Chazz Palminteri Tells His 'Bronx Tale' In Las Vegas

We met a lot of people last night. There were Rudy Ice, Eddie Mush, Frankie Coffeecake, Jo-Jo the Whale, Jimmy 10-to-2 and Harry Wheeeee-ah. (That last word is an attempt to replicate the sound of someone preparing to lob a loogie out his window.) Yes, there was a crowd that, in the end numbered 18. But three of them were more important than the others: Calogero Lorenzo Palminteri, his father Lorenzo and Sonny, the local capo di tutti capi —the neighborhood crime boss. Of course "we" (the audience at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas) didn't actually "meet" all these people.

We met only one — actor Chazz Palminteri who brought A Bronx Tale, his one-man show, here for a way-too-limited run.

If you talk to anyone who writes reviews and ask that person if it's easier to write a positive or negative review, the honest answer is most likely to be an emphatic "negative!" This is because the number of superlatives is limited when compared to the number of words one may use to describe boredom, disappointment, dislike.....well, you get the idea. So, in reviewing A Bronx Tale — a play that has very rightfully received raves for almost 20 years and was, in 1993, made into a successful film — I have a dilemma because there's only one way to say, for example, "tour de force."

Palminteri is amazing. He begins as his adult self revisiting the old neighborhood at 187th Street and Belmont Avenue (the street made famous by Dion DiMucci and his friends when they named their doo-wop group after their home turf) and quicklly introduces us to the rest of the neighborhood, pointing out landmarks (pizzaria, bookie joint, bakery, bookie joint, bar, bookie joint, etc.) and telling us about the people (Frankie Coffeecake is so named because, as a result of acne, he looks like a "Drake's coffee cake"). Then we meet Calogero, a nine year-old boy who sits on his stoop gazing admiringly at Sonny, the neighborhood Don.

A Bronx Tale is the story of Calogero's eight-year coming-of-age odyssey. It is the tale of a city kid whose world is his neighborhood, whose father wants him to move beyond that neighborhood and of the unlikely paternal attitude bestowed upon him by the local boss. It's a harrowing tale but, at the same time, it's one filled with joy, sadness and real suspense. It is Chazz Palminteri's own tale and is told astonishingly well.

The play was directed by Jerry Zaks and, for anyone longing to see memorable and very real "theater," this is the place to be. The audience is transported out of the very luxe Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas back to the Bronx neighborhood where the story takes place. It is a mesmerizing journey and one that is not to be missed.

As a child, Calogero — Chazz — is told by his father, "The saddest thing in the world is wasted talent." As an adult, Calogero — Chazz — can be sure his enormous talent is not only not wasted but is, in fact, opening new worlds to so many people.

A Bronx Tale is at The Venetian Theatre October 8 - 12 and 15- 18 at 8 pm. Tickets range from $38.25 to $138.25. To purchase, visit www.venetian.com or call 702/414-1000 or, toll free, 1-877/883-6423.