The story revolves around two real men from Palminteri’s childhood, who had a deep impact on his personality when he grew up. The two men were his father Lorenzo, who was a bus-driver, and a mobster Sonny, who learnt underworld expertise by blending street smarts ways with a careful reading of Niccolo Machiavelli. The greatest charm of “Bronx Tale” is the series of appealing characters. This one-man show has the ability to invoke a particular time and place. The story is a journey of a young lad, whose name is Cologio, from his childhood to late teens. The story speaks of all the people he meets during his journey and how they influence his growing up. You can see the wrinkled Palminteri neatly dressed in blue shirt and gray slacks onstage. He has a simple way of bringing each character in the story to life. You can touch his simple sense by his narration of characters’ names like Jimmy Ten-to-Two, Harry A-Hee-Arrrhh, Eddie Mush, Rudy Ice, Frankie Coffee Cake, JoJo the Whale, Phil the Peddler, and other interesting people. The chief character among the above is Sonny, who is presented as "the number-one man in the neighborhood!" Sonny observes the world residing at the crook of 187th Street and Belmont Avenue. Nothing escapes his eye. Sonny connects with Cologio, after the lad witnesses a murder he commits and later, gives a false statement about it to the cops. Their connection strengthens, when Cologio obtains a few lucky throws of dice in some neighborhood game and gives Sonny a great win. This is when Sonny, the mobster, rechristens him as C and says, "You're going to the best school in the whole world — the University of Belmont Avenue." In fact, Sonny turns a surrogate father for this lad C. He wants C to gain experience from the school as well as the street, so that he becomes double smart. “Bronx Tale” does not illustrate the bond between Sonny and C alone. It also shows the hardworking character of Cologio’s bus-driver father, Lorenzo. He is always shown in a neat and tidy uniform with top button closed. Even if it’s 99 degrees, Lorenzo would never appear shoddily dressed. “Bronx Tale” is a must-watch, not only for its story, but also for the breath taking performance of Palminteri. The actor seems relaxed and at home on stage. Playing different characters on one stage is not a child’s play; but Palminteri has made it look so easy! For more reviews Bronx Tale Broadway information stay tuned!
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